coltras35 Reviews

Massacre River (1949)

Massacre River

[7/10 · 8 May 2024]

Lts. Guy Madison and Rory Calhoun, real pals, both love the colonel's daughter Kitty. Kitty turns Rory down in favor of Guy. Rory accepts this...

But then the triangle becomes a love quadrilateral when Guy meets and falls for a racy saloon gal, Laura (Carole Mathews), and breaks off his engagement with Kitty. Which causes Kitty's brother to try and kill Guy but he gets killed - from here tragedy strikes.

In the back ground, Chief Yellowstone (Iron Eyes Cody) and Colonel Reid (Art Baker) want peace but the chief has trouble controlling his young hothead braves, who prefer the warpath.

A cavalry western called Massacre River would usually mean plenty of injun clashing with the cavalry, arrows flying and tomahawks crashing, but this western hasn't got much action; it has more drama and romance. It is quite involving and moving nevertheless. The performances are great, especially Carole Matthews as Laura and Guy Madison as the lieutenant whose decision to settle down with Laura sets off a series of tragic events. Usually not keen on tragic love stories, which this is, but the plot of Massacre River gets a grip on you and doesn't let go. The stark atmosphere adds to the story.

7th Cavalry (1956)

7th Cavalry

[8/10 · 7 May 2024]

Randolph Scott stars as Captain Tom Benson , a cavalry officer unjustly accused of cowardice. When Custer and his troops are wiped out at the Little Big Horn, Benson escapes death. To vindicate himself he volunteers for a seemingly suicidal mission: to recover Custer's body from the battlefield.

The 7th Cavalry focuses on the aftermath of the "Little Big Horn" massacre of June 25, 1876. On this historic day, the 7th US Cavalry Regiment under George Armstrong Custer was crushed by Lakota and Dakota Sioux, Arapaho and Cheyenne Indians under their leaders Sitting, Crazy Horse and Gall on the Little Bighorn River in present-day Montana. This western is more of a drama centred around the incident rather a shoot 'em up, though there's some action scattered here and there, mainly in the second half.. There are some well-staged and exciting fights, one between Scott and a brave( it's a few minutes long) and another with Leo Gordon.

It's quite a focused and an interesting western, probably even unusual, and starts off with Scott entering a deserted fort; great sweeping camera shot. Definitely one of Scott's top tier westerns that is quite gripping. The ending with the appearance of Custer's horse is a memorable scene.

Tomahawk (1951)

Tomahawk

[8/10 · 7 May 2024]

In 1866 the U. S. Government and the leaders of the Sioux Nations met to negotiate a passage through Indian territory, when gold is discovered in the mountains of Montana. Unable to reach an agreement, the U. S. Cavalry defy the peace treaty and build a fort to protect their new road.

Van Heflin stars as Jim Bridger, a scout hired by the cavalry and the only man capable of defusing the powder-keg situation. Against the backdrop of a potential war, Bridger must also face personal demons when he runs into Lieutenant Rob Dancy, a bigoted army officer with a dark history.

Tomahawk is loosely based around several incidents involving Bridger when he was a scout for the US Cavalry in Wyoming, with his affinity with Sioux Chief Red Cloud- Van Heflin plays Jim Bridger and is excellent in the role. His sympathy with the Indian is strong and he tries his best to persuade the top dogs not to gun for war. However, there's a bigot of a lieutenant, who had once rode with Chivington - he kills a young Buck, hence a confrontation starts. There's a nice intrigue surrounding Bridger and the Lieutenant.

It's a solid western with good drama, dialogue and action and a feeling of authenticity, mainly down to the fact Bridger converses in Sioux dialect to Susan Cabot's Indian maiden and Red Cloud. Another nice touch is that Yvonne DeCarlo doesn't get the guy. There's no romance as you would expect.

