Nicely done Western with a very interesting story-line. I like the way it unfolds and how we follow the main character as he ups his game and his skills. This is the first time I have seen this approach to a western i.e. a detective type build-up that captures the viewer and holds them. I also like the Ranch that appears in the story. Beautiful with surrounding mountains, plenty of space and secluded. We have good guys, bad guys, bank robbers, love interests, saloons, lots of whiskey drinking, shootings, horses and even some flashback too. I am a Arthur Kennedy fan and he is one of the most under-rated actors out there. He always delivers a quality performance making you believe he is the character no problem. His Invasion of the Body Snatchers did it for me and of course he has done fine Westerns, dramas and all the rest. Good supporting cast. On Marlene Dietrich, anyone could have played the role she played and I wasn't thrilled to see her act it out but she does. Good movie to eat a burrito or steak sandwich plus a tasty drink. Mount-up all you pards and lets ride on this one.

After seeing the charming Western Rachel and the Stranger,I took a look at the TV listings,and found out that the BBC were following the screening with a Western from Fritz Lang. Previously only knowing Lang for his Sci-Fi,Film Noir and late Adventure movies,I excitingly got set to enter Lang's Western metropolis.The plot:Working as a ranch hand, Vern Haskell finds his peaceful life to be left broken when his fiancée Beth Forbes is killed during a robbery. Finding no help from the law,Haskell leaves his peaceful life behind,and goes in search of the outlaws. Finding one of the robbers dying on the ground after being betrayed by his former pal,Haskell is told of a game called Chuck-a-Luck. Locating the main salon where the game is played,Haskell crosses paths with Altar Keane,who along with getting lucky on Chuck-a-Luck,is now wearing some of Forbes jewellery.View on the film:Locked from giving a full crack of the whip by studio owner Howard Hughes taking control of the editing and his relationship with the lead actress being so "frosty" that they ended up not speaking to each other during production,director Fritz Lang & cinematographer Hal Mohr are still able to find a saddle which allows them to enter the Wild West with style,as expertly delivered overlapping images cast an evil under the sun Film Noir atmosphere under the West,with the burning hot sun dimming as Haskell takes another step to finding Forbes killers. Possibly spurred on by the production "issues" Lang shootout with a peculiar comedic side,which steps into view as all the dames take the cowboys on in a piggyback ride contest.Being a diva on set (with her demanding Mohr to make her look younger) Marlene Dietrich wonderfully transfers her off-screen confidence to the screen,via giving Altar Keane a brashness which keeps all the boys in line. Haunted by the sight of his dead wife, Arthur Kennedy gives a marvellous performance as Haskell,whose sweet heroic smile is tainted by Kennedy as loner who finds himself unable to stop the transformation into an outlaw,as Haskell gets his revenge with a game of Chuck-a- Luck.

A honest rancher, palming himself off as an outlaw to gain acceptance into a fraternal haven of gangsters hiding out in the sticks, is only after the varmint who murdered his fiancée--but ends up feeling a strong sexual attraction to the woman who runs the Chuck-a-Luck, a former saloon hostess with a colorful reputation. Fritz Lang-directed western was plagued with problems (both during the production and after), although Marlene Dietrich--allegedly the cause of most of the on-set turmoil--gives a must-see performance as the notorious Altar Keane ("They even named a railroad car after her!"). Throaty, sensuous, and no-nonsense, Dietrich is willing to go all the way with this role, and one can practically feel the binds holding her back. Arthur Kennedy is better than usual as the newcomer to Dietrich's brood of happy killers and robbers (he and Marlene have palpable chemistry), but Mel Ferrer is stiff and unsure as suave outlaw Frenchy Fairmont (the cartoonish name doesn't match the actor playing the role). The deep, mellow colors are beautiful, and yet the Technicolor cinematography heightens the artificiality of the indoor sets. Not a great picture, and one that is prodded along by a laughably corny folk ballad, though Lang does manage to come up with a few fresh twists on the genre and the supporting players are solid. ** from ****

In a small town in the Wyoming, the pacific cowboy Vern Haskell (Arthur Kennedy) and his beloved fiancée Beth Forbes (Gloria Henry) will get married in eight days, and plan their lives living in a ranch of their own in eight years with many children. However, their dream is destroyed when Beth is raped and murdered by an outlaw during a heist in the store of her father. The full of hate Vern follows the trail of the criminal alone, and meets his partner, who was betrayed by the killer and shot on his back, dying in the desert. The bandit tells that his partner is going to Chuck-a-Luck hiding place, but nobody knows where it is. In his journey, Vern learns how to shoot and listens to many stories about the famous Altar Keane (Marlene Dietrich), a woman that worked in many cabarets and made a fortune gambling in a Chuck-a-Luck wheel helped by the hit-man Frenchy Fairmont (Mel Ferrer), the fastest trigger in the west. When Vern finds that Frenchy has just been captured and is arrested in the local jail, he shoots bottles in a bar to be sent to jail. Vern is locked with Frenchy and becomes his friend when he helps the hit-man to escape. They ride to a remote ranch in the border owned by Keane, actually a sanctuary for criminals, where Vern tries to find the murderer and revenge the death of Beth."Notorious Ranch" is a wonderful tale of hate, murder and revenge. I am not fan of the genre, but this western directed by Fritz Lang tells a solid and credible story, with characters very well-developed and supported by a magnificent cast leaded by Marlene Dietrich, Arthur Kennedy and Mel Ferrer. I only regret the poor quality of image of the Brazilian DVD, which has not been restored. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "O Diabo Feito Mulher" ("The Devil Like Woman")