Dreary Western tale, cheaply made and given uninspired handling making it virtually indistinguishable from any of the typical fare being shown on TV in the same vein, a status which would hasten the end of this most popular and long-standing of genres!
The titular character is a 15-year old boy (Robby Benson) who witnesses the death of his drunkard, piano-playing lawyer father (surprisingly played by Luis Bunuel regular Claudio Brook!), kills the man responsible and then joins a cattle drive. Here, he befriends a young fast-draw getting to learn the tricks of the trade into the bargain and is paternally looked after by the elderly foreman (John Marley, also an unexpected presence in this type of film but not ineffective); along the way, the young man is brutally shot dead when challenged by a bully in a saloon (Brad Dexter) with Jory gunning down the latter there and then. Eventually, the company reaches its destination a ranch which is constantly under threat from a rival cattle baron and Jory is assigned to protect the boss' teenage daughter; at one point, the two kids are kidnapped and Marley dies attempting to save them after which Jory leaves to search for his very own "Promised Land".
Pointless in the long run to say nothing of contrived (with every person whom Jory looks up to getting killed before his very eyes!), the film is essentially a time-waster for genre addicts.
The titular character is a 15-year old boy (Robby Benson) who witnesses the death of his drunkard, piano-playing lawyer father (surprisingly played by Luis Bunuel regular Claudio Brook!), kills the man responsible and then joins a cattle drive. Here, he befriends a young fast-draw getting to learn the tricks of the trade into the bargain and is paternally looked after by the elderly foreman (John Marley, also an unexpected presence in this type of film but not ineffective); along the way, the young man is brutally shot dead when challenged by a bully in a saloon (Brad Dexter) with Jory gunning down the latter there and then. Eventually, the company reaches its destination a ranch which is constantly under threat from a rival cattle baron and Jory is assigned to protect the boss' teenage daughter; at one point, the two kids are kidnapped and Marley dies attempting to save them after which Jory leaves to search for his very own "Promised Land".
Pointless in the long run to say nothing of contrived (with every person whom Jory looks up to getting killed before his very eyes!), the film is essentially a time-waster for genre addicts.