In the first fifty years of cinema, the year of 1948 had to be the best for the western genre up to that time. For, in 1948, movie producers generated a number of very good features like "Fort Apache," "Yellow Sky," "Blood on the Moon," "Four Faces West," and "Red River." "Station West" was also one of the better westerns made that same year."Station West" features Dick Powell as John Haven, an undercover government agent assigned to investigate a gold robbery and the deaths of two guards, both US cavalrymen. Some have compared Powell's temperament to that of twentieth century detective Phillip Marlowe. He surely has both the sarcasm and self-assurance of the fictional private eye even though Powell is out of his normal character by appearing in a western. Anyway Haven takes the night stage to Rock Pass, a booming but also a corrupt town. The guitar-playing hotel manager (Burl Ives) immediately recognizes Haven as a stranger and lets him know that "Charlie" (Jane Greer) and her minions have their hands in nearly everything of importance. As Haven checks in, he discovers that he will have to make his own bed and that fresh towels will not be provided. "Thanks for the keys," he quips to the singing hotel manager.Things happen fast in the town gambling house/saloon, where suspicious characters come and go. Haven is attracted to the attractive femme fatale Charlie (actually Charlene) as folks like gambling manager Prince (Gordon Oliver) and house bouncer Mick Marion (Guinn Williams) watch with scowling faces. Even the bartender (John Doucette) eyes the stranger with unfriendliness and suspicion. There is also the jellyfish attorney Mark Bristow (Raymond Burr). Before long, Haven secretly meets with Captain Iles (Tom Powers), Lt. Stellman (Steve Brodie), and Mrs. Caslon (Agnes Moorehead) to work on a plan of action for the investigation. It is obvious that Haven, who has a personality conflict with Iles, has his own methods for smoking out the bad folks. Back in the barroom, Haven – with difficulty – in an all-out brawl defeats Mick. But Charlie, impressed with Haven's victory and toughness, hires him as her transportation boss. In fact, Charlie seems to place much trust in Haven. And Haven obviously likes the attractive woman. So are these two – protagonist and antagonist – really falling in love with each other? Anyway, Charlie has set his plan in motion to get the evil ones, not quite realizing Charlie's role.Along the way there are several odd scenes. For one, Haven is looking for the gold cache that he ditched when suddenly Mrs. Caslon sneaks up behind him holding two loaded pistols. She thinks he stole the gold. But since Caslon is wearing a nineteenth dress not conducive to riding one wonders how she happens to pop up unnoticed by Haven away from town in the wild. Another odd part involves James Goddard (Regis Toomey). We know immediately after his shooting that he was a Wells Fargo agent. But why did he want to ride the (unprotected) night stage along with Haven in the first place? Also, Haven as a junior officer should be able to recognize a button from a military coat right away. He had to be told the information by the hotel manager. Perhaps some minutes of the movie were inadvertently cut; the feature seen was about 80 minutes long, chopped down by 12 minutes from the original release. Nevertheless the three described situations do not detract too much from the storyline.The acting is great all-around, while the script is at a high level. Burl Ives homespun folksy singing is excellent. And how about Harry Wild's filming of this feature in beautiful Sedona, Arizona, a personal favorite? So, despite its minor flaws and the fact that action is limited, this western is worth seeing.

