There Was a Crooked Man...

I thoroughly enjoyed There Was A Crooked Man for its inhaling the fresh air of liberty on today's screen without its gagging on the fumes of gratuitous license. [31 Dec 1970, p.39]

There Was A Crooked Man . . . is really a duel between two men, one good, one bad, and it's these smaller, more civilized confrontations, done with irony and wit, that make the film one of the more pleasant things you're likely to see this season.

Generally unheralded, this is one of the really good Douglas performances, smoothly matched by Fonda's. [12 Jan 2007, p.6E]

Character consistency is fleeting, to say the least, but who cares? So many of these guys are gone now, just watching the cast having such a great time is half the considerable fun of the film. [28 Jan 2007, p.30]

One of the most cynical and bitterly funny westerns ever made.

The resolution, cynically demonstrating the relativity of good and evil, comes a little too pat; but the performances, the set pieces, and the overall tone are irresistible.

It is the type of action drama in which neither the actors nor director appear to believe the script or characters.