Die Nacht der Rache

Richard Carlson is more known as an actor than as a director, and that's unfair because he brought us very good surprises, unusual and charming stuff as this one now. Wally Brennan and Rory Calhoun are in the cast and several other figures such as Charles Drake, George Nader and John McIntire Universal Studios "home" actors. It is short, a bit over eighty minutes, good paced, never boring nor cheesy. So, a good moment to spend. Rory Calhoun is not really a good hero here, rather ambivalent dude and that suits him well. In real life, don't forget that he was a bad boy, former inmate in institution for young offenders. Charles Drake in a sheriff role, not far from the one he had in NO NAME ON THE BULLET, where he fought against a very ambivalent Audie Murphy in the lead. A rather good character study that concerns the outlaws around the female, daughter of Walter Brennan.

Distinguished by its overt, out in the open, relationships between Men and Women circa 1885 in the Old West. It is that Story flirtation that makes this one a bit different than most of the Westerns of the 1950's.

Behind the Women taming the wild Men of the Old West is a gang of bank robbers led by Rory Calhoun with John McEntire, and Jay Silverheels. They encounter Walter Brennan and his coming of age Daughter in tow and from the very first scenes this one sets itself up as a steamy, sexy Western.

"Didn't anyone tell you not to scratch yourself in front of other people? Dad Brennan asks the curvaceous and cute "Lolly" (Colleen Miller) as she awakens.

She is doused with water as Her blouse clings and the camera lingers from below on Her upper half.

You'd better sew up that dress," He tells the oblivious Gal after a roll around with Calhoun. And there's more.

She is Flirtatious with a Candy Cane and a Bottle of Sarsaparilla.

She goes out in a nighttime rainstorm in Her bed clothes and meets soaking wet with Calhoun in the barn.

There is dialog, once the gang gets to town about Men being hogtied by Women and Calhoun's ex-Lover is now His former Friend's Wife and She breaks up a fistfight by literally pulling a buggy whip on both of them.

This kind of Adults at play stuff was not available on The Tube and by 1954 it was obvious Movies had to offer something a bit different to get Folks off the couch.

The good Cast, color Photography, and the sexual stuff make this one stand out as an above average Entry in the crowded field of the Western Movies of that Decade.

This is a really enjoyable movie, a tale of romance, self discovery and of course Native Americans. The performances are convincing and quite passionate, which really help sell the story to the audience. However the star of this movie is actually the musical score. It is tremendous. The music underscores the action on screen as well as any movie I have ever watched. Highly recommended.

I'm a western nut who's been watching horse-operas since the '50s and somehow I'd never heard of this before a TV showing here in England. The cast is superb, including Oscar-winner Walter Brennan in a more restrained performance than usual. Each of the four bank robbers has his own little quirks and it's fun to see Jay Silverheels in a more lively part than his legendary Tonto act, which was often so wooden you'd pick up splinters just from watching it. There's a familiar face playing the tiny role of the town barber - Paul Brinegar, who found TV fame five years later as trail-cook Wishbone on Rawhide.

Richard Carlson's direction is surprisingly effective. It's a darn shame he didn't do much else, though his 1964 low-budget Kid Rodelo was nowhere near as nifty a job as Four Guns, which must be filed as "underrated and worth a look." Both movies came from Louis L'Amour stories.

Four Guns to the Border is directed by Richard Carlson and collectively written by George Van Marter, Franklin Coen and Louis L'Amour. It stars Rory Calhoun, Colleen Miller, George Nader, Walter Brennan, Nina Foch, John McIntire, Charles Drake and Jay Silverheels. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by Russell Metty.

A little ole devil of an Oater is this. The outlaw machinations and manoeuvres of Rory Calhoun's gang of robbers is kind of secondary to the sex angle of the plotting. The pic is ripe with sexual frustrations, born out by Colleen Miller's blossoming from tomboy daddies girl into a sex-kitten. There is nary a moment missed to sexualise the stunning Miss Miller, she gets wet a lot, and looks amazing with it, she suggestively licks a candy stick, and on it goes.

It would appear on the surface that these are cheap tactics to put horny Western fan's bums on seats, but there's a relevant thread running through the piece. That of awakenings, or growing up if you like. Be it Miller's discovering and curiosity about her sexuality, to the outlaw gang who seem perpetually stuck in a world of youthful exuberance, the constant "growing up" theme purposely nudging all observers.

"We haven't seen an Indian all day"

"Sometimes that's when they're closest"

Lest I forget to mention this is an action movie as well! Standard Oater conventions do apply in the action stakes, with Calhoun (a very under valued actor in the Western pantheon) exuding machismo at every opportunity. There's Apache attacks, fisticuffs, shoot-outs, deaths and chases, you know, the stuff we Western fans love in our 50s Oater diets. There's a running fun thread that sees Silverheels (who gets the best costume) and Nader taking each other on in friendly bouts of fighting, while a sub-plot involving Foch and Drake adds meat to the thematic stew.

Thoroughly enjoyable and not without some intelligence and racy merit as well, Four Guns to the Border is well worth checking out. 7.5/10