This exciting Western packs thrills , noisy action , spectacular struggles and lots of gutsy adventure . Brawling , sprawling , almost primitive action in which our protagonist is forced to go on the run , teeming across the screen by means of escapes , attacks , rescues , and ambushes .The picture contains whirlwinds of manic action , fights , sustained energy and often commendable results . It deals with an unfortunate , disgraced scout called Jim Harvey (Eddie Murphy) is pursued , that's why some families were slaughtered by the Indians and being accused of desertion and cowardice . Harvey is nearly hanged as a deserter and helped by his friend Indian Tigre (Eugene Iglesias) getaways from prison and then the sherifff (Chill Wills) and deputies pull off an implacable hunt for him . His sweetheart Laura Saunders (Lori Nelson) comes to believe Harvey's story , and supports him in his fight to demonstrate his innocence . Along the way Harvey is pursued by a posse who carries out a merciless chase . Harvey attempts to prove his actual identity , that's why he tries to clear his name by find out the real culprit and catching him . By the way he has to face off the ruthless chief Aguila (Ralph Moody) . He Fought the Fury of the Apache Warpath . While his back was the target for 100 guns! .The story of Jim Harvey...the savage terror he faced...the desert woman he loved!
Nice-looking but run-of-the-mill International Universal Pictures Western , including some novelties , but also with usual elements , such as noisy action, thrills , crossfire, drama , romance and some spectacular action scenes . Along with a love triangle in which implicates Audie Murphy/Jim Harvey , Lori Nelson/Laura Saunders and Russell Johnson/Lam Blanden who is also in love with Lori . The plot is plain and simple, a wagon train results to be chased , ambushed and massacred by the savage Indians , then the survivors blame a distressed guide to leave and sell them to Yaqui Indians . A blending of functional main actors with great character players of whom Audie Murphy holds the best role as a brave frontiersman . A warm and sometimes wryly humorous storyline -thanks to a personable and well trained horse- makes an enjoyable movie , a real pleasure to listen to as well as watch . The hothouse plot drives mercilessly forward with frantic action , breathtaking shooting , thrills , impressive attacks , treason , twists and turns . The tale is strong one and the yarn is wonderfully located against a spectacular background from Death Valley , California . Well directed by Nathan Juran who made a lot of low-budget movies , though he followed to work for a big-budget cinema and was capable of making large-scale movies as ¨Tumbleweed¨ revolving around a wagon train assaulted by Indians . Finely performed by Audie Murphy as a wrongfully accused wagon train guard accused of desertion and his fight for innocence as well as freedom and here director takes a fine penned script by John Meredyth Lucas , based on the novel "Three Were Renegades¨ written by Kenneth Perkins , creating an attractive tale that is far from ordinary , exploring the anguish and desperation of an innocent man and villany of the pursuers . Audie Murphy delivers a fine acting as an innocent passer-by who mistaken for a deserter is relentlessly chased , though some his own scenes are stolen by a sympathetic horse . Murphy won more than 20 medals , being the most decorated American soldier , including the Congressional Medal of Honor and he was also awarded with five decorations conceded by France and Belgium country . He starred a rendition based on his own self-biography titled ¨To Hell and back¨ that was an acceptable picture based on actual events about Audie Murphy who played himself following his Army career in WWII , being professionally directed by Jesse Hibbs and it was a box-office hit for Universal Pictures and its record was apparently not broken until Jaws (1975 ). Murphy starred a great number of Westerns , such as : ¨The kid from Texas¨, ¨Cimarron Kid¨, ¨Gunpoint¨, ¨Night Passage¨, ¨The Gunrunners¨, ¨Posse from Hell¨, ¨Gunfight at Comanche¨, ¨Rifles Apaches¨, ¨The Unforgiven¨, ¨Red badge of courage¨, ¨Legend of Sam Ward¨, ¨Whispering Smith¨, ¨40 Guns at Apache pass¨ , ¨Texas kid¨ , among others . Being usually directed by Jesse Hibbs who made various Audie Murphy vehicles , such as : ¨To hell and Back¨ (1955) , ¨World in My Corner¨ (1956) , ¨Ride a Crooked Trail¨ (1958) , ¨Medal of Honor¨ and ¨To Hell and Back¨. Support cast is frankly nice , providing splendid interpretations , such as : Chill Wills , Roy Roberts , Russell Johnson, Eugene Iglesias , Phil Chambers , Ross Elliott , Lyle Talbot , King Donovan , K.T. Stevens who was actress daughter of director Sam Wood and Ralph Moody gives the best acting as a cruel and hysterical Indian chief , Aguila . Furthermore , Lee Van Cleef , pre-Sergio Leone , makes an early appearance as one of the bad guys .
It contains colorful and brilliant cinematography in glimmer Technicolor by director of photography Russell Metty . And thrilling and atmospheric musical score by Universal regulars and uncredited : Henry Mancini , Milton Rosen , Herman Stein . This classic as well as traditional movie was produced Ross Hunter from Universal Pictures and compellingly directed by Nathan Juran , containing some vigorous scenes . Juran was a good craftsman who made a lot of movies of all kinds of genres . Nathan Juran, who sometimes used pseudonym "Nathan Hertz" collaborated with Charles H. Schener in several films . Here Nathan directed it all in stylish Technicolor . Before entering the film industry as an art director in 1937 Nathan ¨Jerry¨Juran won an Academy Award for art direction on How Green Was My Valley (1941). World War II interrupted his film career, and he spent his war years with the OSS . Returning to Hollywood, he turned to directing films in the 1950s. He handled mostly low-budget westerns and sci-fi opuses, as ¨First man in the moon¨, ¨The brain from planet Arous¨, ¨The deadly Mantis¨ , ¨20 million miles to Earth¨ , ¨Jack the Giant Killer¨ , his most famous being ¨The attack of the 50 foot woman¨(1958) . He was also responsible for the superb fantasy adventure ¨The 7th voyage of Sinbad¨ (1958). Juran directed some Westerns starred by Audie Murphy such as ¨Drums Across the River¨, ¨Tumbleweed¨ , ¨Gunsmoke¨ and ¨Law and Order¨ with Ronald Reagan . In the early 1960s, he journeyed to Europe, where he spent several years piloting adventure epics and spaghetti westerns such as ¨Land raiders¨. Juran made sensational Sci-fi and fantastic movies , his main legacy , such us : ¨First men oh the moon¨, ¨The 7th voyage of Simbad¨ , ¨20 million miles to earth¨, ¨Jack the Giant Killer¨ and several others .
