johnbmoore

Certainly not a work of art, but a little underrated. The story is thin and contrived, but really no more so than many highly regarded films. The writing has some nice moments and is pretty amusing in parts, especially the scenes involving the "Mexican cousins." This was the first film I have seen with Evelyn Keyes. She is compelling in an unusual way. Reading some background about her made it all the more interesting. Regarded as a perennial B- movie actress, she certainly had a fascinating Hollywood life, and her performance here is never bad and at at times very appealing. The movie also features some good character performances, especially the boy-crazy Mary Anderson and the very-Brooklyn Connie Gilchrest. All in all, an entertaining movie in my opinion. They can't all be award winners, and this one isn't, but it is light and pleasant.

This strange, surreal film is unique among westerns of the era. While it contains most of the standard western clichés, every cliché has a twist. The music is bizarre and often doesn't seem to fit, but that just adds to the offbeat feel. The acting is odd but perfectly suited to the film. Hayden's take on a Swedish accent and speech patterns bounces from realistic to annoying to non-existent, but his performance is excellent, as is Cabot's. The story is riddled with moral dilemmas that give it surprising depth. Don't be fooled into thinking this is just another B western. This movie has a quality that is difficult to describe. Strangely great.