Sitting Bull (1954)

Sitting Bull

[8/10 · 7 May 2024]

The Black Hills of Dakota war is brewing between the United States Army and a tribe of Sioux Indians lead by the legendary Chief Sitting Bull. Despite numerous treaties the Indian Nation finds themselves victimised, murdered and driven from their land. Major Parrish (Dale Robertson) is a man caught between his duty and his conscience appalled at the treatment of the Indians but unable to stop the military machine. Intent on bringing peace, Parrish arranges a meeting between Sitting Bull (J. Carroll Naish) and President Grant but the two warring parties draw ever closer to the final bloody conflict which history will remember as the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Sitting Bill is an impressive western starring Dale Robertson who is trying to quell an Indian war by arguing the point to the president that the Sioux as led by Sitting Bull are treated badly. As shown in the first half hour, the Sioux are kept in reservation, fed poor food and led by a horrid man. Robertson , however, convinces the President and Sitting Bull to meet for a great council meeting, but the problem comes in form of General Custer, who is portrayed by Douglas Kennedy as a war hungry man. He crosses swords with Robertson more than twice, but he meets his fate on Little Big Horn in a well-executed battle sequence. It's exciting and dramatic with arrows, spears and bullets flying. Having said that, action isn't its focus but the treatment of the Sioux and here, J. Carrol Naish delivers a superb performance as Sitting Bull. In contrast, Iron Eyes Cody is a hothead as Chief Crazy Horse. There's some love triangle going on with Mary Murphy breaking her engagement with Dale and hooking up with a newspaper correspondent, but predictably we know who she chooses at the end, and she grows up a little towards the end. The love triangle, however, never gets in way of the main story.

A few history buffs will harp on about this film's historical inaccuracy but one shouldn't rely on Hollywood to dish out accuracy. First and foremost, entertainment is their main agenda and so it should be, and Sitting Bull fulfils that in spades with its fluid plot, great performances and a moving storyline. An interesting addition is a black slave who lives among the Sioux and becomes the middleman between Dale and Sitting Bull.

Fort Massacre (1958)

Fort Massacre

[8/10 · 7 May 2024]

A detachment of US Cavalry, separated from the main body of the troop, loses its officers in an Apache attack. Motivated by revenge for the murder of his wife and children, Vinson, An Indian-hating - though courageous - sergeant, leads his men in the direction of a distant fort - along the way coming across an Indian army that outnumbers them. Can they fight their way through and make it to safety?

Fort Massacre is a tough, gritty western featuring a small band of cavalry soldiers trying to stay alive amidst the Apache roaming around. Things are complicated by the sergeant's hate of Indians which puts his men in danger. Joel McCrea is excellent in the role, and it's quite atypical one as he doesn't usually play an edgy and bitter character driven to the brink by the past - the murder of his wife. It's almost like a character study, and it can be talky but there's enough things happening to dampen any boredom, and the action is quite good. Filmed on location in New Mexico and Utah, the stunning cinematography only adds to the epic scope of this twisted drama. There's a good supporting cast, John Russell and Forrest Tucker are standouts. Susan Cabot is wasted in a small role, though amidst the edginess she's a sight for sore eyes. Very good western.

New Mexico (1951)

New Mexico

[7/10 · 6 May 2024]

Cavalry Captain Hunt (Lee Ayres) is trying to promote good relations with the Indian chief Acoma. But Hunt's superiors in the military insist on pursuing policies that will provoke a conflict, and Chief Acoma is not willing to let himself be insulted, not when two of his braves get shot ...

Which means the Cavalry and injuns clash, hence there's some good action sequences, which comes after much build-up. The action scenes are well-staged and frantic. There's plenty of mountain climbing, grit and the plot is loaded with enough drama and action to keep things interesting. Lee Ayres delivers a good performance as the captain who is struggling to keep his superiors from showing injustice to the Indians. Nice opening with Abe Lincoln and the chief signing a treaty. The locations are breathtaking. The ending is quite surprising- doesn't end as one would expect. Similar elements were later repeated 1953's excellent the Last of the Comanches such the hidden guns, the Indian leading Marilyn Maxwell to water.

