The Return of Frank James
A fugitive farmer pursues his brother’s killers across the frontier while protecting a young companion and confronting the cost of revenge.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- adventurous
- earnest
- suspenseful
- classic western night
- fritz lang retrospective
What critics said
Critics generally regard the film as an entertaining but unexceptional follow-up, with its strongest qualities coming from individual performances and the revenge premise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Frank must choose between pursuing the Ford brothers and preventing Pinky from being hanged for a crime connected to his flight.
Frank and Clem tell strangers that Frank James has died in order to cover their tracks.
Reporter Eleanor Stone interviews Frank without initially knowing who he is, and their attraction develops while his identity remains hidden.
The film uses its nineteenth-century Colorado setting, horseback travel, outlaw pursuit, and train-centered conflict as its principal visual attractions.
Films like The Return of Frank James, and why
Jesse James
classic western revenge narrative with a morally conflicted outlaw protagonist and frontier justice
The Ox-Bow Incident
stylized classical western centered on vengeance, lawlessness, and a famous historical outlaw
Dodge City
period western combining revenge, romance, pursuit, and questions of justice
My Darling Clementine
character-driven western about an outlaw trying to reconcile violence with moral responsibility
Movie Details
- Director
- Fritz Lang
- Release Date
- 1940-08-10
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (147)
Cast
- Henry Fonda
- Jackie Cooper
- Gene Tierney
- Henry Hull
- John Carradine
- J. Edward Bromberg
- Donald Meek
- Eddie Collins
- George Barbier
- Russell Hicks
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Return of Frank James about?
- A fugitive farmer pursues his brother’s killers across the frontier while protecting a young companion and confronting the cost of revenge.
- What is The Return of Frank James like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Return of Frank James as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Return of Frank James violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Return of Frank James as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Return of Frank James?
- Critics generally regard the film as an entertaining but unexceptional follow-up, with its strongest qualities coming from individual performances and the revenge premise.
- Which films are like The Return of Frank James?
- Films with a similar feel include Jesse James, The Ox-Bow Incident, Dodge City, and My Darling Clementine.
- How long is The Return of Frank James?
- The Return of Frank James runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Return of Frank James?
- In United States, The Return of Frank James is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
