Four killers break out of jail and ride into the town of Paradise. The bank is looted, three men lie dead and the gang have escaped with a hostage. Banner Cole forms a posse and pursues the murderers. As the reality of hunting down a gang of ruthless killers dawns on the chasing posse, their numbers begin to dwindle, leaving Banner and New York city banker Seymour Kern (John Saxon) to bring the outlaws to justice.
Audie Murphy stars in a tough, brooding, and violent- for its time- western that has a great cast. The posse formed consist primarily of varying characters, from a gunslinger to a greenhorn bank. The character I loved was the one played by Robert Keith - a civil war veteran who thinks his experience in the war gives him the skills the other members need. He's hilarious with his one liners.
Audie Murphy delivers a fine performance as Banner, and he might not look hatchet-faced like Randolph Scott but he comes across determined, cold as well as sympathetic. His inner strength glows as he hunts Vic Morrow- an excellent villain - and his nasty gang. The gang are quite a mean bunch, not the pencil twirling variety, which heightens the sense of danger. There's plenty of edgy gunplay, adventure and hard riding through the rugged terrain, which seems to envelope around the trio of posse members. There's a deeply moral parable about the value of society and the nature of violence expressed. Also unpleasant subject of molestation of Zohra Lambert is explored. This western can be a bit glum, a little too dark for its liking, but it's nevertheless a solid b-western which I reckon is one of Audie's best westerns. Saw this for the first time on BBC2 in 1989 shown as part of a season of Audie films.
Audie Murphy stars in a tough, brooding, and violent- for its time- western that has a great cast. The posse formed consist primarily of varying characters, from a gunslinger to a greenhorn bank. The character I loved was the one played by Robert Keith - a civil war veteran who thinks his experience in the war gives him the skills the other members need. He's hilarious with his one liners.
Audie Murphy delivers a fine performance as Banner, and he might not look hatchet-faced like Randolph Scott but he comes across determined, cold as well as sympathetic. His inner strength glows as he hunts Vic Morrow- an excellent villain - and his nasty gang. The gang are quite a mean bunch, not the pencil twirling variety, which heightens the sense of danger. There's plenty of edgy gunplay, adventure and hard riding through the rugged terrain, which seems to envelope around the trio of posse members. There's a deeply moral parable about the value of society and the nature of violence expressed. Also unpleasant subject of molestation of Zohra Lambert is explored. This western can be a bit glum, a little too dark for its liking, but it's nevertheless a solid b-western which I reckon is one of Audie's best westerns. Saw this for the first time on BBC2 in 1989 shown as part of a season of Audie films.