Bargain basement director Edgar Ulmer once again gets plenty of bang out of his buck in this shot in 10 day shot in luxurious color film. A well told tale of corruption the main problem is to be found in the lead played by the usually reliable Arthur Kennedy.
Veteran bandido Santiago's (Kennedy) sidekick is gunned down during a night train robbery. Santiago escapes and finds himself taken in by a dirt poor but honest farmer Manual and his wife Maria. Telling tales of easy money and an exciting life style he unintentionally seduces both, upending life on the farm and corrupting Manual with a sudden lust for the material after realizing a big take from a crooked border agent.
The miscast Kennedy's accent is glaringly bad. It comes across like a guest star doing a skit on an hour variety show. He spouts some interesting philosophy but the false inflection mars it. Betta St. John and Eugene Iglesias are both inconsistent. The music score is atrociously over the top but a tawdry cantina scene sparkles giving Ulmer his best reason to go technicolor in a film mostly draped in dull earthen hue.
Veteran bandido Santiago's (Kennedy) sidekick is gunned down during a night train robbery. Santiago escapes and finds himself taken in by a dirt poor but honest farmer Manual and his wife Maria. Telling tales of easy money and an exciting life style he unintentionally seduces both, upending life on the farm and corrupting Manual with a sudden lust for the material after realizing a big take from a crooked border agent.
The miscast Kennedy's accent is glaringly bad. It comes across like a guest star doing a skit on an hour variety show. He spouts some interesting philosophy but the false inflection mars it. Betta St. John and Eugene Iglesias are both inconsistent. The music score is atrociously over the top but a tawdry cantina scene sparkles giving Ulmer his best reason to go technicolor in a film mostly draped in dull earthen hue.