Battle of Rogue River (1954)

Battle of Rogue River

[6/10 · 5 May 2024]

The Indians, under Chief Mike, have been defeating the Army in Oregon for years. The new commander, Major Archer, plans to defeat the Indians once and for all, but his orders are changed to attempt a peaceful settlement. But there are certain people who do not want Oregon to become a state and they will attempt to keep the Indians on the war path.

The Battle of Rogue River is an unpretentious, straightforward, typical "Cavalry vs Indians" tale from Columbia Pictures . It's paced well, the plot holds things together and it has a modicum of action with a bit of a twist in regard to who is really a bad apple. Richard Denning plays the bad apple. George Montgomery is usually reliable and plays a stern officer with an obsession for following rules. Martha Hyer is quite stunning. The dialogue between Chief Mike and two of his braves when the braves are relating their experience with the "terrible weapons" that the major used against them is quite amusing.

Good Day for a Hanging (1959)

Good Day for a hanging

[8/10 · 5 May 2024]

Six men think they saw Eddie 'the Kid Campbell (Robert Vaughn) shoot downMarshal Cain in cold blood. But only respected lawman Ben Cutler (Fred MacMurray) would swear to it in court. For Ben was determined to see The Kid hang for the crime. But was it because Campbell was a murderer or because Cutler's daughter (Joan Blackman) was The Kid's sweetheart, and no father would ever let his little girl marry an outlaw? Sentenced to the gallows, Campbell's sensitive demeanor soon convinces everyone that he's been framed. Everyone, that is, except Ben Cutler. For only Ben knows whether The Kid's truly guilty or not, and justice will be done, even if he has to take the law into his own hands.

Fred MacMurray starred in some good westerns such as At Gunpoint and the Face of a Fugitive, and performed brilliantly adding some depth to his characters and he does the same in Good Day for a Hanging, which is quite an involving western with enough drama and action to please western aficionados. Robert Vaughn plays a psychopath who expertly puts on an innocent visage to help him escape the gallows. But when the guilty verdict comes through people later believe he might not have done it. They cold-shoulder MacMurray who knows Vaughn killed the marshal. There's a killer finale, quite exciting.

Quantez (1957)

Quantez

[5/10 · 5 May 2024]

After a bank robbery, Heller and his small gang are on the run from the posse. The gang intends to cross the border into Mexico but their horses are tired. The outlaws decide to make a stopover in the town of Quantez to rest and feed the horses.

Heller is a brutal and cynical man who treats his woman, Chaney, with disdain and contempt. When Heller treats Chaney bad, Teach defends her, causing violent clashes between himself and Heller. Gentry has to step in and separate the two before they kill each other over Chaney.

When the gang reaches the town of Quantez it is shocked to see a deserted ghost town. Nevertheless, they decide to rest there for the night. Gato, the gang's scout, scouts around at night and finds an Apache spear with a message that anyone still found in town after sunrise will be killed. Gato realizes there are Apaches around but decides to keep this information to himself. With Apaches lurking around and Heller trying to kill Teach over pretty Chaney it doesn't look like the gang will ever reach Mexico.

Bank robbers holed up in a deserted ghost town? Apaches nearby - sounds exciting, but Quantez fails in the shoot 'em up department ( well accept the lively action-packed finale). However, it has an interesting dialogue, good characters and ok tension. What plays against it is too much gabbing and not anything exciting happening, but I still thought it was ok. Diverting enough if you have nothing to watch. I guess I liked its brooding atmosphere and the psychological discord in the characters - Fred MacMurray is excellent as always. Dorothy Malone sizzles. Shame the plot wasn't sharper and had more action.

Gunsight Ridge (1957)

Gunsight Ridge

[7/10 · 5 May 2024]

The latest of a series of stagecoach holdups in the Arizona Territory takes place on a stagecoach in which Mike Ryan, undercover agent for the stage line, and Molly Jones, daughter of the local sheriff, are passengers. The bandana masking one of the robbers slips and he is killed by the gang-leader Velvet Clark. The latter masquerades as a respectable piano-playing citizen of the community.

