Cripple Creek

I can see why Westerns eventually withered after seeing this one. It was competently produced and had a surprisingly good and familiar cast, especially of the bad guys. George Montgomery sure looked the part.

What bothered me the most is the facile and unbelievable way the characters followed and watched each other, moved about and sneaked in and out of hideouts. The heroes conveniently and luckily see so much from their second floor room. … … They follow a horse-drawn wagon undetected and see so much (also undetected) from a high-up perch.

The best example of this: twice George Montgomery sneaks undetected into a highly populated bad-guy mine-smelting operation, quickly sees and grasps the entire operation and has the great luck of being next to a shipping stencil that shows the place (San Francisco) and pier number where the contraband is shipped out of the US. Then a secret service agent goes to the pier and happens to see a Chinaman depositing an envelope into a postal collection box. What luck, the agent has the post office examine all the letters in the box, and they find a letter going to a reputable citizen in Cripple Creek telling him to pay off the bad guys for the gold delivery. That bit of "luck" solved the case.

And then the dialog was filled with so many trite clichés.

The big surprise ending (which I won't divulge) wasn't important, but was unbelievable and unnecessary.

The script sprawls some, but the oater's well cast and entertaining. Three Secret Service agents led by Ivers (Montgomery) go undercover to break up a gold smuggling ring in Cripple Creek, headed by a smug city slicker, Silver (Bishop). Two sequences are real nail-biters—the Russian roulette scene that's really well done, and the smelter scene that pays good attention to detail. Then again, there's the silly barroom brawl that suggests the influence of a kids' matinée feature. Really, George Cleveland's crusty old grouch is all the comedy relief that's needed. Anyway, the western's uncommonly well cast with familiar faces up and down the line. The script even manages a good surprise at the end. As a former resident of the real Cripple Creek, however, I'm surprised at how much that mountain town is supposed to resemble LA's San Fernando Valley, as though that matters entertainment-wise. Anyway, it's a pretty good western somewhere between an A and B production.

(In passing-- the Cripple Creek gold camp was a boom town for several decades; then became a near-ghost town in the 1950's after the price of gold was frozen; but has lately revived with casino gambling and a and a return to market pricing. It's got a magnificent scenic view across a hundred miles of South Park to the main range of the Rockies. So visit there if you can.)

Ray Nazzaro the director was not that lousy after all, or only for his first part of career. This little western is agreeable though very predictable too. You have George Montgomery as the lead, as well you could have had Rory Calhoun or Sterling Hayden. Beautiful settings and landscapes, not too long, and a never boring story. So, for western fans, this movie is worth the watch. Of course, if you search something very unusual and different, you may be a bit deceived. Good efficient scenes, very surprising in such a B western. Good ending twist too. Yes, an above average Ray Nazzaro western. I highly recommend it. Go ahead now !

Set in the 19th century West, we have lawmen trying to catch some outlaws who have been a little too crafty to catch.

This is one of those "darkness before the Dawn" films that aren't that common. It's a story of a person in a situation where it looks totally hopeless and full of horror, with all allies destroyed, all hope of help from outside gone, and nothing to fight with.

In this case, it's an undercover cop in the old West, infiltrating a gang. We get a feeling of what is to come, and since most movies are stereotypical "all nice guys have to die" plots, the only thing that makes us think it's possible the undercover cop will live is because tough guy Montgomery portrays him. That makes it suspenseful, because now we feel it is an even money chance he will pull out alive some how.

This western is ably directed by Ray Nazzaro, a veteran director, and stars George Montgomery who is an undercover agent, who along with his gun toting partner, is assigned to sort out the gold smugglers in Cripple Creek. It's routine plot is given a punch by some of the action, the hideout where the gold is processed, the well-staged fist fight, the nail biting Russian roulette sequence and the killer twist at the end. Having said that, a little more investigation by the hero would've been great, but it's still an entertaining western, which is the most important thing.