Garden of Evil | Rotten Tomatoes

Garden of Evil

Released Jul 9, 1954

1h 40m

Adventure

List

86%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

53%

Audience Score

100+ Ratings

Traveling through Mexico, three American gunslingers -- Hooker (Gary Cooper), Fiske (Richard Widmark) and Daly (Cameron Mitchell) -- are approached by the beautiful Leah Fuller (Susan Hayward). She hires the trio to venture into dangerous territory and bring back her husband, John (Hugh Marlowe), who is trapped inside a remote gold mine. While the rewards could be considerable, so are the obstacles that they face to complete their hazardous assignment.

Read More

Read Less

Francois Truffaut

Arts (France)

After River of No Return, Garden of Evil is the best CinemaScope film released this year.

Apr 4, 2022

Full Review

Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark and Cameron Mitchell are variously noble, cynical and swinish companions to a lady-in-distress (Susan Hayward) in Mexico...pretentious, but passable.

Oct 15, 2019

Full Review

Josephine O'Neill

Daily Telegraph (Australia)

I had a high old time, and so, no doubt, will you.

Mar 26, 2019

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

The Retro Set

By surrendering to the tenants of traditional melodrama, anything Hathaway tries to say about the human condition feels either trite or under-developed.

Rated: 5/10

Dec 28, 2018

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

The character dynamics are what make this tale interesting, and it's never hard to watch these A-listers in their patented roles -- Cooper as the voice of reason, Widmark full of wisecracks and wit, and Hayward exuding fiery independence.

Rated: 3/4

May 21, 2016

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

All-star cast, headed by Gary Cooper and Susan Hayward, elevates this Henry Hathaway's B Western

Rated: B-

Apr 29, 2011

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

Really enjoyed this one. Yes I recommend it James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas, May 6, 2023.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

To begin with, the storyline is a bit far fetched. If Indians are killing white men on a particular day, wouldn't that be well known amongst all white men? So why would four total strangers risk their lives to save one man with the real possibility of them all dying? Would one woman have that much influence over the hearts of these men? Is she that bewitching? On top of it all is a poorly written script that tries to come across as soulful philosophy, great insight into the human condition but hits wide of the mark in corny aphorisms. Finally, this is the first time I've seen Gary Cooper, and I was far from impressed. He comes across as cold and stiff, no indication of the alleged "great actor" anywhere in sight. If I were you, I'd spend a few hours on something more interesting. Paint Your Wagon with superior writing and an A+ performance by Lee Marvin thats just classic, would be a great choice. Oh, and Clint Eastwood singing romantic tunes is a once in a life time hoot.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

gene d

Susan Hayward hires Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark, Cameron Mitchell, and Victor Manuel Mendoza to help her go down in Mexico where her husband, Hugh Marlowe, is injured and waiting for rescue. Mountains, deserts and natives complicate the journey. A blazing Bernard Herrmann score propels the action. The scenery is gorgeous and severe, and the characters are as well-drawn as you might expect from such a cast. A very young Rita Moreno appears as a cantina singer. Find this movie. It will reward multiple viewings.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Scenery and music are great. Gary Cooper is a great actor. The story line is very average. Worth watching for scenery, music and Cooper

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Classic western tale of adventurers biting off more than they can chew. Some of the dialogues are a bit stilted by today's standards and there isn't much action to speak of before the really decent showdown. It's entirely driven by the characters and has some really pretty matte paintings and unusual filming locations to offer. Only the final message of greed = bad feels so much more forced than the film established earlier. It's also not particularly flattering in its Native American portrayal, but we're still talking about a 1950s Western here.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

If not for the tense score by Bernard Herrmann, this would be a mostly forgettable film.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Henry Hathaway

Director

Gary Cooper

Hooker

Susan Hayward

Leah Fuller

Richard Widmark

Fiske

Hugh Marlowe

John Fuller

Cameron Mitchell

Luke Daly

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

60%

24%

Beneath the 12-Mile Reef

83%

73%

The Black Swan

88%

60%

The Naked Jungle

60%

50%

Elephant Walk

75%

55%

Mogambo

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Traveling through Mexico, three American gunslingers -- Hooker (Gary Cooper), Fiske (Richard Widmark) and Daly (Cameron Mitchell) -- are approached by the beautiful Leah Fuller (Susan Hayward). She hires the trio to venture into dangerous territory and bring back her husband, John (Hugh Marlowe), who is trapped inside a remote gold mine. While the rewards could be considerable, so are the obstacles that they face to complete their hazardous assignment.

Director: Henry Hathaway
Producer: Charles Brackett
Screenwriter: Frank Fenton
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Genre: Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 9, 1954, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 29, 2017
Runtime: 1h 40m