Hell Bent for Leather

Very entertaining western directed by George Sherman (who did Big Jake with John Wayne and produced The Comancheros 1961). The actors are excellent. We get Audie Murphy and Stephen McNally back altogether 8 years after Duel at silver creek 1952, but here they are enemies. Felicia Farr acts in her last western. And very good supporting cast with Jan Merlin as Travers, John Qualen and Bob Steele among others.

With a very good screenplay, I really liked the character, Stephen MacNally plays. The three main actors are perfect, and they carry the movie. So if you have the luck to have the opportunity to see this movie: GOOOOO!

Hell Bent for Leather is directed by George Sherman and adapted to screenplay by Christopher Knopf from the novel Outlaw Marshal written by Ray Hogan. It stars Audie Murphy, Felicia Farr, Stephen McNally and Robert Middleton. A CinemaScope production in Eastman Color, it features music jointly scored by William Lava and Irving Gertz (Joseph Gershenson supervising) and cinematography by Clifford Stine.

Audie Murphy plays Clay Santell, a horse trader who is wrongly accused of murder and goes on the run pursued by a vengeful Marshal. The Marshal (McNally), knows Santell is innocent, but he doesn't care and figures that killing a wanted man that nobody has seen before can only earn him glory.

There is often a tendency from Western film critics to undersell a "B" Western, it's like you are not allowed to rave about or rate a "B" the same as an Oater from the well regarded and well known movers and shakers in the genre. This happens to be more the case where Audie Murphy's output is concerned. Not blessed with great acting talent, Murphy none the less knew how to make a scene work, to imbue a passage of play with great presence, never once trying to hog the limelight from co-stars, he remains more so today a Western star whose values should not be easily dismissed. His CV contains quite a few bad or ordinary films, but he was in some very good ones as well, and one such film is Hell Bent for Leather.

Plot is essentially standard fare, a wronged man is on the run and he is saddled with a pretty gal for the journey. Posse are in pursuit and wronged man has to prove his innocence before he is killed by a sadistic sheriff out to feather his own nest. Yet the locale and well written characters mark this out as a tough little Oater. Sure there's little action to pump the blood of those who need such passages, though some good chase scenes are here and one finishes with a great bit of stuntery, but the neat trick here is having Murphy and Farr's characters run off/up into the rocky terrain; the magnificent Alabama Hills rocky terrain. As Anthony Mann had a knack of marrying up surroundings to psychological aspects of his protagonists, so it be here with Sherman, but of course this is a "Audie Murphy B Western", so such things aren't possible...

Hey, it's no Naked Spur et al, far from it, but it is far better and grittier than some think it is purely because of the director and star who made it. It also has a great finale, where up in the jutted rocks we get a tense situation that sees the wronged man, the guilty man, the spunky girl with a substantial back story and the unhinged glory seeking Marshal, all brought together in a moment of reckoning. You will not die of shock with the outcome, but it's a finale rewarding us for having spent the time with these deftly etched characters. Acting is safe and sound, with Middleton the stand out performer, and the music score is "B Western" 101 stuff. But if only for Stine's CinemaScope photography then the Western fan should see this, the Alabama Hills, so prominent in many a great and classic genre offering, are beautifully captured and very much a critical character in the story. 7.5/10

Fans of Western movies will not be disappointed. While not a great or even distinguished Western, it also LACKS the faults of so many other Westerns. On the plus side it can boast good colorful outdoor mountainous locations and cinema-photography , leading and supporting actors, a believable situation and a literate imaginative script. On the negative side: zero; I can't think of anything laughable, offensive or jarring. Audie Murphy looked and acted good. Felicia Farr looked better, even gorgeous. And Stephen McNally stole the movie with his acting chops. Robert Middleton was his usual excellent self in a brief suspenseful scene during Murphy's chase from McNally. Jan Merlin did well as a villain.

I thought it was an interesting and unusual motive for Sheriff McNally's lying that Murphy and not Merlin was the criminal being chased. I won't reveal it in this review, though it is spelled out in most of the other reviews here. The reason puzzled me throughout watching the film, and it was finally revealed at the conclusion. Also intriguing was how Murphy would extricate himself from his predicament. Finally, kudos for Farr's back story. Surprising that there were no romantic scenes (embraces, kisses, etc.) between the two leads, Murphy and Farr, though the last scene had then leave hand in hand.

Audie Murphy Leads a Good Cast in front and back of some Outstanding Scraggy Rock Formations that make this a slightly Edgy Entry in the "Murph" Filmography.

By 1960 the Western was Waning in Popularity due to an Overexposure of Movies and TV Titles that became Exponential as the Decade Unfolded. This is a Strong "B" Entertainment that Delivered Color, CinemaScope, and an Adult-Theme Touch.

Some of the Dialog is Cutting Edge for the 50's, and the Leering Looks that Felicia Farr gets in the Cabin as She is Verbally Raped and Forced into Servitude is a Standout.

Some of the Back-Stories are Complex as Murphy is on the Run from a Psychopathic "Lawman" and some Revengeful Townsfolk, that the Script is Quick to Call Religious Hypocrites (you wouldn't find that on TV).

Steve McNally is Memorable as the Cold-Blooded "Marshall" and Jan Merlin makes His Mark as a "Smile-Happy" Shotgun Killer. Fast Paced and Thoughtful Western that is Slightly Above Average in the Decade's Outlandish Output of Westerns and another Solid Outing for Audie Murphy Fans to Appreciate.

Note...Audie Murphy's Career mostly ignored by Film Historians deserves another look and deeper analysis. As a consistent entertainer, especially in the Western Genre, it has been passed over and underrated.

Behind the lurid title lies a moody, good-looking psychological western shot in colour & CinemaScope against the imposing backdrop of the Alabama Hills.

There moody, good-looking Audie Murphy gets a less than warm welcome from ferrity-faced Jan Merlin, doll-faced widow Felicia Farr, saturnine Sheriff Stephen McNally and mean-looking Robert Middleton; never quite sure who it's safe to do a deal with.