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The Night of the Grizzly
1966 108 min United States of America G 12+
★6.7
Adventure, Western
Director: Joseph Pevney
Trailers
Description
Marshall "Big Jim" Cole turns in his badge and heads to Wyoming with his family in order to settle on some land left him by a relative. He faces opposition both from a neighbor who wants that land for his own sons, and from a grizzly bear nicknamed "Satan" who keeps killing Cole's livestock.
Starring
Clint Walker
Actor
Martha Hyer
Actor
Keenan Wynn
Actor
Key opinion
The Night of the Grizzly is a modest Western that blends family-oriented drama with rugged, nature-focused conflict. While it offers a solid, if conventional, genre experience, the film is hampered by a lack of strong leading charisma and a budget that limits its cinematic scale.
| Acting | The film utilizes a reliable mix of brawls, gunfights, and knife fights that effectively anchor its action sequences. | |
| Originality | The bear antagonist remains a persistent, menacing physical threat throughout the narrative, culminating in a dramatic climax. | |
| Theme | The film carries a 'cutesy' Disney-Western tone that clashes with its more mature themes, potentially alienating traditional Western fans. | |
| Acting | Clint Walker’s performance fails to provide the necessary leading charisma to elevate the story beyond its standard tropes. | |
| Production | The modest production budget prevents the film from achieving the cinematic visual quality found in genre classics like Shane. |