The townspeople are aroused enough over the continued robberies that they ask Sheriff Tom Jones to resign but they agree to give him more time when he takes on Ryan as a deputy. Circumstantial evidence leads the sheriff to Clark, but the latter kills him and escapes. Ryan tracks him to Gunsight Ridge where there is a showdown.

Gunsight Ridge is a sort of a detective western but there's no mystery as we know from beginning that the culprit behind the robberies is Mark Stevens who plays a miner- he is quite a tortured character, especially when he tinkles the ivories. He had great ambitions to be a great piano player but he couldn't afford lessons to reach an "Amadeus" level. Stevens is excellent in his role, balancing between cold-blooded killer and a sympathetic character. In contrast, McCrea is more breezy, good-humoured yet tough and determined. There's some good action intersected here and there but a tense atmosphere is at the centre. It's a well-paced and engaging western with good performances all round.

Wichita (1955)

Wichita

[8/10 · 4 May 2024]

Joel McCrea stars as Wyatt Earp, who eventually concedes to the pleas of the town leaders and accepts the dangerous job as law enforcement officer in the wild settlement of Wichita in 1874 where cowboys cause havoc...

Wichita is an excellent western decked in Technicolor but it's the script that is sparkling. It's engaging as well as having dark moments. The dialogue is intelligent and drives the story. The town of Wichita and the mayhem caused by the cowboys is well depicted - Joel McCrea makes an excellent Wyatt Earp underplaying yet making a strong figure who aims to bring law and order to the wide-open cow town of Wichita. There's a good cast and it's well directed by Jacques Tourneur, which isn't surprising.

Stranger on Horseback (1955)

Stranger on horseback

[5/10 · 4 May 2024]

McCrea portrays a circuit judge Richard Thorne, who comes to a small western town in the course of making his rounds. There he finds the town and surrounding area under the feudal thumb of an old-line family headed by Josiah Bannerman (John McIntire). Despite wholehearted opposition and obstacles, Thorne fingers Bannermans spoiled son, Tom (Kevin McCarthy) for murder and smokes out the necessary frightened witnesses and defies the whole clan by seeing that justice is done. In doing so he even wins the grudging respect of the old cattle baron, gains the love of the latters strong-willed niece, Amy (Miroslava Stern), and awakens the sheriff (Emile Meyer) to a new sense of duty.

With a combination of Joel McCrea as a circuit judge getting people' backs up in a town owned by the Bannermans -head honcho is John McIntyre- and Jacques Tourneur in the director seat a solid and engaging western should've been guaranteed, but I found Stranger on Horseback mildly diverting with some intelligent dialogue, which borders on pretentiousness. There's too much talk, especially from John Carradine who pops up and waffles endlessly. There's a good story in here, a strong theme on law and it's system, however the aforementioned issues and a pondering pace raises its head. Not unwatchable but not on the same level as the other McCrea westerns like Wichita, Cattle Empire and The Tall stranger. It lacks punch and I don't mean action necessarily. Things pick up in the last twenty minutes with good rugged scenery.

The Oklahoman (1957)

The Oklahoman

[7/10 · 3 May 2024]

Widower Dr John Birghton becomes thesubject of local gossip when he takes on Maria, an Indian girl, as his housekeeper. When oil is discovered on land belonging to Maria's family, the doctor turns crusader in order to stop the greedy cattlemen.

The Oklahoman isn't a flashy, gun-toting western, though it has a little gunplay - it has a more stripped down story that covers themes such as racism. Quite an enjoyable watch with a good story and characters. There's a lot of talking but not of the pointless kind that doesn't drive the drama. Joel McCrea plays a humble doctor who settles down in a town with his daughter after losing his wife through childbirth. He isn't a gunslinger and keeps away from trouble in the form of the town bully Brad Dexter, but then he has no choice to stand up to him. Despite coming across pacifistic he still ends up as a heroic character standing up to a racist bully. He has other problems such as when the town goes against him town when he employs a sweet young Indian girl as nanny to his son. Rumour mills start to grind. Brad Dexter is good as the villain. You definitely want him to bite the dust quick.

