Movie Review: "Yellow Sky"

Synopsis: While on the run from the law, a group of Old West criminals find the town of Yellow Sky, once a thriving place, but now largely abandoned, except for a young woman (Anne Baxter) and her aging grandfather.  The guys start falling for her, but she is a force to be reckoned with; she can shoot a pistol with the best of them.  When the criminals discover gold behind the woman's house, one of them cuts a deal with her and her grandpa...but, the other guys don't want to honor that deal.  Who will strike it rich?

The Good: The sound and video quality on this DVD version are excellent.  Even on my iPad with Apple earbuds, the film looks and sounds amazing, with more detail than you'd expect from a black and white flick.  It's also a treat to see the legendary, late Gregory Peck in a starring role.  Since this is an older movie, the violence is handled with "PG" decorum that you often don't see in newer cinema.

The Bad: If only the rest of the movie was along the same lines.  Along with two uses of "jacka--," there were some scenes that seemed to imply sex, possibly rape.  The guys often drink whiskey, as well.  My biggest complaint, however, was that this film was largely dull.  Its quiet moments went on for too long, and even the action was a bit uninteresting.

Conclusion: They don't make them like this anymore.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Yes.  While the old-school decorum made this more enjoyable, the negative aspects and the overall blandness made it less so.  Gregory Peck's performance is excellent; the film simply isn't.  Unless you're an old-school Western fanatic, I can't recommend this one.

Score: 2/5