Randolph Scott plays a retired Texas Ranger who tangles with the notorious Sundance Kid in director Ray Enright's "Return of the Bad Men," set during the Oklahoma land rush of 1889. This fanciful 1948 western features some of the most notorious outlaws riding together in the same gang. Mind you, some of these ruffians never met each other, primarily Billy the Kid and Sundance. In fact, not that accuracy concerned scenarists Charles O'Neal, Jack Natteford, and Luci Ward, Sheriff Pat Garrett gunned down Billy the Kid in 1881. Scott plays his usual virtuous hero, while Robert Ryan is cast as Sundance. One character comments about Sundance as a friend: "He's a good man as long as you keep him in front of you." Ryan's Sundance murders men in cold blood and strangles a defenseless woman. This oater boasts better-than-average production values. Look at the number of U.S. Army troopers as well as the townspeople who throng the streets. "Mighty Joe Young" lenser John Roy Hunt's black & white cinematography is good. The screenplay lacks quotable dialogue and colorful incidents. Gabby Hayes provides comic relief but not as Scott's sidekick. Indeed, he plays a banker! Apart from Ryan's depraved outlaw, "Return of the Bad Men" qualifies as a predictable, standard-issue, horse opera with plenty of six-gun shoot-outs.
After its introductory credits, this above-average RKO Radio Picture opens with a preface while villains are shown riding hard behind it. "These outlaws, famed in the history of the west, are riding to new riches and plunder—the Oklahoma of 1889. A whole new territory was about to spring up overnight. Ranchers, cattlemen, even whole towns—their land bought by the government—had been given thirty days to move else where. Land hungry pioneers were gathering for the race for free land. And behind them, waiting and ready for this rich prey, came the outlaws.
Outlaw mastermind Wild Bill Doolin (Robert Armstrong of "King Kong") has assembled a name-dropping gang of desperadoes, among whom are the Younger Brothers (Steve Brodie, Richard Powers, Robert Bray), the Daltons (Lex Barker, Walter Reed, Michael Harvey) and Billy the Kid (Dean White) to rob the bank of Braxton. Doolin's niece Cheyenne (Anne Jeffreys of "Riffraff") delivers the news, and Sundance (Robert Ryan) and she abrade each other during their initial encounter. According to Cheyenne, everybody is leaving Braxton for the town of Gutherie. One of the residents, Vance Cordell, is in the middle of auctioning off his ranch. He plans to marry Madge Allen (Jacqueline White) after they clear out of the territory and move to California. Not only is Madge a widow, but also she has a son, Johnny (Gary Gray), who plays an integral part in the narrative. Madge works as a clerk at the local bank for her father. The bad men masquerade as cattlemen and convene a meeting with Bank President John Petti (George "Gabby" Hayes) in his office. Meantime, after Cheyenne relieves the local telegrapher of a warning message sent to Petti, she clobbers him and leaves him unconscious in a closet. George Mason (Warren Johson) keeps Petti and Madge at gunpoint while his accomplices rob the bank. Johnny walks past the window to Petti's office and notices Mason. The kid sounds the alarm and the townspeople converge on the bank. One of the outlaws, Mason, is gunned down in the street and Cheyenne catches a bullet but manages to getaway.
Cordell has just left his ranch when he spots Cheyenne. He patches her up with the help of Grey Eagle (Charles Stevens of "Miguel Strogoff") and Dr. Greene (John Hamilton), and then lets her turn herself into the authorities. Sundance and his cronies ride into the ranch searching for Cheyenne. Sundance guns down the unarmed Grey Eagle. The outlaws catch up with Cordell, and Billy the Kid slips a lasso over him and drops him from the saddle. Sundance clubs Cordell over the head, frees Cheyenne, but Billy the Kid decides to leave them. He doesn't like Sundance's method of operation. Cheyenne rides along with Sundance and then double-crosses Sundance and Cole Younger. She decides to surrender to law. Before she turns herself in, Cheyenne takes the saddle bags of loot back to town. Secretly, she is fond of Cordell. Cordell accompanies Cheyenne into Braxton and she surrenders herself to affable Judge Harper (Jason Robards, Sr.). Cordell hands the bonds over to Petti. Cordell puts Madge and Johnny on the train for Gutherie and rides for Petti so he can get a good location in the the town of Guthrie. Enright stages the historic land rush without much fanfare.
Before the U.S. Army exits Guthrie, Colonel Markham (Kenneth MacDonald) appoints a very reluctant Cordell as temporary U.S. Marshal. While Markham is trying to persuade our protagonist to pin on the badge, the stagecoach that the Sundance Kid and his cronies robbed trundles into Guthrie. When he learns the Sundance Kid shot one of the passengers on the coach, Vance changes his mind and accepts the badge. The big surprise occurs when Judge Harper shows up in Guthrie with Cheyenne. He wants to parole Doolin's niece into Cordell's custody as a telegrapher. Meantime, Doolin's gang has embarked on a lawless rampage. They are robbing banks and holding-up trains. Cordell has no luck catching them. Audaciously, Doolin and his gang have holed up in Braxton. Petti's friend Muley Wilson (William Baldwyn) tells him about seeing ghosts in Braxton. Petti mentions Muley's story to Vance. Cordell has Cheyenne, who calls herself Jeanne now, wire for more deputies. Cordell attacks Doolin and company and traps them in the Braxton saloon. Doolin torches a hay wagon and shoves it into the street to create a diversion so his men can flee. Nevertheless, Doolin is arrested. Eventually, Cordell and Sundance have a knock down, drag-out fistfight that Cordell wins
The cast is solid, and Enright reins "Return of the Bad Men" in at a lean 90 minutes.
