sixshootersonny

Seeing that the rating for this movie is rather low and it also had a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 episode on this movie, but I must say I don't really get it. No, it is no where near the best western I have ever seen, but I enjoyed it and thought John Ireland did a good job as the mysterious Cane Miro. Was it believable? No, not really, but that doesn't mean it still can't have some positive elements to it.

Set in 1878 after Marshal Scott Hood (William Schallert) is killed his widowed wife Rose (Beverly Garland) takes the star until a replacement can be found. She soon fights with the bar owner Erica Page (Allison Hayes) and she in turn looks for a killer. In steps Ireland as Cane Miro. Yet he and Rose start a budding relationship that keeps the movie interesting.

Your limits of what you believe are indeed pushed here and on a few occasions, but I accepted it and the return was in my opinion acceptable. An early film in his filmography directed by Roger Corman. Screenplay by Charles Griffith and Mark Hanna. Also starring Jonathan Haze and Dick Miller.

Five prisoners are pardoned right before they are to be hanged so they can join the Southern Army and go after a traitor and $30,000 in gold. As you guessed it these are five men you would never turn your back on let alone trust. They are all working on deals on how to keep the $30,000 for themselves with the assistance of another member of the gang. Led by John Lund as Govern Sturges the group also includes, baddie Hale Clinton played by Mike Connors, Paul Birch as J.C. Haggard and the sour Candy brothers John (no not the SCTV comedy legend, but played by screenwriter R. Wright Campbell) and future Roger Corman favourite Jonathan Haze as Billy. When they reach a homestead a hard-nosed country girl Shalee Jethro (Dorothy Malone) and her elbow bending Uncle Mike (James Stone) are in for a surprise.

This was Roger Corman's first film he ever directed and it is kind of interesting it is a western to me, because he is not known for that genre really. I thought it was good and really enjoyed how all the characters were quite different from each other. I would thank Campbell's script for that and he went on to write a few more films for Corman including the great MACHINE-GUN KELLY. Not sure if I really just wanted to watch a western that night or not, but I recommend this one to anyone who likes 50s westerns.

Interesting little retelling of the James/Younger gang, their robberies and in the end their demise. A very cool idea in using actual brothers {the Keach's, (James and Stacy), the Carradine's (David, Keith and Robert) and the Quaid's (Randy and Dennis)} to play the brothers in the gang. The Guest's (Christopher and Nicholas) even show up to play Bob and Charlie Ford who were said to have killed Jesse. Seems to me Hollywood never really does this and I sort of question why. It works extremely well here and totally carries the picture quite easily.

Written by Bill Bryden, Steven Smith, James Keach (who plays Jesse James), Stacy Keach (who plays Frank James) and an uncredited Walter Hill (who also directed). When I watch a Hill film I feel like I am going to watch a quality flick and this film delivers. Sadly, this film didn't rake it in as much as they wanted at the box office. I can also see a very Sam Peckinpah influence on the violence or the action depicted in the film. While it is violent it is also an interesting take on the story. Due to the violence though I even wonder if Quentin Tarantino was a fan of the film.