Robert Ryan and Burl Ives circle each other like hungry wolves in director André De Toth's grim, rugged western "Day of the Outlaw" that takes place in the middle of snow-swept wilderness. Initially, this horse opera starts out with a cattleman feuding with a farmer who is about to enclose his land with barbed wire. Long-time rancher Blaise Starrett (Robert Ryan) promises to burn the wagon load of barbed wire and kill the farmer, Hal Crane (Alan Marshal), before he allows him to fence off his land. The woman between the two men is Crane's wife Helen Crane (Tina Louise) who made the mistake of having an affair with Blaise. She wants peace between the two men.
Just as trouble between the two fractions is rising, Jack Bruhn (Burl Ives) and six gunmen appear in town ahead of a cavalry patrol searching for them. They disarm the citizen of the small town and take up residence long enough for the mortally wounded Bruhn to have an animal doctor extract a bullet from his chest. Bruhn rules his desperate evil henchmen with an iron fist. He refuses to let them get drunk and party with the women. Eventually, Bruhn relents enough to let them dance with the women. One of Crane's men tries to resist and he dies for his insubordination. Later, another tries to ride out of town but he is shot down. Blaise assures Bruhn that he knows a way that nobody can follow them and convinces Bruhn who has recovered sufficiently to ride a horse to follow him. Basically, with the cavalry closing in on them, the villains have no alternative but to follow Blaise.
"Day of the Outlaw" struggles to be a different kind of survivalist western with a hero who never fires a single bullet from his gun. The performances are strong and the wilderness setting is spectacular, but scenarist Philip Yordan doesn't build in enough tension. The last twenty minutes take place on the snowy trail as the villains are eliminated gradually by between greed or death. One young villain who hasn't gone completely bad is sent packing when he must relinquish his horse to another companion. If you like offbeat westerns that don't rely on the usual clichés, "Day of the Outlaw" is a refreshing change of pace. Burl Ives makes a good villain and Robert Ryan is quietly confident as the tough-as-nails hero.
Just as trouble between the two fractions is rising, Jack Bruhn (Burl Ives) and six gunmen appear in town ahead of a cavalry patrol searching for them. They disarm the citizen of the small town and take up residence long enough for the mortally wounded Bruhn to have an animal doctor extract a bullet from his chest. Bruhn rules his desperate evil henchmen with an iron fist. He refuses to let them get drunk and party with the women. Eventually, Bruhn relents enough to let them dance with the women. One of Crane's men tries to resist and he dies for his insubordination. Later, another tries to ride out of town but he is shot down. Blaise assures Bruhn that he knows a way that nobody can follow them and convinces Bruhn who has recovered sufficiently to ride a horse to follow him. Basically, with the cavalry closing in on them, the villains have no alternative but to follow Blaise.
"Day of the Outlaw" struggles to be a different kind of survivalist western with a hero who never fires a single bullet from his gun. The performances are strong and the wilderness setting is spectacular, but scenarist Philip Yordan doesn't build in enough tension. The last twenty minutes take place on the snowy trail as the villains are eliminated gradually by between greed or death. One young villain who hasn't gone completely bad is sent packing when he must relinquish his horse to another companion. If you like offbeat westerns that don't rely on the usual clichés, "Day of the Outlaw" is a refreshing change of pace. Burl Ives makes a good villain and Robert Ryan is quietly confident as the tough-as-nails hero.