Hell's Outpost

As befits an adaptation of a Luke Short novel, the basic situation of a small Denver town in the pocket of a megalomaniac with deep pockets has seen service in countless 'B' westerns. But it's brought up to date by substituting tungsten for silver in the local mine, by occasionally noirish photography by Republic veteran Jack Marta, that the hero is a veteran of the Korean War and that he goes about by jeep rather than on horseback.

Curiously enough it uses the plot of 'Cyrano de Bergerac' as a springboard for the action; and a number of veteran supporting actors put in brief appearances, including Arthur Q. Bryan (the voice of Elmer Fudd) on the phone to obnoxious villain John Russell.

The copy of "Hell's Outpost" currently on YouTube is a poor copy...extremely dark and a bit fuzzy. During a few scenes, this causes problems...such as during a fight where you can barely tell who is who! Hopefully you can find a better print.

Tully Gibbs (Rod Cameron) is a newcomer to a small town. He's there to work a tungsten mine and almost immediately comes up against a local bully and thorough jerk, Ben Hodes (John Russell). Hodes would seem willing to do anything to prevent the mine from being successful, as he knows that the place is rich in ore and he wants it all for himself. Time and time again, Hodes responds with various dirty tricks in an attempt to ruin Tully and the other miners. Each time Tully manages to counter, Hodes come in with yet another nasty trick.

In some ways, this story set in modern times seems a lot like a western....with a rich baddie doing everything he can to control everything and everyone. Worth seeing...even though so many of Hodes' behaviors in the film are obviously illegal and couldn't stand up in court...making it less realistic than it could have been.

Without John Wayne's services to sell and with his B picture cowboy stable from the Forties Herbert J. Yates and his Republic Studio was hanging on by a thread. But in their last years they were producing decent quality films of which Hell's Outpost was one.

Set in the modern west Rod Cameron plays a Korean war veteran recently discharged who is a mining engineer in civilian life. From a deceased war buddy Cameron heard about a rich tungsten holding that the buddy's father Chill Wills has, but is being squeezed by the richest and meanest man in town John Russell.

Cameron cuts himself in on a share. He also cuts himself in on Russell's girlfriend Joan Leslie and that makes the war between these two personal.

Russell is one swaggering lout, a truly hateful villain. But Cameron himself is a flawed hero. That makes for some interesting issues for those who would like to support Cameron.

Other people to note in the cast are Kristine Miller as Russell's half sister and distinctly better half and Jim Davis who is a crusading small town newspaper editor.

Hell's Outpost is a nice B film, the stuff that was being shown regularly now on television and would be making Yates more money had he had the foresight to go into the new medium.

This movie, this modern western is the trademark of the Republic Studios and the Joseph Kane's direction so obvious...It could also have been John H Auer...Replace lumberjacks - SPOILERS OF THE FOREST - by construction or mine workers, with many dialogues, and John Russell as the villain, and, if you are used to Republic Pictures movies, you don't need to see the cast for guessing who the lead hero is.... You have the choic between Rod Cameron or Forrest Tucker.... Well, honestly, you can live without it. It is just a routine adventure modern western, with feuds, intrigues, less romance and that's it. To waste time. Nothing more.