The Tall T (1957)

The Tall T

[10/10 · 3 May 2024]

Following a murderous attack on a stagecoach and an isolated relay station, three outlaws take hostages, hoping for a ransom to be paid for the daughter of a wealthy landowner. They reckon without the ingenuity of a struggling ranch owner who is one of the captives.

Randolph Scott is his usual tactiturn self with expressions as robust as the granite rock amidst the rugged scenery of Alabama Hills, and his visage stays solid as a group of unsavoury characters take hostage of Scott, Maureen O' Sullivan and her cowardly husband (John Hubbard) who sells his wife down the river by telling them that her father is rich and could give a hefty ransom for his daughter . This tautly-plotted and tense western starts off leisurely, Scott arriving at a relay station, having small talk with the station master, promising his son he will get him striped candy when he heads to town and then has a chatter with Stagecoach driver( Arthur Hunnicutt), then riding a bull over a bet and ends up horseless. From here the stagecoach picks him up and soon as they get to the relay station the light atmosphere disappears. The villains -Richard Boone, Skip Homeier and Henry Silva - aren't the pencil twirling variety or sentimental ( they killed the station master and his boy) and are quite dangerous. Which helps to elevate the already tense atmosphere. The pace and tension never lets up - it's quite gripping, has grand performances all around, though Henry Silva sort of steals the scene as the kill-happy gun thug whose expression is perpetually fixed with a leer. The villains have Scott and co. Under a barrel, quite literally- how Scott is going to overcome these obstacles? You have to watch this Randolph Scott western with a theme of greed and human frailty to find out.

Panhandle (1948)

Panhandle

[8/10 · 3 May 2024]

John Sands (Rod Cameron), a reformed gunman, now a storekeeper in a Mexican border town, again straps on gun belt and six-shooters to find the killer of his brother. Fists and bullets fly when he finds that he must contend not only with badmen, but with lawmen who remember his outlaw past.

Shot amidst rugged Lone Pine, California scenery in glowing Sepiatone, Panhandle is a top drawer western with a strong plot, tense moments that stars Rod Cameron as a reformed gunman who straps his six shooters back on to avenge the murder of his brother, and he's as tight-lipped as ever while courting Anne Gwynne - a saloon gal the villain has set his lustful sights - as well taking on Myron Reedly's villainous town boss. Blake Edwards does some scene stealing as Floyd Schofield who is the chief villain's hired thug and a Billy the Kid wannabe with an unhinged side. Loved the scene where the thug asks Cameron about his showdown with Billy the Kid, Cameron obliges, building up to the story, which really excites the thug and he's waiting for the climax where Billy the Kid declines the showdown. "What happened?" asks the thug, and Cameron replied "then Billy the Kid killed me." That really got up the thug's nose! Actually there's some nifty dialogue, as sharp as the action - chases, showdowns and one in a rain and a rather energetic fistfights, all down with gusto. It's a solid western that is a little underrated. It was remade as the Texican starring that other fast-gun actor Audie Murphy.

Beyond the Pecos (1945)

Beyond the Pecos

[6/10 · 2 May 2024]

Oil is discovered on the ranch lands causing the dormant Remington-Randall feud to break out again. Lew Remington returns home to find himself embroiled in the struggle. The Randall faction is represented by Bob Randall, who is the unwitting tool of John Heydrick and his henchmen.

Beyond the Pecos features Rod Cameron in one of his early westerns that is a typical fast riding and fast shooting B-western, though there seems to be more plot here, a good buildup to the conflict. The villain is quite interesting, he doesn't like to be disturbed while he's playing his piano. Fuzzy knight is his usual comic self assisting the hero. He lugs around his boat! The finale is a slam bang finish!

