This low budget Audie Murphy western actually has a pretty decent story - not too original, to be sure, but full of action and suspense. Which makes it frustrating that it was so poorly handled. Audie is fine, but Merry Anders comes across bland as his ex girlfriend, the villainous ex rancher out for revenge is too fat to be a threat, his nephew over acts too much to be scary, and so does the guy who plays the outlaw wanting to hold up a town. There's odd sets like the weirdly semi-pink saloon, a sexist tone with characters constantly worried how the women will take it and a concern for rape, plus general uninspired direction and an overlong running time (it's only 90 minutes but it feels longer - besides, the best Audie Murphy Westerns clocked in under 80 minutes).
But the story does keep you watching - it has effective melodrama, such as the man determined to avenge his useless son (who Murphy killed), and the fact the gang are so evil: they don't just rob, they rape, and kill everyone. When the town is attacked, almost all the men are wiped out, which is full on. It's a shame it wasn't done better justice.
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