TYRONE POWER makes a dashing western hero and HENRY FONDA shines in a lesser role as his brother Frank who would return the following year in THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES, a lesser effort directed by Fritz Lang.
But here, Power is the mainliner and he has a dashing screen presence to match his good looks as the outlaw Jesse James. Of course, Nunnally Johnson's screenplay attributes bad railroad men as the reason behind all the outlaw behavior, but nevertheless Henry Hathaway has turned the story into a solid western with an attractive cast.
NANCY KELLY shines as Power's love interest, RANDOLPH SCOTT has his usual good guy role as a sheriff and BRIAN DONLEVY, JANE DARWELL, JOHN CARRADINE and HENRY HULL (again a bit tiresome as a newspaper man) fill out the supporting roles.
It's a popular western for 1939, nicely photographed in Technicolor and did good box-office biz, so much so that a less successful sequel followed almost immediately, using many of the same supporting actors and the same sets and marking the film debut of Gene Tierney.
But here, Power is the mainliner and he has a dashing screen presence to match his good looks as the outlaw Jesse James. Of course, Nunnally Johnson's screenplay attributes bad railroad men as the reason behind all the outlaw behavior, but nevertheless Henry Hathaway has turned the story into a solid western with an attractive cast.
NANCY KELLY shines as Power's love interest, RANDOLPH SCOTT has his usual good guy role as a sheriff and BRIAN DONLEVY, JANE DARWELL, JOHN CARRADINE and HENRY HULL (again a bit tiresome as a newspaper man) fill out the supporting roles.
It's a popular western for 1939, nicely photographed in Technicolor and did good box-office biz, so much so that a less successful sequel followed almost immediately, using many of the same supporting actors and the same sets and marking the film debut of Gene Tierney.