After its introductory credits, this above-average RKO Radio Picture opens with a preface while villains are shown riding hard behind it. "These outlaws, famed in the history of the west, are riding to new riches and plunder—the Oklahoma of 1889. A whole new territory was about to spring up overnight. Ranchers, cattlemen, even whole towns—their land bought by the government—had been given thirty days to move else where. Land hungry pioneers were gathering for the race for free land. And behind them, waiting and ready for this rich prey, came the outlaws.
Outlaw mastermind Wild Bill Doolin (Robert Armstrong of "King Kong") has assembled a name-dropping gang of desperadoes, among whom are the Younger Brothers (Steve Brodie, Richard Powers, Robert Bray), the Daltons (Lex Barker, Walter Reed, Michael Harvey) and Billy the Kid (Dean White) to rob the bank of Braxton. Doolin's niece Cheyenne (Anne Jeffreys of "Riffraff") delivers the news, and Sundance (Robert Ryan) and she abrade each other during their initial encounter. According to Cheyenne, everybody is leaving Braxton for the town of Gutherie. One of the residents, Vance Cordell, is in the middle of auctioning off his ranch. He plans to marry Madge Allen (Jacqueline White) after they clear out of the territory and move to California. Not only is Madge a widow, but also she has a son, Johnny (Gary Gray), who plays an integral part in the narrative. Madge works as a clerk at the local bank for her father. The bad men masquerade as cattlemen and convene a meeting with Bank President John Petti (George "Gabby" Hayes) in his office. Meantime, after Cheyenne relieves the local telegrapher of a warning message sent to Petti, she clobbers him and leaves him unconscious in a closet. George Mason (Warren Johson) keeps Petti and Madge at gunpoint while his accomplices rob the bank. Johnny walks past the window to Petti's office and notices Mason. The kid sounds the alarm and the townspeople converge on the bank. One of the outlaws, Mason, is gunned down in the street and Cheyenne catches a bullet but manages to getaway.
Cordell has just left his ranch when he spots Cheyenne. He patches her up with the help of Grey Eagle (Charles Stevens of "Miguel Strogoff") and Dr. Greene (John Hamilton), and then lets her turn herself into the authorities. Sundance and his cronies ride into the ranch searching for Cheyenne. Sundance guns down the unarmed Grey Eagle. The outlaws catch up with Cordell, and Billy the Kid slips a lasso over him and drops him from the saddle. Sundance clubs Cordell over the head, frees Cheyenne, but Billy the Kid decides to leave them. He doesn't like Sundance's method of operation. Cheyenne rides along with Sundance and then double-crosses Sundance and Cole Younger. She decides to surrender to law. Before she turns herself in, Cheyenne takes the saddle bags of loot back to town. Secretly, she is fond of Cordell. Cordell accompanies Cheyenne into Braxton and she surrenders herself to affable Judge Harper (Jason Robards, Sr.). Cordell hands the bonds over to Petti. Cordell puts Madge and Johnny on the train for Gutherie and rides for Petti so he can get a good location in the the town of Guthrie. Enright stages the historic land rush without much fanfare.
Before the U.S. Army exits Guthrie, Colonel Markham (Kenneth MacDonald) appoints a very reluctant Cordell as temporary U.S. Marshal. While Markham is trying to persuade our protagonist to pin on the badge, the stagecoach that the Sundance Kid and his cronies robbed trundles into Guthrie. When he learns the Sundance Kid shot one of the passengers on the coach, Vance changes his mind and accepts the badge. The big surprise occurs when Judge Harper shows up in Guthrie with Cheyenne. He wants to parole Doolin's niece into Cordell's custody as a telegrapher. Meantime, Doolin's gang has embarked on a lawless rampage. They are robbing banks and holding-up trains. Cordell has no luck catching them. Audaciously, Doolin and his gang have holed up in Braxton. Petti's friend Muley Wilson (William Baldwyn) tells him about seeing ghosts in Braxton. Petti mentions Muley's story to Vance. Cordell has Cheyenne, who calls herself Jeanne now, wire for more deputies. Cordell attacks Doolin and company and traps them in the Braxton saloon. Doolin torches a hay wagon and shoves it into the street to create a diversion so his men can flee. Nevertheless, Doolin is arrested. Eventually, Cordell and Sundance have a knock down, drag-out fistfight that Cordell wins
The cast is solid, and Enright reins "Return of the Bad Men" in at a lean 90 minutes.