River Lady (1948)

River Lady

[6/10 · 2 May 2024]

Journey back to an icy winter in the 1850s, when lumberjacks lived in isolated camps along the Mississippi River. The arrival of spring meant the men could finally move upriver to meet the New Orleans gambling boat, River Lady. Its proprietor is Sequin (De Carlo), a captivating and wealthy woman in love with a rugged, Irish logger... and willing to do almost anything to become his wife.

Rod Cameron is one sure lucky galoot with Yvonne DeCarlo and Helene Carter pawing over him. Who gets him in the end is quite suprising but it doesn't happen without some drama, adventure, fisticuffs and conflict. It's a colourful Timberjack western, lavishly filmed, has nice timber scenes, and a plot that flows smoothly. Dan Duryea adds some bite as the heel (what else!) and he ends up having a lively showdown with Cameron. Rod Cameron is excellent as always, here playing an independent-minded timber guy like his life run by someone. Which his flame DeCarlo does ... they split. He marries Helena Carter, but he isn't happy.

Frontier Gal (1945)

Frontier Gal

[6/10 · 1 May 2024]

On the run after shooting one of the men who murdered his partner, Johnny Hart (Rod Cameron) stops in a remote saloon and meets vivacious singer Lorena Dumont (De Carlo). Tempers and passions flare, and Johnny and Lorena waken in the morning married and with a jealous outlaw after them. When Johnny is sent to prison for six years, he returns to find an embittered Lorena living with their young daughter.

Filmed in glorious Technicolor, this Universal studio Western stars Rod Cameron and the beautiful Yvonne DeCarlo who make a great pair with their love-hate relationship. The scene where Yvonne slaps Rod then gets kissed times four garners some face expressions from DeCarlo which shows her comic side. Frontier Gal is a light, romantic-musical western with sometimes a chauvinistic theme, but it's humorous and lively enough to overlook this. Well it's a comedy as well, bordering with slapstick. Frank Lackteen as Cherokee - Cameron's servant- is hilarious with his one line answers "How." And "you talk too much." The latter is directed to women.

Cameron's character can be a bit mean-spirited as he rejects his daughter, says he's not interested in being father, but the little sprog changes his mind with her cute charm and then takes the sprog away from his mother. But he soon learns the error of his way. Needless to say, there's not much action, it's not a typical western, but the opening sequence was great with Cameron dismounting onto a tree limb and the horse goes and hides In some bushes so the posse chasing won't them see him. Nice climax sequence that rounds things up neatly.

Oh! Susanna (1951)

Oh! Susanna

[6/10 · 1 May 2024]

Rod Cameron stars as Captain Calhoun, a cavalry officer dedicated to protecting the rights of Indians from greedy gold prospectors. Calhoun's superior officer Lt. Col. Ungar (Forrest Tucker) despises all Indians, and makes things difficult for those who try to enforce existing treaties. Other interested parties include saloon owner Ira Jordan (Jim Davis), who is counting upon plenty of revenue from the prospectors, and saloon thrush Lia Wilson (Adrian Booth), who carries torches for Calhoun, Ungar and Jordan. An anticipated climax comes with a vengeance as the betrayed Indians attack Ungar's fort.

Oh! Susanna is a fairly ambitious western with lavish production values and good acting, especially by Forest Tucker who as a head of a Fort has a giant-sized chip on his shoulder and is egging for a fight with the Sioux. Jim Davis joins him as a negative character, also egging for a war - they both clash with Rod Cameron's captain character, a West Point man, who is trying to quell a war with Sioux, over a treaty and a woman ( Lorna Grey). It's a fairly good western with enough conflict, dialogue and action - the latter comes in the last twenty minutes with a rousing injun attack.

Overall, Oh! Susanna is entertaining, though the title is wrong as there's no link to Susanna, except that the song appears briefly in "The End". Not sure why it was called that - maybe the filmmakers wanted something unexpected and original.

