A woman (Claire Bloom) is raped and her husband killed. A Mexican bandit (Paul Newman, believe it or not) is put on trial for the crimes. But there are four conflicting stories about what really happened: the bandit's, the woman's, a prospector's, and an old Indian's. Western remake of Rashomon is, not surprisingly, inferior to that classic in every way. However, it is entertaining although not always for the right reasons. It has a nice cast, most of whom turn in terrible performances. Paul Newman is especially bad. Probably the most embarrassing role of his career. Other stinkers in the cast include William Shatner, Howard Da Silva, and Paul Fix. Edward G. Robinson is the best actor in the movie. His character is broad and prone to being over-the-top like the others but he manages to rein it in just right. Claire Bloom and Laurence Harvey do fine but are nothing special. Not a great movie by any means but curiosity factor warrants giving it a look, particularly if you're a Newman or Robinson fan.

There is something elusive about Martin Ritt's film "The Outrage" as what starts with supposedly minor characters slowly develops into a serious drama with the help of established actors.This is a rather curious anomaly as this film features famous actors like Edward G. Robinson and William Shatner who play some extremely minor roles.This meaningful film must escape from the clutches of unwarranted comparison to Japanese cinema maestro Akira Kurosawa's cult classic "Rashomon".No true film fan can deny that there might be similarities with that film yet "The Outrage" remains absolutely true to its American essence.With a fairly good command of colloquial Spanish,American cinema legend late Paul Newman excels in every frame.He proves that he is very much a woman's man despite getting a very negative role.It is said since time immemorial that various truths and lies are fair and valid as long as their authenticity is expressed in a just manner.This axiom holds full sway in this film."The Outrage" is a film wherein viewers have been urged to believe in the sanctity of male/female relationships especially when a man and a woman become a husband and wife.

The minute I saw this film, I immediately thought of 1951's "Rashomon." I didn't care for that film and this interpretation was really the pits, despite a totally unrecognizable Paul Newman giving a superb performance as a Mexican bandit.Everyone has a different interpretation why the Laurence Harvey character died in this film. Truth is that it's usually every type of circumstance depicted with the exception of the truthful one. This one is practically no exception either.Edward G. Robinson is perfect as the con man offering his two cents into the situation.Anyone think of what the baby was supposed to represent in this film? I had no idea either.The film was boring and could have been told in about 20 minutes to half an hour-tops.

Good acting by good actors. A well-filmed movie. Good character development. No plot.Some guy is dead. His wife is raped. Eyewitnesses give different accounts. Eventually, it gets cleared up. Movie over.Lots and lots of talking. Lots and lots.It's a fairly enjoyable movie for most people, the apparent exception being people with liberal arts degrees. This is a remake. So it is automatically trash to anyone who took film-making 101 as an elective. There are two fine counter-arguments. One is that every play of Shakespeare was stolen from earlier works. The second is that all good stories will be remade someday. Yes, even Earnest Goes to Camp will be redone some day.The 1950 movie Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa is known to some as a classic. It's chief quality, the directing, is the sole reason why Rashomon is remembered today. It is remembered, but not viewed. It has too many deficiencies. Rashomon was in Japanese. Not too many of us speak Japanese. It had Japanese actors. Not too many of us know any Japanese actors. It was set in Japan. Not too many of us prefer a Japanese feudal setting to a rootin-tootin Western.Rashomon still shows in colleges. Lots of freshman find deep meaning it. Lots of professors swear it is the epitome of film-making. None of them watch it outside the classroom.Watch this movie if you like a meandering whodunit set in cowboy days.Watch Rashomon if you are Japanese, speak Japanese, like movies set in Japan, and like movies even slower than this one. Or if your professor makes you watch it.