From Hell to Texas

The stars, Murray & Varsi, are good if a little bland. The old-timers, Wills & Armstrong, steal the show & give the movie some extra flavor. Hopper plays the role of "the youngest son" with the usual angst we have come to expect from him. Nice scenery, simple plot, well-directed. Overall, an enjoyable adult western with lots of shooting. I rate it 8/10.

If you have an all-region DVD player, which costs less than $100, you may order a very fine anamorphic widescreen copy of this film from Amazon Italy.

Don Murray, on the run after an accidental killing, eludes R.G. Armstrong and a very young Dennis Hopper in this stark western from Henry Hathaway. Along the way he meets a rancher and falls in love with the man's daughter. A fiery confrontation with the dead man's family finally brings closure to this violent chase story. Well developed characters not usually found in this genre.

Hard to find and well worth the effort.

I saw this for the first time recently n got pleasantly surprised. It is a well made western with sufficient action, drama n romance.

A mild mannered man Tod, good with shooting but refrains from taking life due to his dead mother's upbringing, accidentally kills a man in self defense. Hell bent on revenge, the dead man's family members pursue Tod relentlessly. Tod flees to New Mexico to seek his estranged father across desert canyon country pursued by his enemies but on the way he comes across people who likes Tod for his clear conscience. The film moves at a decent pace, it has some striking picturesque settings n a lil bit tension n suspense towards the end.

Tod Lohman is mistakenly believed to have caused the death of a member of the feared Boyd family. He's an honest cowboy but is fully aware that tough guys shoot first and ask questions later. With this in mind he flees southwards in the hope of saving his skin. On his travels he meets and befriends Amos Bradley and his adopted daughter, Juanita, it's a meeting that holds the key to Tod's future.

Henry Hathaway directs this one, and the first thing that sticks out is just how interesting his characters are, this is not just a throwaway Western, it has depth of feeling and lays out a story that isn't purely relying on action to entertain the viewers. That said, Hathaway doesn't skimp on the action scenes, an excellent beef stampede and an Indian pursuit, resplendent with horse jumping heroics, deliver promptly for the discerning action viewer. Based around the novel from Charles O. Locke called The Hell Bent Kid, this adaptation is adroitly telling the story of an honest and naive young man on the lam, it's the naivety of Lohman that gives the picture its emotional heart, all framed excellently by Hathaway in the Alabama Hills vista.

The cast are across the board solid, Don Murray, Chill Wills, Diane Varsi, R.G. Armstrong and a fresh faced Dennis Hopper all earn their respective pay cheques. It's understandably not up to the high standard of Hathaway's big hitters like True Grit and The Sons Of Katie Elder, it is however a picture that is definitely worth checking out if you are given the opportunity. 7/10

Henry Hathaway's westerns are more ambitious than simple action films,their high moral standards favorably compare to those of John Ford ,Henry King or Delmer Dames.At first sight,"from hell to Texas " seems a plea against violence ,but it's not only that.

Although a sharpshooter ,Don Murray's character is nothing more than a child who is clueless.The scenes by the river are revealing:he's a shy prudish lad ,whose only guide is his bible and his mother's photograph .In fact,he's desperately searching for a father.On his way,he will meet two older,wiser men for whom he's only a kid . It's really amazing how much these characters feel the hero's weakness and how they want to protect him.

Another father is his fiercest enemy because this man thinks he's responsible for his son's death.The screenplay smartly avoids the events that led to the chase.

On one hand,a young man trying to find a place he can call home (you do not like solitude,don't you,he says to a horse ),on another a blind father who destroys his family because of a false revenge.

The rebuilding of a family,with ,in parallel ,the nearly destruction of another one.