Customer Reviews

Ride Clear of Diablo

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you like Westerns, (and even if you don't) this is a throughly enjoyable little film featuring the underrated Audie Murphy. Directed by Jesse Hibbs (who also directed Audie in his biographic film "To Hell and Back"), from the very beginning, the film never gets boring. Audie plays a young man out to search for the murderer of his brother and father, and is led by the sheriff and local lawyer to search in a seedy place called Diablo. There, he runs into 'bad guy' Dan Dureya, and this is where the film really takes off, as the screen team of Murphy and Dureya just really 'click' which is more than you can say for the romance between Murphy and Susan Cabot -- but that does not spoil this movie one iota. There's lots of shooting, intrigue and fancy riding by Murphy (who did his own stunts). Not to mention the supporting role of Russell Johnson as another local 'bad guy' and a good number of Universal's film cowboys make appearances as well. You can safely watch this film with the kids...hopefully, Universal will release Audie's 1955 film "Destry" soon!

Audie Murphy was the most decorated soldier of World War II. After the war he made a career in movies, mostly westerns. Because some of Murphy's westerns were routine B movies, the good ones he made have often been overlooked or under appreciated. Ride Clear of Diablo was one of Murphy's best. In it Murphy plays a man out to find the gang of cattle rustlers who killed his father and brother. A crooked sheriff -- who is involved with the rustlers -- sends him to a seedy town called Diablo to seek out a dangerous killer (played by Dan Duryea) with the expectation that Murphy's character will not come back alive. To everyone's surprise Murphy survives his encounter with Duryea, who eventually takes a liking to him. After various twists and turns of plot Murphy finally learns that the sheriff and town lawyer are the leaders of the gang of rustlers and -- with some unexpected help from bad-guy Duryea -- gets his revenge. Admittedly, this is not a great movie, but it is an exciting, well-done western which should please most western fans. I hope that someday it will be released in DVD, but I wouldn't count on it. If you're a western fan, I suggest that you get this VHS while this little gem of a western is still available.

Ride Clear of Diablo is like any number of movies made by America's most decorated war hero,Audie Murphy.Murphy plays his typical role of a quiet,unassuming cowboy who the bad guys constantly underestimate because of his slight stature and boyish looks.Something they come to regret by the time of the final shoot-out.Susan Cabot was his love interest here,and the actress was never more beautiful.The real stand-out performance comes from Dan Duryea as a black-clad gunfighter who takes a liking to Murphy's character.Duryea steals every scene that he's in.This along with Ride a Crooked Trail is my favorite Murphy western.It's great fun and well worth a look.

why is it so hard to get this great audie murphy western and all the
great old 50's color westerns from universal-international out on dvd?
they don't make movies like this any more

Universal Pictures presents "RIDE CLEAR OF DIABLO" (1954 80 min/Color) -- Starring: Audie Murphy, Susan Cabot, Dan Duryea, Abbe Lane & Russell Johnson

Directed by Jesse Hibbs

Notorious gunslinger Whitey Kincaid (Dan Duryea) is hired by sinister forces to kill Clay O'Mara (Audie Murphy), who is out to avenge the murders of his father and brother. Instead, Kincaid befriends O'Mara, and helps him track down his family's killers. What follows is a classic shootout - who will survive?

Great role for Duryea as the snide, smirking Kincaid.

Special footnote: -- Murphy and Duryea also teamed-up, "Six Black Horses." Duryea and Murphy appeared together again in Jimmy Stewart's "Night Passage," - clearly you can see that these oaters are never out of style, the genre of Westerns will always be with us.

BIOS:
1. Jesse Hibbs Director)
Date of Birth: 11 January 1906 - Normal, Illinois
Date of Death: 4 February 1985 - Ojai, California

2. Audie Murphy [aka: Audie Leon Murphy]
Date of Birth: 20 June 1925 - Kingston, Texas
Date of Death: 28 May 1971 - near Roanoke, Virginia (plane crash)

3. Susan Cabot [aka: Harriet Shapiro]
Date of Birth: 9 July 1927 - Boston, Massachusetts
Date of Death: 10 December 1986 - Encino, California

4. Dan Duryea
Date of Birth: 23 January 1907 - White Plains, New York
Date of Death: 7 June 1968 - Hollywood, California

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars
Performance: 4 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 4 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 80 min on DVD ~ Universal Pictures ~ (May 16 2000)

WATCHED THIS MOVIE YESTERDAY,IF YOU LIKE AUDIE MURPHY MOVIES THEN YOU MUST WATCH THIS ONE.THIS DVD WILL NOT PLAY IN US DVD PLAYERS UNLESS YOU HAVE A MULTI REGION,AND THATS WHAT I, HAVE BOUGHT IT ALSO ON AMAZON,ALSO AVAILABLE AT BEST BUY ,GOT TIRED OF ONLY BEING ABLE TO WATCH US REGION.