User Reviews

A reasonable enough entry to be included as part of AMC's Saturday morning Western lineup, the film brings together the somewhat unlikely trio of William Holden, MacDonald Carey and William Bendix in a tale of villains and Texas Rangers. The boys start out as amiable bad guys who get separated following one of their adventures, with Jim Dawkins (Holden) and Wahoo Jones (Bendix) eventually joining the Rangers, while their amigo Lorn (Carey) schemes to replace Charley Calico (Alfonso Bedoya) as the main desperado in the vicinity of Laredo. As formulaic as Westerns can be, I can't say that I've seen another quite like it before, especially when Lorn Reming does a Han Solo like bushwhack on his former ally Wahoo later in the picture. Even though Wahoo was planning to turn in his ex-buddy, the vicious turn of Carey's character was a sit up and take notice moment.

The story offers a few other novelties as well. Alfonso Bedoya gets a bit more screen time here than he did as 'Gold Hat' in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", though he'll never have as great a line as the one about those 'steenking badges' from that movie. I was really caught off guard to see Ray Teal as Calico's henchman Cantrel, virtually any time you see him in a Western he's playing a sheriff.

I don't want to forget mentioning Mona Freeman as the story's romantic interest, first intrigued with Lorn Reming, and then when his true nature reveals itself, casting an eye for Jim Dawkins. Because the story spans a couple of years, her character Rannie Carter advances from a cute teenage cowgirl to a mature frontier woman. Bendix' character had a great line when they first met - "You're mighty pretty if you're a her".

Though the Texas Rangers as an entity are part of the story, the film doesn't necessarily rely on that connection to work. However it does offer a convenient way for Jim and Wahoo to go straight while their partnership with Lorn falls apart. Of course the ending does submit to a fairly standard formula, but perhaps not in the manner in which it's carried out. For that though, you'll have to keep your eyes peeled for your local cable listings, as I'm unaware of the movie's availability elsewhere.

This is a western that has been long over-looked by those who decide on which movies are brought out on DVD. Make us happy, and release it. When William Bendix dies, it is done in such a cold blooded method. Even my 8 year old was upset. She liked his character. She also thought the "bad guy" was hot. Nowadays, for a child to sit thru this type of movie on their own, reflects on the great story quality and acting ability of the actors in it. Many westerns do not have the story line that this movie portrays so well. All of these movies of a time past need to be available for a new generation to enjoy. Another classic is Merrill's Marauders.

The film begins with three amigos robbing the stage. MacDonald Carey is the oldest -- a leader and bon vivant. William Holden is the younger member, soured on women. William Bendix is the comic sidekick. All three are likable rogues, not averse to being sympathetic and generous to others.

Along the way, they pick up Mona Freeman, who has the role of "bobcat." She's sassy, dresses like a man, and wields a mean rifle. I kept waiting for the transformation in which she showed up in a pretty dress and appealing makeup. The transformation takes place 17 minutes and 22 seconds into the movie.

During a chase by the villainous Alfonso Bedoya ("Gold Hat" in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre") Carey is separated from the other two and strikes out as an outlaw on his own, until he tries to hold up a stagecoach carrying Holden and Bendix and guarded by Texas Rangers. MacDonald is subdued and stashed in the hoosegow, and Holden and Bendix join the Rangers, hoping to find a way to free Carey.

At some points, the movie turns into the kind of recruitment story that was common during the war years, and I suppose that was the model the tale was built on. The Texas Rangers are an elite outfit who can "ride faster and shoot straighter" than anybody else. They're positively anxious to kill. The wall of Squad D is decorated with photos and pistols of the Rangers who have died in combat. The Captain who swears them in explains that he won't shake their hands until he finds out what kind of men they are. Holden and Bendix try to free their old friend but he decks both of them and gallops off into the sunset. His erstwhile companions get KP as punishment. (Is it familiar yet?) As the tale inspissates, Freeman develops a yen for the flippant Carey, despite Holden's sincere offer of marriage. I don't think I'll describe the ending.

As is apparent, this isn't an outstanding Western by any means. It's full of stereotypes. Yet, as color Westerns from 1949 go, it's above average because some of the acting is quite good and the ambiguity of the relationships adds an extra dimension. I mean, yes, Carey turns into a bad guy, a murderer, but throughout, he's LIKABLE. The bond between the three men is palpable. Carey's desire to link up with the other two is genuine until it becomes clearly impossible. It's rather more than a simple good guy versus bad guy movie. In his Westerns of the 40s and 50s, Randolph Scott was always the "good guy," sometimes to the point of boredom. But this story reminds me of his best, "Ride the High Country," where we're never quite sure about the character's intentions. Adults may enjoy it more than the kids.