Audie Murphy impresses playing the sort of role he did best: a little guy who is picked upon and has the ability to explode into violence. We meet him at the beginning of the film getting out of gaol - the train he's going home on is robbed by his old childhood mates the Daltons, who recognise him. This causes Audie to get arrested, so he decides "stuff it" and joins their gang anyway. There's a nasty railroad cop and a good sheriff, and a girl who wants him to turn straight - all very reminiscent of the 1939 Jesse James.
For most of the part this is pretty good Audie Murphy Western. He's in good form, it's in colour, there's a bit of action, two scenes where people are talking in a barn and others stick guns through a hole. The gang he leads has a real family feel and there's a chance for other actors to shine (partly one guesses because Audie wasn't the best actor in the world): there's a black farmhand (at a time when there weren't many black people in Westerns), a Mexican girlfriend of one of the gang (easily the most emotional story line - and a fair bit of time is devoted to it), Hugh O'Brien as a bloodthirsty red head, James Best as a laid-back cowboy. She and Audie's girlfriend are stronger female characters than you usually see. Some erratic acting and the film slows down around the two thirds mark and never really gets back to it, but enjoyable.
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