Emboscados tras la ley

The last of the Audie Murphy's are the best. The early ones are enough to put anyone off watching Budd Boetticher's work.

"Bullet for a Badman" is solidly crafted and, in the scenes of the posse holding off the "murderin' Pachees" that grizzled old timer Tobias warns about, has an effective set piece. The traveling shot where the riders lift above the moving camera, as they gallop up the ridge, must have gotten a cheer in the theatrical runs.

Murphy's character, the Texas Ranger who retired to look after the wife and child of his jailed chum, Darren McGavin, is too saintly for all but the most gullible but McGavin's study in vengeful, shaded macho is just what the film needs. He's surprisingly plausible in the saddle. The men are nicely chosen and effective, with Springsteen's experience showing in the way they ride and handle weapons, used to build their characters - the best cowboy movie tradition.

The women get by in the scrubbed up manner which undermines these films' pretensions to realism.

The colour is OK but Joe Biroc did a lot better and the score, credited on the film to veteran Skinner, is on the glum side. The use of stunt doubles for the leads is too obvious too.

These Universal westerns were good value once they got a hint of production value, even if this one doesn't compare to the best of the Delmer Daves- John Sturges - Anthony Mann cycle.

Former Texas Ranger named Logan (Audie Murphy) and nowadays luckly married to a beautiful girl , Susan (Beverly Owen) and with a child , becomes involved with a bank robber called Sam Guard (Darren McGavin) who results to be ex-husband of Susan . He had to kill or be killed , as he fought the deadliest duel in frontier history ¡ The gunslinger whose life he had saved forced him to stand in the path of a robber .. Bullet for a badman.

A nice Western with interesting plot and filled with frantic action , riding pursuits , a family story , and a lot of shootouts . This is considered to be one of the best Audie Murphy Westerns . The soft-spoken , baby-faced Audie Murphy delivers a fine acting as the happily married husband involved in problem when appears the previous father of his son about to commit a bank heist . Murphy won more than 20 medals , being the most decorated soldier in WWII , including the Congressional Medal of Honor and he was also awarded with 5 decorations conceded by France and Belgium countries . He starred a rendition based on his own self-biography titled ¨To hell and back¨ made by his ordinary director , Jesse Hibbs and it was a boxoffice hit for Universal International Pictures , and its record was apparently not broken until 1975 with Jaws by Spielberg. Murphy played a great number of westerns, most of them B-series , such as : The Kid from Texas , Cimarron Kid , Gunpoint , Night passage , The Gunrunners , Posse from hell, gunfight at Comanche , Apache Rifles , The Unforgiven, Red badge of courage , Whispering Smith , Texas kid , 40 Guns at apache pass , among others . Murphy is very well accompanied by a great support cast , such as . Darren McGavin , Ruta Lee , Beverly Owen , Skip Homeier , George Tobias , Edward Platt , Ray Teal , Mort Mills , and Alan Hale Jr .

It has a high level in technician experts as the master composer Frank Skinner giving a thrilling musical score and colorful , adequate cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc . Being shot on various locations in Virgin River , Zion National Parl , Utah , Snow Canyon , Utah and Denver street backlot , Universal studios. The motion picture was well directed by RG Springsteen .This director made since 1945 for Republic Pictures a number of westerns . As he directed the popular Red Ryder series . After that , he released B Westerns as Cole Younger , Gunfighter , King of the wild stallions , Showdown , He rides calm , Taggart , Bullet for a badman and many others . Subsequently , he made for producer A.C. Lyles and delivered by Paramount Pictures several Western films in low-budget , as follows : Black spurs , Waco , Red Tomahawk , Hostile guns , Johnny Reno . Rating . 6.5/10 . The picture will appeal to Eddie Murphy fans. Decent and acceptable oater .

I do not know much about R G Springsteen, but I like his directorial work in BULLET FOR A BAD MAN, buoyed by excellent cinematography, breath-taking landcapes, and a cast in super form - notably leads Audie Murphy and Darren McGavin, the latter the former hubby of stunningly beautiful Beverley Owen, who now lives with Murphy. To add fuel to the fire, McGavin is the father of Owen's son, who is developing a relationship so close with Murphy as to call him "father;" and Mc Gavin robs the town's bank and everyone is looking for the dough and the reward that comes with it.

The plot cannot avoid some predictability but it is solid enough that you do not have to suspend your disbelief too much, and some of the dialogue warrants praise for its sharpness and dry humor.

No masterpiece, but you won't waste your time if you can catch it. 7/10.

This low life actor that calls himself darren mc gavin ruins every scene he's in by stealing the spotlight but it doesn't work on audie murphy who puts him in his place ... night stalker indeed ... murphy always conducts himself with ease

Bullet for a Badman is directed by R.G. Springsteen and adapted to screenplay by Mary & Willard Willingham from a novel written by Marvin H. Albert. It stars Audie Murphy, Darren McGavin, Ruta Lee, Beverley Owen and Skip Homeier. Filmed in Eastman Color at Universal City, with the exteriors coming from Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah, photography by Joseph Biroc and music by Frank Skinner (Joseph Gershenson supervising).

Audie Murphy plays Logan Keliher, an ex-Texas Ranger who has to interrupt his peaceful life to strap on the guns again when ex-friend-turned enemy Sam Ward (McGavin) appears back on the scene with the intention of killing him. The animosity is strong from Ward on account that Logan married his ex-wife and raised his son as his own.

The relatively short running time and the B movie production budget afforded it, doesn't give a clue to just how good, and how chock full of interest, Bullet for a Badman is. It's certainly very traditional in the old Westerns sense, before the likes of Anthony Mann and Budd Boetticher gloriously filled their Oaters with psychological themes, but there is much to enjoy here from a character perspective as regards the human condition. Jealousy, vengeance, greed, love, hate and redemption, all get a turn in the Willingham's screenplay. Mix in some good old style shoot outs and run-ins with the Apache, and film condenses a lot in such a short space of time. There's also some twists and turns that work real well in the narrative, leading us to a beauty of an ending.

The male cast members work real well, especially Murphy who turns in one of his finest Western performances, while there's also a nice little support role for Alan Hale and snatches of stoic Western performers Ray Teal and Bob Steele. With most of the film set out in the wilderness, it's such a joy to see stunning location scenery expertly captured. The colour is not quite right to fully bring it to life, a shame since Eastman Color has had some great moments in Westerns, but Biroc belies the B movie production to please the eyes with the natural beauty of Zion National Park. Skinner's score is standard fare, and although the lady actors look pretty as pictures, that's about as good as it gets for them in this particular story.

In spite of some usual iffy B production problems (poor stunt doubles, bendy props), this is still a little cracker of a Western. One that deserves a bit more attention now it's readily available on DVD. 7.5/10