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The Bounty Hunter

  • 1954
  • Approved
  • 1h 19m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Randolph Scott and Dolores Dorn in The Bounty Hunter (1954)
A bounty hunter, hired by Pinkerton, trails 3 unknown murderous train robbers to a town and finds a host of suspects.
Play trailer2:12
1 Video
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One-Person Army ActionDramaWestern

A bounty hunter, hired by Pinkerton, trails 3 unknown murderous train robbers to a town and finds a host of suspects.A bounty hunter, hired by Pinkerton, trails 3 unknown murderous train robbers to a town and finds a host of suspects.A bounty hunter, hired by Pinkerton, trails 3 unknown murderous train robbers to a town and finds a host of suspects.

  • Director
    • André De Toth
  • Writers
    • Winston Miller
    • Finlay McDermid
  • Stars
    • Randolph Scott
    • Dolores Dorn
    • Marie Windsor
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    1.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • André De Toth
    • Writers
      • Winston Miller
      • Finlay McDermid
    • Stars
      • Randolph Scott
      • Dolores Dorn
      • Marie Windsor
    • 31User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

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    Trailer 2:12
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    Photos17

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    Top cast64

    Edit
    Randolph Scott
    Randolph Scott
    • Jim Kipp
    Dolores Dorn
    Dolores Dorn
    • Julie Spencer
    Marie Windsor
    Marie Windsor
    • Alice Williams
    Howard Petrie
    Howard Petrie
    • Sheriff Brand
    Harry Antrim
    Harry Antrim
    • Dr. R.L. Spencer
    Robert Keys
    • George Williams
    Ernest Borgnine
    Ernest Borgnine
    • Bill Rachin
    Dub Taylor
    Dub Taylor
    • Eli Danvers
    • (as Dubb Taylor)
    Tyler MacDuff
    Tyler MacDuff
    • Vance Edwards
    Archie Twitchell
    Archie Twitchell
    • Harrison
    Paul Picerni
    Paul Picerni
    • Jud
    Phil Chambers
    Phil Chambers
    • Ed
    Mary Lou Holloway
    • Mrs. Harrison
    Abdullah Abbas
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Victor Adamson
    Victor Adamson
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Richard Alexander
    Richard Alexander
    • Gambler
    • (uncredited)
    Maurice Anka
    • Barfly
    • (uncredited)
    Wanda Barbour
    • Saloon Girl
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • André De Toth
    • Writers
      • Winston Miller
      • Finlay McDermid
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews31

    6.61.5K
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    Featured reviews

    8bkoganbing

    A Very Nervous Town

    The Bounty Hunter casts Randolph Scott working in that profession, condemned in polite society, but necessary to bringing law and order to the west.

    Scott is hired by the Pinkerton Detective Agency to trail three outlaws who were part of a gang of seven who robbed a train and killed several people in the process. Four of them are accounted for, but the Pinkertons have no clue as to the others. Scott picks up where they left off and the trail takes him to the New Mexico town of Twin Forks.

    The only clue he has is that one of them was wounded so Scott begins questioning the town doctor and his pretty daughter Dolores Dorn. Needless to say his presence and reputation have the whole town of Twin Forks real nervous. Even sheriff Howard Petrie isn't really crazy about Scott's investigation.

    Director Andre DeToth did several good westerns in the Forties and Fifties and The Bounty Hunter was definitely one of them. DeToth keeps the action and suspense both going and I have to say when the identity of the three outlaws is finally learned you will be surprised. And there will be some juicy red herrings thrown in for good measure.

    One of the better Randolph Scott westerns of the Fifties a must for all of his fans.
    7boblipton

    One Of 648 Appearances

    The Pinkertons send bounty hunter Randolph Scott after three train robbers whom no one can identify. He soon comes to a small town. When word of who he is gets around, a lot of people get nervous. That's part of his plan, because he doesn't know whom he's looking for.

    Before he made the seven Ranown westerns with Budd Boetticher, Randolph Scot made six in a row with Andre De Toth. These emphasized the moral ambiguity of the West, where no one cared who or what you had been as long as no one came looking for you. This movie has Scott as the man who comes looking, and he stirs up a lot of people with a lot of dirty pasts, in whom he has not the slightest interest, including a couple who pull guns on him. Scott is, of course, the thorough professional, single-minded on the job at hand.

    DP Edwin DuPar, out of the studios, is more interested in shooting people than scenery, and does so in Eastmancolor which seems to have faded to brown. The script is good, although not as spare of the ones that Burt Kennedy would write for the Ranowns; the humorous bits here seem forced. I do admire how the standard Shaky-A tropes are just implied in favor of actual stuff happening. That keeps this to a spare 79 minutes, and I didn't miss a thing.

