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Joel McCrea was no more the romantic lead of "Colorado's territory" which was made the year before.At the beginning of the movie he is a bearded man and seems much older than the year before ."The outriders" is a routine western,but an entertaining one,with at least two very good scenes:Arlene Dahl's young brother-in-law ,on guard,afraid of everything,and seeing Indians everywhere ,this very short sequence packs a real wallop; and the scene of the river which almost compares favorably with that of Vidor's "northwest passage".Although the plot is much predictable -with gorgeous Dahl,it could not be any other way-,the plot retains suspense and the colors are fine.

MGM Western movie with glimmer Technicolor cinematography , impressive landscapes and including romance of the daring pioneers of the West . This is a good Western , plenty of action , shootouts , thrills and fist-play . It's a thrilling western with breathtaking confrontation between the protagonist , his enemies and savage Indians Pawnies . Late in the American Civil War, from an Union prison called Camp Benton, our handsome hero, a Confederate Sergeant called Will Owen (Joel McCrea) is imprisoned at a hard Northern jail , he is a highly respected Southern official . But he escapes along with Jesse Wallace (Barry Sullivan) and Clint Priest (James Withmore) . Soon fall into the hands of pro-Confederate raiders, followers to leaders Bushwhackers as Quantrell and Anderson , such as as Keeley (Jeff Corey) and Bye (Ted De Corsia) , two roguish confederate rebels , both of whom have a war task for them who force them to act as "outriders" or escorts for a civilian wagon train that will be secretly transporting Union gold among the personal possessions in the caravan of Don Antonio Chaves (Ramon Novarro) from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to St. Louis, Missouri . They are eventually able to convince Don Antonio to be his escorts or outriders . The three men are to lead the wagons into a raider trap in Missouri, but one of them begins to have misfortunes and misgivings . As they guard the caravan from marauding Indians and other dangers along the way . Meantime , Will Owen falls in love a beautiful woman named Jen Gort (Arlene Dahl) , a recent war widow, who is accompanied by her teenaged brother-in-law Roy Gort (Claude Jarman Jr.) .

This Western is a superior outing because it displays thrills , emotion , shoot'em up , brawls , intrigue , riding pursuits and many other things . There is filled with action in the movie , guaranteeing some shots or stunts every few minutes . Interesing and moving screenplay by Irving Ravetch based on his own story . Here filmmaker Roy Rowland delivers a nice film , however he could be counted on to deliver solid "B" pictures which, at MGM, were often better than most other studios' "A" pictures . Brief character studio about three escorts or outriders , Joel McCrea/Barry Sullivan/James Withmore they became friends despite their differing personalities , until the inevitable final conflict . The highlights of the movie are the spectacular as well as violent getaway from Benton Missouri Camp and the sensitive dance between Arlene Dahl and the sex-hungry soldiers . Very good support cast such as James Whitmore , Ramon Novarro , Jeff Corey , Alex Montoya , Ted De Corsia and a young Claude Jarman Jr of Rio Grande and The yearling . Colorful as well as evocative cinematography by Charles Edgar Schoenbaum supported by expert cameraman Henry Jaffa . Adequate and atmospheric production design by Cedric Gibbons , MGM's usual , though also contains abundant matte paintings . Rousing and breathtaking musical score by Andre Previn who married Mia Farrow

The motion picture lavishly produced by Richard Goldstone and MGM studios was well directed by Roy Rowland . He sharpened his directing chops at MGM with a series of shorts starting in the 1930s, then moved up to features in 1943 . Roy spent quite a bit of time at the studio, from 1943-51 and again from 1954-58 ; he had the good fortune to marry the niece of Louis B. Mayer and was the father of actor Steve Rowland . While not one of the studio's top-rank directors , he was a good professional who had a considerable success . Most were B-movies, but he occasionally handled such A-graders . His greatest hit was , of course , the fantasy movie titled The 5000 fingers of Dr T (1953) . Rowland made an action picture for independent release based on a Mickey Spillane "Mike Hammer" novel starring Spillane himself (Girl hunters (1963)) . He specialized in a variety of genres, including musicals : ¡Viva Las Vegas! (1956) The seven hills of Rome (57) , Two weeks with love (50) and dramas : Our wines have tender grapes 45 with Edward G Robinson (1945). He was also responsible for the tough, fast-paced Rogue Cop (1954), one of the few MGM films that could be considered "film noir". Roy was a Western expert , as the last film he made at MGM was a "B" western with Stewart Granger, Gun Glory (1957); besides , he filmed Bugles in the afternoon with Ray Milland and Many rivers to cross with Robert Taylor ; after which and then he traveled to Europe for a string of Spanish/Italian-made westerns such as Los Pistoleros De Casa Grande and Ley Del Forastero . His final film as director was a somewhat cheesy pirate movie (he was uncredited ; his Italian co-director Sergio Bergonzelli got sole credit) called El Tigre De Los 7 Mares and its sequel : Tormenta Sobre el Pacífico (1966). He was associate producer on Nathan Juran's Italian-shot Al Infierno, gringo (1969), after which he retired.

