8/10
Despite being a little "heavy handed" and melodramatic, a wonderful Western
4 August 2006
This is apparently the second remake of this film. While I have not seen the two prior versions, I did see the 1948 John Wayne remake and the two films are different enough (especially the endings--I preferred the more realistic way it was handled in this version) and I recommend you see both. And, overall I strongly prefer this film to the 1948 one.

Chester Morris was the main star in this film, though today he's mostly been forgotten despite the many films he starred in during the era. The other two co-star bandits are Lewis Stone (yes, the kindly "Judge Hardy" from the Hardy Family series) and Walter Brennan. All did a competent job and the entire movie is well written and directed and is far more watchable than the average Western. About the only problem, and it's a minor one, is that occasionally the film becomes a little bit too melodramatic and heavy-handed. But it also gets high marks for being less predictable and more entertaining that what you usually find in the genre.
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