FeistyUpper
If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
RipDelight
This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
TrueHello
Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
weezeralfalfa
Superior Audie Murphy oater, although it incorporates one of the most widely used plots in westerns, in that a grasping cattle baron is trying to grab the last significant competing ranch in his area, by foul means. Additionally, two young women are featured. Susan Cabot, as Rita, is the daughter of ranch owner Dan Saxon(Paul Kelly). She is the girlfriend of ranch foreman Curly(Jack Kelly), until Audie shows up. Although her initial reaction to him is chilly, she eventually warms up. Mary Castle, as Cora, is a saloon entertainer, who sings a song every now and then, along with being the owner's moll. Her ex-boyfriend, Johnny Lake(Charles Drake), shows up eventually, and by the end of the film will repeat as her current boyfriend. Mary has quite a dynamic personality, and was often compared to Rita Hayworth in looks....Filming mostly took place in Big Bear Valley, CA.I'd like to summarize several key relationships: Reb(Audie) and Dan Saxon:Dan owns the biggest spread in the region, after Telford's. Reb originally came to this area at the invitation of Telford, to act as his gunslinger, especially in regard to Dan. However, Telford refused to pay Reb's initial price. Meanwhile, Dan was playing cards downstairs in the saloon. He offered Reb a gamble, high card winning. If Reb won, Dan would sign his ranch over to him. If Reb lost, he would work for Dan for an undetermined time period. Dan, a card sharp, fixes things so that Reb won. Why did he do this? He wanted to make sure that Telford and Reb wouldn't agree to a deal to spearhead an effort to delay getting Dan's cattle to market, so that he wouldn't meet the deadline for repaying a loan from Telford. Also, Dan had the impression that his daughter might eventually become Reb's wife. To show his gratitude, Reb hired Dan and daughter Rita.Reb and Johnny Lake: The film begins with Reb and Johnny hiding behind some bushes from a cavalry patrol. Seems they last were hired guns in the Johnson County WY cattle war. Now, they part ways. But they will meet again when cattle baron Telford wants a gunslinger comparable to Reb, who had rejected his offer. After rancher Dan signs over the deed to his ranch to Reb, Johnny takes the main responsibility in seeing that his cattle don't get to market in time to pay off the loan from Telford. First, he leads a nocturnal stampede of Reb's cattle. This sets Reb back a few days, but is insufficient by itself. Next, Johnny sets fire to the grass in a valley Reb's cattle have to go through. Turns out this is insufficient also, as Reb decides to try herding the cattle over a mountain. With great difficulty, he makes it. Johnny tried to stop him, but Reb came up with a plan to ambush Telford's men, and most were shot dead. They finally meet in Telford's saloon, where Johnny challenges Reb to a gun duel, which Reb rejects. However, Johnny shoots Telford when he tries to shoot Reb in the back. Johnny explains that Telford was trying to cheat him out of $2500. for killing Reb. After that, they are friends, again.
Henchman_Number1
Hired gun Audie Murphy hits town to help bad guy Matt Telford (Donald Randolph) take over Dan Saxon's (Paul Kelly) spread. After winning Saxon's ranch and cattle in a game of chance, Audie declines Telford's offer and keeps the ranch for himself. Murphy then decides to drive his newly won cattle herd to the railhead to meet the note payment on the ranch, with the help of Saxon, his daughter (Susan Cabot), and their former wranglers. Forced to get a new rent-a-gun, Telford hires Murphy's old cohort Johnny Lake (Charles Drake) to stop Murphy from reaching the rail line.Although "Gunsmoke" is pretty much 1950's drive-in fare, this one has Audie Murphy in top form. Directed by Nathan Juran in just his second film, this movie moves along at a nice clip. A strong script that avoids a lot of clichés, makes the dialog far better than average for this type movie. Murphy and and the familiar face veteran cast all deliver good performances and turn a what might have been a pretty standard medium budget horse opera into one of Audie's best films. Watch for Jack Kelly in his pre-Maverick television series days as malcontent foreman Curly Mather.Entertaining Western. Definitely worth a watch.
drystyx
Like most westerns between 1945 and 1985, the hero begins as an outlaw. I always called this Saul/Paul syndrome. Americans love a bad guy gone good better than anything. That said, this formula western had a creative twist a lot of people who enjoyed the movie never noticed. It may be the only Western ever where the lead character chickened out of fistfights and still held his dignity. In this movie, Audie Murphy plays a man who has virtually one skill-gunmanship. He is not a champion boxer, fighter, cowhand; he can do one thing good, and he is thinking about his future. In fact, his character is much like what the later anti hero of the seventies strived to be. That said, this is a very action packed interesting movie, with bad guys, wise guys, and good direction.
helpless_dancer
Good shoot-em-up with Murphy as Reb Kittredge, a gunhand in between jobs. He is offered a job to run a cattleman out of the country so the evil Matt Telford can control the entire valley. In an odd turn of events Kittredge comes into ownership of the disputed acreage and begins a hazardous journey to get the bovine to market before the mortgage to Telford comes due. Of course, Telford does everything in his power to ensure the drive is unsuccessful. A side plot along the way involves Kittredge as one corner of a love triangle, pitting him against a hot headed, back shooting polecat for the love of a beautiful woman: gotta have that thrown in, eh? Pretty standard stuff, but I enjoyed the production.
