Du sang dans la sierra

I was really geared up to enjoy this Western. It was high-class and adult in just about every way -- the acting, dialog, photography, scenery, cast, etc. Everything that is except the story. It soon became very boring; I couldn't wait for the movie to end. I fast-forwarded through some scenes. One thing that got on my nerves was the way in the wide open spaces of the desert West, the hero continually came across his lady friend and the bad guys by chance and how the characters could follow and track other characters so easily in the wide open spaces. Even the bad guy confessed on cue at the end by chance and coincidence. Even the evidence against the hero was rather flimsy. Too bad, for it was well-intentioned with good production values.

Peaceable drifter, Robert Young would never have imagined in his worst nightmare that seeking refuge for his heavily pregnant mare would result in pursuit by a posse under accusation of a triple murder. Furthermore, those who could verify his innocence are either dead or.....er...horses! Fortunately, he goes on outsmarting hard nosed sheriff, Willard Parker and his give him a fair trial......then hang him mentality, as he desperately searches for the one man (Barton MacLean) who could clear his name. Fate smiles on Young in the form of a flowering friendship and affinity with Margeurite Chapman and her mobile 'Homebase' store.

Throw in sly, scheming Akim Tamiroff and his lugubrious brain cell deficient sidekick Mike Mazurki, with the scent of gold in their nostrils and you have the makings of a superficially stark, dark and pretty gritty western - but offset by an unusually soft centre. Young's distress and outrage at the mindless cruelty inflicted upon his horse, the care and protection he gives to the colt and its surrogate burro, create an unexpectedly heartwarming underbelly, which never becomes cloying or sentimental. Whilst Young and Chapman generate an unquestionably appealing on screen chemistry, in this rewarding and unconventional movie.

"Relentless" is an unusual western. It's not just the plot but the casting, as Robert Young plays the hero...something fans of classic films might be surprised by, as Young normally only played in contemporary pictures...and often as a society sort of guy.

When the story begins, Nick (Young) comes into town with his pregnant horse. He's mighty excited, as she's going to give birth to a baby sired by a racing champion. Unfortunately, shortly after the nag gives birth, a baddie comes along and steals the mother...leaving the baby horse to presumably die. But Nick isn't gonna put up with that and he tracks the guy down and shoots him in self defense....but the mother horse is killed and he's left with a baby horse and not much else. Fortunately, a lady traveling sales person (Marguerite Chapman) takes pity on him and helps Nick out by locating a surrogate mom. But what she can't do is convince the authorities that Nick is a killer--not for killing the horse thief but for a mass murder committed by a man (Barton MacLane) Nick saw shortly after...and Nick decides to devote himself to tracking down the real killer, otherwise the sheriff and his posse will hang him instead, as they're in a real hangin' mood!

The first thing you'll probably notice about this one is the lovely color cinematography. Plus, the Sonoran Desert locale looked great on film. This is not some run of the mill production or B-western but a quality picture...with excellent production values and acting. Well worth seeing...and with a rather unusual plot.

Sizzling and exciting adventure Western with drama , frantic action and breathtaking ending shoot'em up. At the local saloon, prospectors Len Briggs and Bob Pliny brag about encountering gold at their mine . Badmen Tex Brandaw (Barton McLane) and Jim Rupple (Frank Fenton) decide to follow the two prospectors and rob their mine. Drifter Nick Buckley (Robert Young) who's passing through town seeking shelter for his pregnant mare is offered a drink by the two old prospectors . The prospectors return to their cabin and in an ambush two villians kill them and take the map revealing the gold mine's location. They divide the map in two sections , to prevent cheating , and split up agreeing each other and to meet after that . Then , the sheriff shows up and he charges Nick for the murders of the two gold prospectors . Framed for the killing and with a reward on his head , Nick flees and he runs into Luella Purdy (Marguerite Chapman) , a travelling seller . She agrees to help Nick care for his hungry foal and to transport him across the sunny desert . Throughout the dangerous paths the expedition carrying some clues about the gold mine , being chased by a posse , by cuthtroat bounty hunters and by two ambitious bad guys : Joe Faringo (Akim Tamiroff) and Jake (Mike Mazurki) . Violence ... love ... and sudden death ! The cry that rooked the world'd hottest strip the hell ¡.

