An ex-convict drifter and his flawed young partner are made sheriff and deputy of a Western town.
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CinemaSerf
7
By CinemaSerf
“Matt” (James Cagney) and his partner “Daley” (John Derek) are lucky to have escaped the lynch mob after they are mistaken for bank robbers, and after he tells the townsfolk a few home truths the former man ends up their sheriff whilst the latter recovers from injuries sustained during their earlier apprehension. With all looking set fair, “Matt” takes up with “Helga” (Viveca Lindfors) and hopes to be married but the path of true love and all that soon intercedes as he discovers that “Davey” has a few demons of his own and then their bank is relieved of $85,000 by a murderous gang. Convening a posse, they set off to retrieve the cash and to hopefully set things straight between the two men. I don’t recall Cagney doing too many westerns and seeing him clad in denim takes a bit of getting used to, but once the film gets into it’s stride it turns into a superior example of the genre with plenty of gun toting and double-dealing. The romantic elements are kept under control and the decent array of supporting effort from the likes of Ray Teal, Jean Hersholt and Ernest Borgnine help to deliver a story that isn’t so much about the “wild” west as about a town and it’s people turning more to civilisation and the rule of law. The photography captures both the action scenes and those more intimate well and with a little more emphasis on the two leading characterisations, this is well worth a look.
