Lawyer Al Jennings discovers he likes robbing better than lawyering, but then tries to straighten out. Yet the past has a way of catching up, especially if there's a relapse back into robbing.
Badly flawed western, with a spotty screenplay, uninspired direction, and indifferent acting. Pairing ace villain Duryea with malt-shop Storm is like pairing Dillinger with Shirley Temple. Unfortunately, Duryea pretty much walks through his role as Al Jennings. Too bad, because given a good script and quality direction, few could deliver more memorable performances than slick-haired Duryea. Yet it looks like his career was on a downturn here since he went into TV (China Smith) the following year (IMDB).
I just wish director Nazarro could have heightened the drama with a few close-ups. Instead, his camera remains at an impersonal distance, which doesn't help. Then too, there's sloppy attention to detail. Note how after the wild buckboard chase, Storm looks like she just stepped out of a fashionable beauty salon. Even her over-sized hat is un-windblown. Sure, this is minor, but it all adds up, including sloppy staging as when the posse tries to catch the gang at the Diamond B ranch.
In my little book, the oater's a bland waste of talent, whose best feature may be the Technicolor photography, even if action never leaves LA environs. Too bad all around, especially for fans of the great Dan Duryea.
