There's a terrific movie to be had in the jayhawkers of Bloody Kansas but it's not to be found here, which ducks the issue of slavery pretty much entirely - indeed, I don't think there's one black actor in the whole movie and slavery is barely mentioned, if it all - and turns them into just another gang. Actually that's not exactly true - Jayhawker Jeff Chandler wants to "take over" Kansas and defend it. So he's leading a civil insurrection as opposed to trying to kill slavers and/or let slaves go. How he plans to hang on to Kansas against the entire US army isn't really explained but that's only one of many confusing things about this movie.
The plot has Fess Parker infiltrate Chandler's gang. Parker's character is a peace-living Southerner who went on raids and killed people but only to protect his home (why would the Jayhawkers be keen to take on someone who led raids against the North...? If that's what happened, I wasn't sure). Chandler basically falls in love with Parker in that homoerotic way so common in 50s Westerns but Parker prefers Nicole Muary.
Parker proves he is basically only a TV star in this, ambling his way through the movie. It's full of odd moments and inconsistencies: Parker sings a song, and teaches Nicole Maurey's French kids how to speak his distorted English; Maurey's French husband apparently loved Freedom and was killed by Redleggers because he didn't answer if he was a slaver or not quick enough (or did he just say "yes"?); the evil Governor who blackmails Parker into going undercover and destroying the Jayhawkers, is a northerner; I couldn't figure out the final plan for the life of me. I think we're meant to dislike the Jayhawkers though because Chandler's 2IC Henry Silva tries to rape Maurey but like Chandler. But I wasn't sure - I wasn't sure a lot about this.
Chandler easily gives the best performance. It's not hard with waffling Parker, out of place Maury and her atrociously bad children, and over acting Silva. Still it's good to see him play someone a bit messiah-like and crazy - he's not the best actor in the world, Chandler, but he had authority and presence, and that counts.
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