At the time this movie was released, Arizona was the most recent addition to the United States, having been admitted only 28 years earlier, in 1912. As the last contiguous state, one can see in it, and this film, the culmination of the US's project of westward expansion. As such, the villain this time around weren't the perennial ones, the Indians, although they do get used a bit. This time, the villain is theoretically one of our own, an interloping grifter who is out for numero uno. No nation-building or common good for him. That and a general feeling of prestige set this apart from the hundreds of cheap Westerns cranked out since the early days of the film industry. The structure and pacing were a little wonky at times, but I thought this was generally quite good. And the cast was fantastic. Jean Arthur played a legit girlboss, William Holden was his usual charismatic self, and Warren William did a solid version of the scoundrel character he perfected in the Pre-Code era. Overall, a really interesting Western that I had a good time with.
Review of Arizona
