Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
United Artists
Not part of a collection.
Men are so Easy!... A Little Lace, a Pair of Lips, a Touch, and they Kill for you!
A cattle-vs.-sheepman feud loses Connie Dickason her fiance, but gains her his ranch, which she determines to run alone in opposition to Frank Ivey, "boss" of the valley, whom her father Ben wanted her to marry. She hires recovering alcoholic Dave Nash as foreman and a crew of Ivey's enemies. Ivey fights back with violence and destruction, but Dave is determined to counter him legally... a feeling not shared by his associates. Connie's boast that, as a woman, she doesn't need guns proves justified, but plenty of gunplay results.
John Chard
May 11, 2019 · via TMDB
From now on, I'm going to make a life of my own. And, being a woman, I won't have to use guns. Ramrod is directed by Andre DeToth and collectively written by Luke Short, Jack Moffitt, C. Graham Baker and Cecile Kramer. It stars Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Don DeFore, Donald Crisp, Preston Foster, Arlene Whelan and Charles Ruggles. Music is by Adloph Deutsch and cinematography by Russell Harlan. Sick of self proclaimed bully boss of the valley Frank Ivey (Foster) getting his way, hard driven Connie Dickason (Lake) sets up the Circle 66 Ranch. Hiring Dave Nash (McRea) as her ranch foreman (ramrod), Connie uses tricks and feminine wiles to win the personal battles to hand - which may well spell bad news for everyone... Ramrod was the first Western directed by De Toth, and it's quite an impressive genre start. Splendidly capturing the film noir zeitgeist that was occurring at this time, pic looks terrific, De Toth and Harlan bring perfect monochrome moodiness for narrative compliance. The story pulses with psychological beats, the characters ranging from damaged addicts, the lovelorn and the lost, the power crazy and the cowardly, and right there at the core of it all is a femme fatale who is very much all woman but manipulative, bitter and destructive to the bone! Story has a number of splinters lifting it out of the ordinary, the twists and turns not ridiculous, the sly machinations of principals are devilishly enjoyable for the like minded noir of heart. The plotting is clinically smart by not being ordinary, De Toth toying with the traditional tropes of the good versus bad Western staples. It's fair to say that Ramrod will reward more on further viewings, where it has the power to have the viewer dissecting the Freudian angles on show. Cast are well suited to their respective roles. Lake rightly deglamourizes for Connie, and yet she carries a steely sexiness that has you understanding how men fall under her spell. McRea underplays it perfectly, he got the dupe role down pat, whilst DeFore steals the men acting honours as Bill Schell, who is Dave's mate, a jumping bean loose cannon dealing death with a nod and a wink. Support cast all come out in credit to seal the deal, for Ramrod is a must see for those who like Western and film noir hybrids. 8/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Joel McCrea
Dave Nash
Veronica Lake
Connie Dickason
Don DeFore
Bill Schell
Donald Crisp
Jim Crew
Preston Foster
Frank Ivey
Arleen Whelan
Rose Leland
Charles Ruggles
Ben Dickason
Lloyd Bridges
Red Cates
Nestor Paiva
Curley
Ray Teal
Ed Burma
Houseley Stevenson
George Smedley
Ward Wood
Link Thoms
Ian MacDonald
Walt Shipley
Wally Cassell
Virg Lea
Sarah Padden
Mrs. Parks
Russell Harlan
Director of Photography
Edith Head
Costume Design
André de Toth
Director
Eugene Strong
Associate Producer
Under Arizona Skies
Trails End
Cowboy Blues
Border Fence
Prairie Pals
Cyclone Prairie Rangers
Three in the Saddle
Gun Smoke
Hi, Gaucho!
El Siete Machos
West of Texas
Twilight on the Prairie
North of 36
South Pacific Trail
The Able-Minded Lady
Frontier Agent
Raiders of the West
No Country for Old Men
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Giant
The Big Country
Along the Navajo Trail
Legends of the Fall
El Dorado
3:10 to Yuma
Adventures of the Texas Kid: Border Ambush
Cowboy in the Clouds
Montana Desperado
Stars Over Texas
Border Outlaws
Wanderers of the West
The Man from Snowy River
Colorado Territory
Old Yeller
Day of the Badman
Green Grass of Wyoming
Big Jake
The Man From Snowy River II
The Arizona Ranger
Young Guns
Oklahoma!
Forty Guns
Nevada
Pursued
The Tulsa Kid
Return of the Lash
Cat Ballou
Tom Horn
Blood on the Moon
Old Shatterhand
The River's Edge
The Hunting Party
Beyond the Rockies
Tickle Me
The Red Pony
The Night of the Grizzly
My Friend Flicka
Heaven with a Gun
Outlaws of Boulder Pass
Arizona Trail
China 9, Liberty 37
Under California Stars
Texas Terror
Two-Gun Caballero
Fence Riders
Alias John Law
Desert Mesa
Northwest Stampede
Law of the Panhandle
Shawano
Dances with Wolves
Rio Bravo
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
El Dorado
Hud
True Grit
Bad Day at Black Rock
3:10 to Yuma
Blazing Saddles
The Cowboys
Westward the Women
Run for Cover
Nevada Smith
Man in the Shadow
Boss Nigger
McLintock!
Buchanan Rides Alone
Tall in the Saddle
Frontera
Bonanza: The Return
Rancho Notorious
The Violent Men
Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
Cat Ballou
Decision at Sundown
Monte Walsh
Badland
Tall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventure
Firecreek
Don't Come Knocking
The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox
Wild Rovers
The Way West
Return of the Gunfighter
Barbarosa
The Kentuckian
May 2, 1947
© 2025-2026 MovieNight. All rights reserved.
Versus
Sign in to play →
The Stranglers - Live '78, SF
1978
Saddle Leather Law
1944
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
Versus
Sign in to play →
The Stranglers - Live '78, SF
1978
Saddle Leather Law
1944
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
We use essential cookies to run MovieNight, plus analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies. By continuing to browse, you agree to this — or click No and we won't. See our Terms & Privacy Policy to learn more.