Station West is directed by Sidney Lanfield and adapted to screenplay by Frank Fenton and Winston Miller from the novel written by Luke Short. It stars Dick Powell, Jane Greer, Agnes Moorehead, Raymond Burr, Tom Powers, Guinn Williams, Gordon Oliver and Burl Ives. Music is by Heinz Roemheld and cinematography by Harry J. Wild.Powell plays an undercover army agent sent into Rock Pass to find out who robbed and murdered two soldiers who were guarding a gold shipment.There has always – and always will be – debates about what constitutes film noir, but undoubtedly it is a line of film making that positively thrives on a style that cloaks a number of characterisations. Thus we have the many off-shoots of film noir, such as the Noir Western. Noir Westerns in all actuality don't number more than 20, and even some of those that get put forward are tenuous additions. Where the likes of Pursued, Ramrod and Blood on the Moon are confidently held up as the leading lights of Noir Westerns, it actually pays to look towards a rarer picture like Raton Pass or this here under seen treasure, Station West, for unseen sub-noir rewards.Station West has it all so as to earn its noir badge. It's got Powell doing a Western version of Phillip Marlowe, complete with swagger, sarcasm and the ability to nonchalantly smile in the face of peril. Then there's Greer, fresh from Out of the Past the previous year, Greer is in full tilt femme fatale mode, marrying up her hard beauty with feminist strength. Both Powell and Greer are wonderful, their respective characters constantly jostling for domination, trading quips and glib asides, the sexual tension consistently palpable.The town of Rock Pass is in the process of booming, but with that comes corruption, and it is rife, with unlikely sources pulling the crooked strings. Greed and betrayal are words that hover over the intelligent screenplay, even as the script snaps with delightful one liners and sarcastic wit, there's a moody ambiance snuggling on up with the fun side of things, these bed fellows are meant to be. While the man himself, Haven (Powell), has a reputation for not towing the party line, he's clearly in the right place then!Filmed out of beautiful Sedona in Arizona, Harry Wild's photography is gorgeous for the exterior locations (those rock formations are just visual orgasms), and film noir nirvana for everything else as he brings expressionistic touches to all the key sequences. In the support acting ranks we have Burr as a twitchy lawyer, Moorehead as a stoic wealthy widow, Williams as bad boy muscle, Oliver as the smarm, Powers as the grumpy unhelpful army captain and Ives as a hotel clerk – cum – balladeer who has a morbid hobby on the side. All of them contribute good characterisations.I can't say that Roemheld's score is particularly memorable, and a big fist-fight between Williams and Powell is ferocious but tainted by the over dramatics that were indicative of the time, but from beginning to sombre end this is a cracker and it deserves to be better known and loved. 9/10

Station West (1948) directed by Sidney Lanfield, is definitely a cut above your standard Grade-B western. The plot is complex, the camera angles are skillful, and the acting is outstanding.However, this is not a film you see because you like guns, fists, and horses. It's the acting that makes this movie so interesting. RKO put real effort into casting the film. Besides Dick Powell and Jane Greer, the cast includes Agnes Moorehead and Raymond Burr.Powell is typecast as the tough-as-nails stranger in a very tough town. Jane Greer is "Charlie," who owns the gambling saloon, the gold mine, and the sheriff. She wears gowns that no 19th-Century saloon owner ever wore, and, being Jane Greer, she looks great in them. (Greer was, of course, very beautiful, but her beauty came from her intelligence as well as from her features. She was known as "The Woman with the Mona Lisa smile.")Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams plays the bouncer Mick Marion. About Marion the hotel clerk says, "Me, I'd rather fight a forest fire." Powell answers, "So would I." Burl Ives is perfect as the hotel clerk who acts like a Greek chorus as he composes and sings a ballad about the plot as it unfolds. (The chorus ends, "And a man can't grow old, where there's women and gold.") I was able to find a used VCR copy of this film. I don't think it's available in DVD, and you'd be lucky to find it being screened in a theater. It would probably work better on a large screen, but the chemistry between Greer and Powell will work in any format. It's a movie that's definitely worth finding and seeing.

Dick Powell plays his usual sarcastic self in this nice little RKO western about an Army undercover officer investigating a series of gold shipment robberies along with the murder of two soldiers.He gets embroiled with film noir queen Jane Greer as the manipulative seductress who is up to no good. She trades a lot of quick, snappy one-liners with Powell and of course they fall in love. Good dialog.Agnes Moorehead appears as the gold mine owner who is romantically involved with the Army Captain of the investigation, Tom Powers.We also get Raymond Burr as the corrupt but wimpy town lawyer who's involved on the periphery of the robberies that's taking place. Burr was a good heavy for about 10 years before he became PERRY MASON. Too bad he doesn't get to play that kind of character, here. But even as a wimp, he's still sleazy.Nice fistfight scene between Powell and Gunn Williams, who plays one of Geer's henchmen thugs here. He doesn't get to say much other than look mean, but then the role doesn't call for much of that, either.Also notable for the appearance of Burl Ives as the singing hotel clerk who at first, gets on Powell's nerves but later becomes an important ally in his investigation.And at 80 minutes, the film moves along quite smoothly with no awkward moments or wasted screen time. The whole thing ends before ya know it.Gets a 6½ out of 10 for good story and decent action.