searchanddestroy-1

I am a great Richard Stark reader, one of his most die hard fans and know each of his novels. This adaptation is not that close but not that far either from the book. It looks like the screenwriters just saw FIVE CARDS STUD before; remember this 1968 western, where a mysterious killer avenged the death of his brother? Here, this element, which was not in the novel, is the main difference with the novel, but it is not queston of the death of a brother but a daughter. Actually the screenwriters proposed in this film the schemes usually put in Stark's novels, but not in SLAYGROUND, very strange; I mean, after a heist pulled by Parker and his crew, one member of this crew or an outsider tries to kill the crew members one by one...And I was surprised to see some names in the cast - characters names - from the books too. But not in an accurate way. For instance, in the book, Lonzini's character is a kingpin, who seeks getting the heist bullion from Parker - here Stone - and certainly not the simple heist driver !!! And I also noticed Madge and Joe Sheer characters, from Richard Stark's novels, but not in SLAYGROUND the book. Joe Sheer died far earlier in the books, and Madge did not appear either in the novel, but other novels. But this is not important, that doesn't prevent you to enjoy this better than expected this Richard Stark's book.

Such an expose should have been made for someone else than Sam Katzman, the infamous Columbia Pictures producer, though this crime expose is not his worst. But compared to, for instance, Phil Karlson's PHOENIX CITY STORY, this is really poor, lousy, even worse than MIAMI EXPOSE, MIAMI STORY or the other Fred S Sears' crime flicks, also produced by Katzman in his best shape. But this one is not that bad, and also very rare, and a William Castle's film, just before his gimmick horror gems period.

Nothing really exceptional in terms of script, here everything is predictable and some atmosphere elements can remind BROKEN ARROW, made several years earlier for Twentieth Century Fox. Production design, locations, landscapes, music, photography are awesome and Tyrone Power in a role that suits him like a glove. A pretty good western indeed, one of the best from director Jo Newman. Besides FORT MASSACRE of course.