Customer Reviews

Best of the Badmen [VHS]

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Robert Ryan headlines the cast of this lively post Civil War Western that gives yet another cinematic outing to the famous ex-members of Quantrell's gang -the James and Younger brothers ,Curly Ringo et al.Ryan does not play one of their number but instead is a Union officer who persuades a group of ex Confederates ,members of Quantrell's outfit,to surrender and after taking an oath of allegiance be pardoned .They try to do so but they are betrayed by Robert Preston as a grasping and avaricious detective who has other ideas.He wants the reward for turning them in .A shootout ensues as a result of which Ryan is framed on a murder charge and sentenced to death by hanging

Aided by Preston's bitter ,disillusioned wife(Claire Trevor)he escapes from gaol and joins up with the outlaws .They embark on a campaign of aimed specifically at Preston's growing business interests ,a campaign that is successful but which is threatened by dissension within their ranks and Preston's fightback

This has a pretty good cast and they give decent performances all round .Ryan is as always excellent and Preston contributes another polished performance to his gallery of slimy Western villains -as per "Whispering Smith "and "Blood on the Moon" .Jack Beutel,in his first movie for almost a decade is good as Bob Younger as is Bruce Cabot who plays his brother Cole.There is a firece ,biting Jesse James from the always dependable Lawrence Tierney and a wry turn from the great Walter Brennan as Doc Butcher .The dialogue by Robert Hardy Andrews and John Twist is snappy and Edward Cronjager contributes some lovely ,lustrous Tecnicolor photography
This is no classic but it is a lively genre piece that repays watching