Audie Murphy's last film is a real curio with one of his best performances - reprising the role of Jesse James he so effectively conveyed in Kansas Raiders all those years before. He's less psycho here, more worldly as James, who is very much a support bit - the real star is Richard Lapp, in a Audie Murphy type role as a young kid who winds up a gun fighter.
The movie never seems to get its tone right - it could be a comedy or heavy drama or action, and at times it's all three. The script feels patchy - Lapp doesn't decide to become a bounty hunter until way too late - and Lapp isn't much of a star.
But it is consistently interesting, even if (or because of) its flaws - Budd Boetticher didn't make too many boring movies. There's this nihilistic ending where Lapp dies and his wife winds up in a brothel, Murphy's cameo, and Victor Jory as Judge Roy Bean. Worth checking out if you're into Murphy and/or Boetticher.
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