is jimmy stewart the greatest actor of all-time ?
it’s quite possible .
his career spanned over 40 years , and he acted in more movies than most actors ever could .
yet , when he is talked about in the media , he is generally thought of as an actor who played one type of role : the nice guy .
and that’s really a shame .
” the naked spur ” features jimmy stewart in a role completely different than what people would expect from him .
it’s a western , which stewart specialized in around this period , and it casts him as a desperate man out to collect a bounty on a man who used to be his friend .
before he finds that man , though , he runs into two men who agree to help him , thinking he is a sheriff .
when the criminal is eventually caught , the two men discover stewart’s secret , and decide they want a piece of the action too .
the rest of the film is a suspenseful journey in which each man suspects the other constantly .
also featured is the woman travelling with the criminal , well played by janet leigh .
we’re never too sure who’s side she’s really on until the end .
leigh is an actress probably best known for her role as the ” shower lady ” from ” psycho ” , and that’s unfair .
she gives a strong performance as a woman who is pulled between these two men .
stewart gives a performance unlike anything i’ve ever seen from him .
he usually keeps cool no matter what occurs , but here , he gets downright hysterical at times .
i think perhaps he took this role to prove to the public that he was more than just a ” nice guy ” .
his performance borders on psychotic at times , but i loved watching every second of it .
it’s roles like this one that make me admire him as much as i do .
he was an actor unafraid to take chances , and even ruin his public image .