It's praise to wish a movie longer, in this case to better manage a couple plot points and resolve some themes, as Raton Pass is nearly overflowing with characters, factions, even geographic potential.
Overall the cast is commendable. One might wish for a lead male with more gravitas than Dennis Morgan, but he looks good and does what he can well enough, true also of the other men, but the standout is Steve Cochran, "the Elvis of Noir," who gets more screen time here than he did in his other movies worth watching. Like the real Elvis, Cochran can pout, curl his lip, swagger, make all the men want to chase him off and all the women forgive him anything, even wanton murder.
It's a surprisingly woman-centered film, and the two female leads--Patricia Neal and Dorothy Hart--rock the screen in a variety of ways. Neal's an unusually soulful actress even here as a villainess, and when at the peak of her foxy power she shows up dressed in black gaucho threads, you hate to see the scene end. Hart, whom I didn't remember, has screen presence even as a blonde Latina, she pronounces her Spanish dialogue convincingly, and her character shows surprising and convincing self-determination.
The scenario is remarkably complex even if not fully developed. For instance, the geography of town, ranch, river, and "lava" or grazing fields set up at least three competing power factions, though they're displayed more on a wall-map in the ranch-house than in the outdoor settings, which are standard western backlots and California foothills.
The only ridiculous turn in the plot occurs when the hero is shot in the back at short range, transported to the countryside, and obviously near death, whereupon Hart's senorita does surgery, after which he hero rises, after a few obligatory grimaces, resumes fighting with guns and fists. In less of a hurry, these complications could have led to a more interesting final showdown.
No hesitation in granting Raton Pass a 7 and only wish--with its wealth of materials--Raton Pass had spent a little more time, effort, and production costs on realizing the possibilities of an 8 or 9.
