Not the most original nor interesting Scott western I've seen. Like various other reviewers have said, Alexander Knox just seems out of his tree as a cattle baron. I can see why he made a good Woodrow Wilson, or perhaps a good bank president, for example. John Russell would have made a much more believable Will Isham, but then he couldn't have taken part in that marathon brawl with Scott unless the script were rewritten. Similarly, Richard Rober made an unconvincing gunslinger in looks, although his target practice in the saloon was quite impressive. I'm still not positive whether Rober was trying to kill Scott(probably) or Isham, or both, when he burst into the building as Scott and Isham were descending the stairs. Scott ducked back to safety, and Isham, in front, shifted over to where Scott had been, when the revolver fired. That was 3 murders Rober was credited with, and he tried to make Scott number 4. Their shootout continued into the street, where a very strong wind complicated things a bit. Guess who eventually prevailed.Returning to the brawl between Scott and Russell, not only did they destroy the breakaway furniture, they caused the breakaway cabin they were in to collapse! Very lucky they weren't buried under the rubble! They continued their fight over the romantic attention of Ellen Drew down a very steep slope next to a stream, with Ellen tumbling down the slope behind with a rifle. Russell finally managed to get on his horse for a get away before he got shot. Another cliffhanger is when Scott was driving a chuck wagon, trying to outrun a cattle stampede, and the lantern in the back fell off and started a fire. He continued to drive the wagon until it was about to burn him up, when he unhitched the wagon at full speed and apparently jumped off just before what was left was wrecked.The ending is rather unsatisfactory to me. What became of the Scott-Joan Leslie romantic relationship after Isham was murdered? Was she now damaged goods, so that a Scott-Joan union could not occur to combine their resources? Did Joan sell out to Scott or someone else? It appeared that Scott favored Ellen Drew at the end. She was a decade older than Joan, who was only half Scott's age. During sizable chunks of the film, I hardly understood what was going on, riding around here and there, often in the dark.Currently available at YouTube

Average Scott western, at best. There're some darn fine Lone Pine vistas that aren't usually seen, plus mountain scenes from southern Sierras. That's one thing about well-produced westerns— the scenery can sustain even when all else falters. Scott, of course, is Scott, strong-jawed and humorless, carrying the film even when the congested script doesn't. The plot's pretty familiar, rich landowner taking over hero's land, along with a number of subplots. Then too, we've got not just one ingénue, but two. Leslie and Drew may be malt shop girls from the 40's but they do well enough here. I'm glad their hair color differs, otherwise they would be hard to tell apart. I'm with those who think Rober and Knox too bland to compete with Scott. Also, I agree that Russell would have made a much more vivid villain; too bad he's wasted in what looks like a tacked-on role. And catch how easily Bedoya goes from clown to menace, even without "stinkin' badges". I really did expect sharper results from ace director DeToth. Given the right material, he can be quite affecting, as his western masterpiece Ramrod (1948) proves. As Andrew Sarris points out, few movie makers had a better feel for human treachery than the eye-patch Hungarian. My guess is he regarded the script as little more than a vehicle for Scott, though a few nice fringe touches do emerge, such as the straggler who gets in the way of the showdown.All in all, the oater's too sprawling in both cast and story to achieve anything more than a scenic time passer.

Man In The Saddle Is Classic In Every Sense Because It Was A Fantastic Formula So Popular During The Fifties When The Star, Not The Film Pulled The Fans Into The Theater. Scott Is Excellent In The Colorful Location Of Lone Pine, California. Detoth Had Come Aboard As Director Since Usual Scott Director Edwin Marin Had Recently Died Of A Heart Attack. Man In The Saddle Is The Action Western No Longer Produced And Sorely Missed By Many, And If It Is Veiwed With An Idea Of The Time it Was Made One can Almost Feel The Excitement Which Filled Theaters No Longer Enjoyed, As In Those Days. I Rate Man In The Saddle 4 Stars Out Of 4. Billy Holcomb

By Randolph Scott standards of the 1950s, this is a disappointing and heavy-handed star western. Two or three of the characters could be dispensed with, while two or three other characters could be given more prominence. (The humour needs to be completely rewritten.) De Toth handles the action well - as always - but his grasp of the overall narrative is weak.