The Outriders is directed by Roy Rowland and written by Irving Ravetch. It stars Joel McCrea, Arlene Dahl, Barry Sullivan, James Whitmore, Ramon Novarro, Jeff Corey and Claude Jarman. Music is by Andre Previn and cinematography by Charles Schoenbaum.

Plot sees McCrea as Will Owen, the alpha male of three Confederate prisoners who escape from Camp Benton Stockade and promptly get recruited by one of William Quantrill's Bushwhacker units. Assigned to infiltrate a Don Chaves (Novarro) run wagon train that's carrying a fortune in gold, the men must deal with Indians, each other, and the hazards that the journey throws up.

Out of MGM with some production value of note, The Outsiders rises above simplicity of story to unfurl a darn fine Oater. Narratively it has strengths, where Owen's moral conscience forms a spiky backdrop to plotting. Be it his views on the unsavoury tactics employed by Keeley's (Corey) Bushwhackers, and his place as the undercover leader leading the wagon train to doom, or the positioning of his feelings - and others around him - towards the female of the group (Dahl) and that of her teenage brother-in-law. Owen is definitely in emotional turmoil.

From an action stand point the pic doesn't short change, with Indian attacks, internal fisticuffs and a rousing chase followed by the big siege finale, all of which are delivered admirably and scored robustly by Previn. The stand-out, though, is a high energy section of film that sees the group trying to get over a river at high tide flood level and is running a current of death! These scenes are expertly constructed and are of the breath holding standard. Yet the greatest part of the piece finds the group indulging in a square dance evening, where the men are blowing away the cob-webs with hooch, while the delectable Dahl holds court right in the middle. The sexual tension is palpable, the atmosphere electric, and as it happens, it forms a key part of proceedings.

Tech credits are high as well, led by the the excellent capturing of the Utah locations by Schoenbaum, this is most pleasing on the eyes. Technicolor is perfect for such an airy Oater, the primary colours positively booming on the screen (check out the water and fire shots), while Dahl was made for such colour lenses. The aforementioned square dance sequences showcase her sexual beauty, with flaming red hair and glorious emerald green shoes acting as glorious crowns to a most appetising filling.

Yes the story is soft, and anyone jaded by the formula of many 1950s Westerns should probably avoid this one - with most almost certainly knowing how it's going to pan out anyway. But there's so much to like here for me to suggest it's an undervalued pic and worth seeking out. Especially for McCrea and Dahl fans. 7/10

Confederate prison escapees plan to hi-jack a Union gold shipment and divert it to the South. Priorities, however, are complicated by a key rivalry over a girl and a temptation to just keep the riches for themselves.

Better than average Technicolor western. For once, MGM's tendency to over-produce its horse operas gives way to a wise use of money for a western. Happily, glamour and glitz are kept in check, except for actress Dahl. Still, her wardrobe for a wagon train is not too outlandish. Instead, the production makes excellent use of its scenic Kanab, Utah, locations, along with a fine A-list cast and enough extras to make the battle scenes interesting.

What grabbed me, however, are two storyline surprises that defy expectations. Plus, for once, battles don't just unfold willy-nilly, instead Owen (McCrea) thinks along tactical lines to gain an advantage. Sure, a hi-jacked gold shipment and a rivalry between sometime buddies (McCrea & Sullivan) are familiar plot devices. Nonetheless, it's a better-than-average script, with several good touches (e.g. Sullivan's loaded gun at the end).

That river-crossing scene is clearly the movie's centerpiece and is impressively done. The torrent is big and bad enough to make the fording a genuine nail-biter. I'm guessing those were not easy scenes to film.

Anyway, it's a fine McCrea western even though he gets less focal time than usual.

We all project ourselves into the books we read and films we see, so the more closer to our lives the entertainment vehicle is, the greater the experience and enjoyment. So I suppose this film would have just been another oater for me but for that one small detail.

The Outriders was a typical late '40s western movie, so the only reason I decided to watch it was that I like Joel McRea. Otherwise I might have passed on this 55 year old sage brush saga. But once it started, the female lead, Arlene Dahl, caught my eye.

Ms. Dahl could have been just another late 1940s blonde, blue eyed movie star in another late 1940s oater except for two things. first, she looked uncannily like my high school sweetheart (I know, everyone has an old high school sweetheart-go watch American Graffiti) but she really did look like her. And secondly, she spoke softly and moved, glided across the stage, just like *** did.

Then the story line somewhat mirrored the relationship we had. A tough and dangerous outlaw meets a sweet, honest and stunning beauty. I let myself slip into the fantasy of this movie figuring it would be a nice bit of nostalgic escapism. but then came the dance scene during the wagon train's stop on its overland journey.

Head honcho Will Owens (McRea) tells Jen Gort (Ms. Dahl) to stay in the wagon to avoid getting the trail hands stirred up, but when the men break out fiddles and guitars and start singing around the camp fire, she comes out, dressed to the nines with her dancing shoes. Jen glides effortlessly across the camera's view and dances with all the men, politely and dignified, yet strikingly alluring and all woman.

But what touched me was when she told Will Owens "you wanted me the most". No modern day tawdriness; nor erotic film scene with naked, sweating bodies could convey the message any clearer than her voice, her eyes and those words. It took me back.

This film may just be another fast paced western to most, but to me it is **** and me. I miss her.