In Return of the Bad Men, the Wild West is besieged with all the known bad guys. Robert Ryan, who looks very young, plays the Sundance Kid. There's no Butch Cassidy in this movie, but there are the Doolins and the Daltons, all working together in the same bankrobbing gang. If you don't like seeing Robert playing really mean bad guys, you might want to skip this one. He made many other movies where his character (villain or hero) has layers, but this isn't one of them.
Randolph Scott, as you might guess, doesn't play a bad guy. He plays the lone sheriff who has to fight against them all. He's dating Jacqueline White, daughter of banker Gabby Hayes. Gabby is hilarious, easily the best part of the movie. Everything out of his mouth is funny, and his ragged appearance and warm demeaner contrast each other splendidly.
There are many references to other westerns Randolph Scott was in: The Doolins of Oklahoma, Belle Starr, When the Daltons Rode, and Riding Shotgun, which can give you a little chuckle when those characters are mentioned in the script. Even though they're very mean, the robbers are also quite smart. The film shows a couple of their heists, and you can't help but admire the planning. Anne Jeffreys, playing the lone woman in the gang, has an added advantage of her gender. No one expects a female bank robber. And even though Randolph Scott is engaged to someone else, the sparks sure fly whenever he speaks to Anne. Their chemistry is sizzling enough to make you wonder about a relationship offscreen. Randolph Scott was renowned for not having passionate love interests in his movies, so this one is definitely an exception to the rule.
Randolph Scott, as you might guess, doesn't play a bad guy. He plays the lone sheriff who has to fight against them all. He's dating Jacqueline White, daughter of banker Gabby Hayes. Gabby is hilarious, easily the best part of the movie. Everything out of his mouth is funny, and his ragged appearance and warm demeaner contrast each other splendidly.
There are many references to other westerns Randolph Scott was in: The Doolins of Oklahoma, Belle Starr, When the Daltons Rode, and Riding Shotgun, which can give you a little chuckle when those characters are mentioned in the script. Even though they're very mean, the robbers are also quite smart. The film shows a couple of their heists, and you can't help but admire the planning. Anne Jeffreys, playing the lone woman in the gang, has an added advantage of her gender. No one expects a female bank robber. And even though Randolph Scott is engaged to someone else, the sparks sure fly whenever he speaks to Anne. Their chemistry is sizzling enough to make you wonder about a relationship offscreen. Randolph Scott was renowned for not having passionate love interests in his movies, so this one is definitely an exception to the rule.