Brimstone (1949)

Brimstone

[8/10 · 30 April 2024]

Pop "Brimstone" Courteen (Walter Brennan) and his sons, Nick, Luke and Bud, run a ranch outside the town of Gunsight, and are none too happy about the recent arrival of homesteaders in the area. Determined to cut off the interlopers' supplies, the Courteens rob incoming stagecoaches and even the local bank. But things change when a U. S. marshal (Rod Cameron) arrives in town to investigate, and Bud falls in love with one of the hated homesteaders.

Brimstone is a thoroughly engaging western with plenty of family conflicts, shoot-'em-up action, twist and turns, smart dialogue and betrayals. It's fast-paced, tightly-plotted with strong characterisation. Forest Tucker plays a crooked sheriff mixed up in the Courteens' misdeeds, Rod Cameron plays an undercover federal agent with a scheme of his own to bring down Pop and the boys, but it's Walter Brennan in an atypical role as Pop who steals the scene. He's a real horrid character and the embodiment of a dysfunctional father; he's quite abusive, verbally and physically. He puts them down and controls them with an iron fist. No wonder his sons are bad 'uns. Well one of them isn't so bad, he's in love with a homesteader and Brennan doesn't approve. When he learns the couple have eloped, his response is to go after Bud and kill him! What a loving father. Jack Lambert, who plays one of Pop's sons, lends some humour as a lard-headed thug who is surprised that the earth is round! Ends with an exciting Stagecoach chase.

Short Grass (1950)

Short Grass

[6/10 · 29 April 2024]

Rod Cameron plays Steve Lleweelyn, a drifting cowpoke who stumbles into a robbery, then into a range war when he's wounded and lands in a bed at the Lynch Ranch on Willow Creek.

He's nursed back to health by pretty Sharon Lynch (Cathy Downs) and falls in love with her. And using money taken from a dead man's body, he buys into her father's ranch.

Problem is, Sharon hates New Mexico and the gun violence that's erupting as Hal Fenton tries to take up all the range land, including her father's. And then Steve learns the $3,400 he gave her dad was stolen loot. After paying off the person the money was stolen from Steve leaves.

Years later, Llewelyn arrives at a new cattle boom town, Silver Spur, where his old problems follow him there, including Fenton, who's still land hungry; and Sharon, who's now married to someone else.

Rod Cameron is at his rugged best in this involving western which is well-acted, has characters that are well drawn and their actions drives this tale - the story builds competently to a crescendo and erupts in to some fine shootouts and an edgy fist fight. However, the story about a community finding the courage to stand together against a common enemy takes centre stage.

Stampede (1949)

Stampede

[6/10 · 28 April 2024]

Rod Cameron plays iron-willed Mike McCall, an 1880s Arizona cattleman marked for death by corrupt land developers and victimized by their villainous scheme to stir up a rampage that sends McCall's panicked herd pounding across the range and toppling helplessly over a high cliff...

Stampede is a standard settlers vs ranchers story, though the real villain is Stanton, a land developer, but as expected there's some gunplay, fistfights and a stampede (Of course) to keep things interesting. It's well-paced, has some snappy dialogue, and a killer action scene in the barn which is an eye opener- two guys jump Rod Cameron and there's some edgy fist fight, then gunplay and some fist fighting in the loft. Phew!

San Antone (1953)

San Antone

[5/10 · 28 April 2024]

Confederate army officer Brian Culver comes to propose marriage to Julia Allerby, but she is distracted by Chino Figueroa's plans to leave her ranch. She tries to persuade Chino to keep working for her, first by seducing him, which fails, then by false accusations that he attacked her.

Culver is angry enough when civilian Carl Miller turns up with a troop movement that he, Miller, will lead. Carl is a friend of Chino's and in love with Chino's sister, Mistania. As usual, Julia intervenes and attempts to use her wiles on Carl, then becomes furious when he slaps her face.

Riding through a canyon where he expects Culver's soldiers to be attacked, Carl and the soldiers are deserted by Culver and end up captured. By the time Carl is released and returns to San Antonio, Chino has taken some of Culver's men hostage while others have taken jobs with wealthy rancher John Chisum.

Carl discovers that Culver murdered his father and is on the hunt for him ...

