This MGM title, while not superior, certainly has impressive outdoor sequences including some thrilling scenes shot in the middle of a raging river. Star Joel McCrea was not the world's best actor, but he usually works well with his costars. In this case, he seems to have an amiable relationship with Barry Sullivan, though Sullivan's character turns quite villainous as the story develops.
Studio contract player James Whitmore provides the requisite dose of 'character' as a grizzly mountain man, a warm-up for his role a year later in ACROSS THE WIDE MISSOURI. We also have young Claude Jarman playing a teenaged lad who is anxious to become a man. Gorgeous Arlene Dahl is on hand as Jarman's older sister, serving as a potential love interest for both McCrea and Sullivan.
Each studio favored certain palettes in their use of Technicolor. The schematic hues MGM chooses consist mostly of orange and dark yellow, with some vivid shades of red. This gives the story an almost surreal quality, which neither hurts nor really aids our enjoyment of the picture. Though I suppose it helps accent Miss Dahl's flaming red hair.
Irving Ravetch's script features a lot of action. THE OUTRIDERS starts as a tale about three Confederate soldiers breaking out of a Union prison. They end up on the run after killing a guard in what amounts to a very violent on-screen death. I was somewhat surprised by how bloody this part was, given the constraints of Hollywood's production code.
In the next part the men join up with Quantrill's raiders. While they are roaming the countryside with this group, we learn McCrea, Sullivan and Whitmore had basically been bandits before they were drafted into military service. A stint in the war functioned as a cover for their criminal ways!
This morphs into an adventure drama about a hidden stash of gold. In the background there are native tribes none too happy with the white men in the territory. And we have the end of the Civil War occurring. On top of all this is the love triangle between the three leads.
McCrea's character eventually professes deepening feelings for Dahl's character. Of course, this requires him to get rid of Sullivan, whose ways as an outlaw are now even more apparent. Once Sullivan is effectively out of the way, McCrea is free to spend the rest of his life with Dahl. Or at least until another wild west adventure takes place.
Studio contract player James Whitmore provides the requisite dose of 'character' as a grizzly mountain man, a warm-up for his role a year later in ACROSS THE WIDE MISSOURI. We also have young Claude Jarman playing a teenaged lad who is anxious to become a man. Gorgeous Arlene Dahl is on hand as Jarman's older sister, serving as a potential love interest for both McCrea and Sullivan.
Each studio favored certain palettes in their use of Technicolor. The schematic hues MGM chooses consist mostly of orange and dark yellow, with some vivid shades of red. This gives the story an almost surreal quality, which neither hurts nor really aids our enjoyment of the picture. Though I suppose it helps accent Miss Dahl's flaming red hair.
Irving Ravetch's script features a lot of action. THE OUTRIDERS starts as a tale about three Confederate soldiers breaking out of a Union prison. They end up on the run after killing a guard in what amounts to a very violent on-screen death. I was somewhat surprised by how bloody this part was, given the constraints of Hollywood's production code.
In the next part the men join up with Quantrill's raiders. While they are roaming the countryside with this group, we learn McCrea, Sullivan and Whitmore had basically been bandits before they were drafted into military service. A stint in the war functioned as a cover for their criminal ways!
This morphs into an adventure drama about a hidden stash of gold. In the background there are native tribes none too happy with the white men in the territory. And we have the end of the Civil War occurring. On top of all this is the love triangle between the three leads.
McCrea's character eventually professes deepening feelings for Dahl's character. Of course, this requires him to get rid of Sullivan, whose ways as an outlaw are now even more apparent. Once Sullivan is effectively out of the way, McCrea is free to spend the rest of his life with Dahl. Or at least until another wild west adventure takes place.