    By this time, having Randolph Scott meant you didn't need to spend on other actors, so easily recognized performers are Marie Windsor and Ernest Borgnine -- with plenty of "I know that guy" performers. There are also plenty of the bit players who seemed to show up in every western, like Chet Brandenberg (445 screen appearances) and William H. O'Brien (648 times before the motion picture and television cameras). O'Brien entered the movies in 1918, and appeared in everything from Von Stroheim extravaganzas to Stan Laurel shorts. He retired from the screen in 1971, and died ten years later at the age of 89.
    7LeonLouisRicci

    Better than Most Fifties Westerns but not in the Best Category

    Above Average Randolph Scott Western Directed by the Sometimes Interesting Andre de Toth. This One has a High Entertainment Value because it is More Violent at Times and has a Mystery Element that Keeps Things Going.

    There is a Fight Scene where Scott Burns the Butt of a Bad Guy on a Stove and a Head Shot Squib that was Very Rare in 1954. The Characters are a bit more than One Dimensional in this Movie that was Shot in 3-D but Released Flat.

    There is a Surprise Ending and Enough Gun-Play and Fisticuffs to Satisfy Western Fans and Scott's Cynical Bounty Hunter is Off Beat for a Fifties Protagonist. Marie Windsor's Wide Eyed Bar Girl and Ernest Borgnine are Highlighted Supporters. For a Weakness there is the Obligatory Marriage for that Fifties Family Wrap-Up Smarminess.

    Note...Not in the same league as the Anthony Mann/Budd Boetticher 1950's Westerns but a bit Better than Most of its Ilk.
    6utgard14

    "I don't like rube sheriffs who think they run the country."

    The Pinkerton detective agency, unable to track down three violent train robbers after a year, turns to bounty hunter Randolph Scott. He's given very few clues to go on and has no idea what the men look like. Still, he manages to track them to a small town called Twin Forks. But the people there aren't particularly friendly towards strangers who show up asking questions.

    The last of six westerns director André de Toth made with Randolph Scott. This was filmed in 3D but only released in standard format. This explains why there are some 'in your face' shots where you have someone sticking something at the camera. Scott does fine in a by-the-numbers role for him and his stuntman works overtime in some decent action scenes. Despite the formula plot, the movie does a nice job of keeping the identity of the train robbers a secret. One is especially surprising. Nice supporting cast includes Ernest Borgnine, Marie Windsor, Dolores Dorn, and Dub Taylor. It's a pretty good western. Nothing extraordinary but above average for the period.
    7claudio_carvalho

    Average and Entertaining Western

    The feared bounty hunter Jim Kipp (Randolph Scott) is hired by the Pinkerton Detective Agency to track down and find three wanted killers that robbed a train one year ago and recover the stolen money. The only clue he received is that one outlaw was shot in the leg. Jim Kipp comes to Twin Forks and seeks out the local Dr. R.L. Spencer (Harry Antrim) to ask whether he recalls attending a man with wounded leg one year ago. The doctor apparently does not recall but his daughter Julie Spencer (Dolores Dorn) confirms Kipp's suspicion. Kipp decides to stay at the hotel to investigate the town and most of inhabitants are affected by his presence. Will he succeed to find the trio?

    "The Bounty Hunter" is an average and entertaining western. Randolph Scott shines in the role of a tough, but fair bounty hunter, feared by outlaws and sheriffs. The identities of the killers are disclosed in the end and well resolved. My vote is seven.

    Title (Brazil): "Feras Humanas" ("Human Beasts")

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    Western

    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filmed in 3-D (though released in 2-D) by director Andre De Toth, despite the fact that De Toth only had one eye and thus couldn't see in 3-D.
    • Goofs
      When Randolph rides into Twin Forks he is wearing a black hat and outfit and only has his saddle bags, bedroll and some supplies. When he goes asking questions he has a beige hat with a rolled brim and new outfit. Then when Randolph meets the doctor's daughter to go to church he has a totally different Stetson and is wearing a full suit with a vest. It's unlikely he could have all those clothes in his saddle bags but there is no way he could or would have been packing the two extra hats.
    • Quotes

      Bushrat: [to Jim Kipp] Look, fella, we don't like curiosity around here.

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    FAQ13

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 25, 1954 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ritter der Prärie
    • Filming locations
      • Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Transcona Enterprises
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 19m(79 min)
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.75 : 1

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