Audie Murphy makes his last appearance on screen as Jesse James, and an excellent Jesse James he is (I wish he had more screen time here!) But the film is much more than just an Audie Murphy vehicle. Victor Jory's portrayal of the infamous sadistic judge Roy Bean is hard to forget. It is good to see Anne Randall in her pre-"Westworld" days. The little-known Richard Lapp is convincing as a farm boy and a bounty hunter wannabe Cass Bunning, and so is Bob Random as a neurotic wannabe bandit Billy Pimple who tries to establish himself as a bandit and as a gunfighter. Good actors' work throughout the film!
Made on a low budget and only lasting 67 minutes, the film nevertheless provides food for thought. It makes you think about trying to use your fighting skills despite having no previous experience - and then your whole life slips out of your sweaty hands like a couple of pistols. You may be lucky once or twice, but not the third time. You want "fun" and you go into town with your wife that you saved from a whorehouse, even though you could take her straight to your ranch. As a result, you end up dead, and your wife ends up in the same whorehouse you saved her from. As I said, it is a bit of a downer but still an excellent western. Well done, Mr. Budd Boetticher!
Made on a low budget and only lasting 67 minutes, the film nevertheless provides food for thought. It makes you think about trying to use your fighting skills despite having no previous experience - and then your whole life slips out of your sweaty hands like a couple of pistols. You may be lucky once or twice, but not the third time. You want "fun" and you go into town with your wife that you saved from a whorehouse, even though you could take her straight to your ranch. As a result, you end up dead, and your wife ends up in the same whorehouse you saved her from. As I said, it is a bit of a downer but still an excellent western. Well done, Mr. Budd Boetticher!