San Antone is more like a soap opera than a shoot 'em up and it's quite episodic, slow moving at times but it has some interesting ideas, especially of the history, and Arleen Whelan steals the scene as the selfish and scheming Southern belle who jumps to one man to the next like ants jump in the pants! She's really an interesting character and adds meat to the story. She fancied Cameron but he doesn't want her. There's not much action, just a short conflict between the injuns. It's overall a talky and passable western. It's well acted by all and has a certain depth in the characterisation, however it's not too riveting. The scheming Julia, the love rivalry is the real focus, which can drag.

Ride the Man Down (1952)

Ride the Man Down

[6/10 · 27 April 2024]

During the 1892 blizzard, pioneer ranching magnate Phil Evarts dies. His Hatchet Ranch is inherited by brother John and daughter Celia. However, much of the ranch is on free grazing land. Many of the local ranchers and cattlemen try to take advantage of Phil Evarts' death by grazing on this land and using its water for free. Ranchers Harve Garrison, Russ Schultz and Ray Cavanaugh desire the Hatchet Ranch's rich grazing land and take it with impunity. Others, like greedy rancher Bide Marriner, want it all for themselves. Even cattle rustlers, like Red Courteen, get involved by rustling cattle from the Evarts family whose power they resent. Because the old rancher Phil Evarts isn't around to protect the Hatchet Ranch anymore, his trusted foreman, Will Ballard, steps-in to safeguard the interests of Phil Evarts' heirs, especially Celia's whom he adores. Celia's fiance, Sam Danfelser, is the jealous type but Celia assures him that she only loves him and she only considers Will a good friend.

When Celia's uncle is shot and killed by hired gunmen, sheriff Joe Kneen's help becomes essential to the Evarts. Sensing a difficult situation, the sheriff decides to send a wire message to Santa Fe, asking for federal Marshals' assistance. A panicked Bide Marriner shoots the sheriff in the back at the telegraph office. To make matters worse, Celia Evarts' fiance, Sam Danfelser, betrays her and sides with Bide Marriner's crew. He promises to kill Will Ballard out of jealousy and revenge. He rides in for the final confrontation with Hatchet Ranch's foreman, Will Ballard.

Ride the Man Down is an adult western, in a sense that there's no endless gunfights and colourful heroes or pencil moustache twirling villainy - the heroes and villain come across real, even their dialogues is so, and it comes across conversational, which can be a problem as the story is quite complex. You really have to pay attention. It's a fairly decent western with some good twists here and there, but it lacked that spark and an identifiable villain. It was a little confusing. Some of the characters weren't likeable, even Rod Cameron. He comes across too pushy. The scenery is great and the sense of time is well-etched.

Buchanan Rides Alone (1958)

Buchanan Rides Alone

[10/10 · 27 April 2024]

Texan adventurer Buchanan rides into a border town controlled by the corrupt Agry family. He befriends Juan, a young Mexican who has killed one of the Agry brothers because his sister was dishonoured by him, and soon the pair find themselves at the mercy of a lynch mob. As he becomes involved in the morass of shifting partnerships that dominate the community, the rider vows to fight against the three corrupt brothers who are intent on taking the law into their own violent hands.

Buchanan Rides Alone is a tense western that features some good characters, mainly the villains which comprises of three loving brothers - a sheriff, the town boss with political ambitions and a hotelier who is the "local town crier" and is greedy and informs information to his brothers for monetary gain - who play against each for money and power. Shades of the spaghetti western. Consequently, there's plenty of twist and turns in the lean and mean, fast-paced plot, and unlike, some of the Other Boetticher-Scott westerns, the dialogue is engaging and not long winded or repetitive. Actually it's the most entertaining and good-humoured of the series, and for a change, Scott isn't the avenging stone-faced rider but he's more roguish and happy, just how he was in his early fifties westerns. This is definitely my favourite of the Boetticher-Scott Westerns with Westbound and Tall T not trailing too far behind. It ends with a tense showdown. Nice Mexican town setting.