A Western drama with dramatic moments , noisy action , shootouts , crosses, romance, luxurious photography and a highly commendable musical score . Bursting with attractive characters, interesting sub-plots , and with very decent filmmaking, as well as fine interpretation, and brief drops of humor in charge of a mare and a donkey . Robert Young gives a nice acting as an accused person for a murder he didn't commit, as the brave cowboy must stay one step ahead of the law as he hunts for the real killer. Robert Young did play in the Thirties and Forties as many as eleven films per year for a decade starting with Black Camel (1931). He was notable as the spy in Alfred Hitchcock's Secret agent (1936), but the '40s was the decade in which he was to have most of his best roles. These included Northwest passage (1940) with Spencer Tracy ; Fritz Lang's Western Union (1941) with Randolph Scott ; and H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941). Good roles followed, from the husband of Dorothy McGuire in Claudia, (1943) to the detective in Crossfire (1947) by Edward Dymitrick but they were becoming scarce. He starred notorious films as The big moment , And the baby makes three , The searching wind and The secret of Incas . In 1949, Robert started a radio show called "Father Knows Best" wherein he played Jim Anderson, an average father with average situations--a role which was tailor-made for him. Basically retiring from films, he starred in this program for five years on radio before it went to television in 1954. After a slight falter in the ratings and a switch from CBS to NBC, it became a mainstay of television until it was canceled in 1960. He continued making guest appearances on various television shows and working in television movies. In 1969, he starred as Dr. Marcus Welby in the TV movie Marcus Welby: A Matter of Humanities and another successful series : Doctor Kildare . Co-starring is Marguerite Chapman who plays very well as Luella Purdy, owner of a traveling general store, whom Nick met into town the day, subsequently both of them fall in love. They are well supported by a pretty good secondary cast , such as : Willard Parker as Jeff Moyer , Akim Tamiroff as Joe Faringo , Barton MacLane as Tex Brandow , Mike Mazurki , Robert Barrat , Frnk Fenton, Clem Bevans, among others .

It contains thrilling and moving musical score by Marlin Skiles . Colorful cinematography in Technicolor by Edward Cronjager . Being shot in multiple locations such as While Mountains , IronWoods ,Silver Bell Mountains, Arizona, Tucson Mountains, Sedona, Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California. This modest drama/action/Western picture was professionally and firmly directed by George Sherman , though slowly filmed, at times, I miss more action and shots, but it also has pursuits and impressive finale duel . The movie was a collaboration between Eugene B. Rodney Productions and Columbia Pictures , supported by the prestigious craftsman fimmaker Sherman . And screenplay by prestigious Winston Miller , based on a story titled "Three Were Thoroughbreds" by Kenneth Perkins . The motion picture was competently directed by George Sherman in B-style , though it has some flaws . Entertainment , atmosphere , action and excitement surge along with the tale under the hand of a good filmmaker George Sherman , who is clearly more at home with the thrilling scenes than with somewhat excessively talking storyline . Sherman made reliable low-budget fare for Columbia between 1945-48, then moved on to do the same at Universal for another eight years , where he directed ¨War Arrow¨ . Sherman specialized almost exclusively in "B" westerns there , including the "Three Musketeers" series, which featured a young John Wayne. George directed lots of Westerns as ¨The Last of the Fast Guns¨ , ¨The Lone Hand¨, ¨Santa Fe stampede¨ , ¨Red skin¨ , ¨Chief Crazy Horse¨ ¨Calamity Jane¨, ¨Relentless¨ , ¨Comanche Territory¨ , ¨Dawn at Socorro¨, ¨Border River¨ and many others . He also made occasional forays into action and horror themes, often achieving a sense of style over substance . The only "A"-grade films to his credit were two westerns starring John Wayne: ¨Comancheros¨ (1961) (as producer) and ¨The big Jack¨ (1971) . His last films were realized in Spain as "Find That Girl" , ¨The new Cinderella¨ and ¨Joaquin Murrieta¨. Rating : 6.5/10 . Acceptable and passable Western . Well worth watching.

Although Marguerite Chapman does fine yeoman work in her obligatory generic love interest role, the show is the pursuit of Young after horse thief MacLane. And, it is a fast-paced, cat-and-mouse entertaining game in which protagonist and antagonist take turns revealing their thoughts and feelings in a most involving way. This is certainly not a classic "B" western, but it is entertaining from beginning to end and very fast paced.