Sendas tortuosas

Ride a Crooked Trail is directed by Jesse Hibbs and adapted to screenplay by Borden Chase from a story written by George Bruce. It stars Audie Murphy, Walter Matthau, Gia Scala, Leo Gordon, Henry Silva and Eddie Little. A CinemaScope/Eastman Color production, music is by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by Harold Lipstein.

A blend of the breezy and the beefy here as Audie saddles up as Joe Maybe, a bank robber who after assuming the identity of the detective who was sent to capture him, winds up as the sheriff of a corrupt town. Ironically it's the town he and his dastardly cohorts had planned for their next big robbery. But as Joe insinuates himself into the company of the town's better citizens, he begins to doubt his dark side.

It's pretty routine as per the bad man trying to turn good axis of Western movie plotting, but there's a good sense of fun running throughout. Murphy himself seems to really be enjoying himself in the role of Joe Maybe. Leading the front of frivolity is Matthau as the town judge, his capacity for alcohol is as legendary as his ability to find a quip or sarcasm in the most trying of situations. Many of the scenes shared between the two men are most funny, be it hangovers, court room shenanigans or generally sounding each other out, they make for a great pair of characters.

Of course all this good fun has to ease off for the plot to take its darker turn. Which brings in the villains and the action scenes just as Joe's conscience starts to gnaw away at him. Costuming is appealing, especially when modelled by Scala, Gershenson provides another one of his lively Western musical scores and Lipstein's Scope photography makes good use of the gorgeous scenery. It's a bit creaky in parts and Hibbs sometimes lets the pace sag, but this is good entertainment for Audie and Matthau fans. 7/10

This director, who worked frequently with Audie Murphy, and not only for westerns, has never reunited such a cast: Wally Matthau, Audie Murphy, Henry Silva. This is an above average Audie Murphy vehicle, despite some humor touches, but that doesn't smash the story. It may look like a comedy oriented western, from time to time, but the presence of villians such as Hank Silva finally saves the whole. WALK THE PROUD LAND, another Audie Murphy costarring a then young Anne Bancroft was powerful, maybe more than this one. Great production design, care in the amosphere and overall directing obviously delightful.

As simple case of mistaken identity puts wanted bank robber Audie Murphy in position of Sheriff in a small but fast growing Western Town - with its own large bank. The film plods along nicely giving enough to keep the viewer interested and when it does begin to delve into Murphy's character, it still manages to keep the question 'will he or wont he' wide open. Walter Mattau provides the comedy as the drunken judge who rules with an iron fist. Enjoyable..

.....when I look at Audie Murphy's filmography ;apart from Huston ,Siegel and Mankiewicz,it's mostly B movies .That does not mean they were not good;this actor sometimes got excellent screenplays:"no name on the bullet" is a good example.

Like "hell bent for leather","ride on a crooked trail" -which perfectly depicts the hero's life till...-is a case of mistaken identity.The story may seem trite ,but the characters are colorful and there's more humor than in the average western.

Walter Matthau as the grumpy kind-hearted judge accentuates the comedy side of the film.Henry Silva restores the balance .

In his movies ,boyish Murphy had always had a bizarre Relationship with women (in one of his roles,he's alone in a fort and he's got to teach them the soldier job):here he sleeps in the bathtub and cooks breakfast for his "wife " Gia Scala (the future traitor in "guns of Navarone" ).There's actually a good chemistry between the two stars who must pretend they are husband and wife ,which gives good lines when Murphy says that "this bank is almost his" and his companion,very interested in the place too,has to be involved in women's club ,which is not her cup of tea (in both senses of the term).

Even more interesting is the friendship between Murphy and the little brat ;both are waifs ,raised in bars ,and if the judge considers his marshal a little as his adoptive son,the cute Jimmy feels that he might find a family too .Anyway,both the judge and the kid ,who leaves the house he 'd like to call home,guess there's something wrong: two married persons share the same bedroom and the same bed ,every kid knows that.

Jimmy is a strong kid who knows what he wants : we see him study - which is very rare in westerns-,and finally he plays a prominent part in Maybe's redemption.

In a comic change-of-pace role, WWII hero turned actor Audie Murphy does an amiable job as Joe Maybe, an outlaw who rides into the river town of Webb City. He had managed to escape from a pursuing marshal, and is then assumed to be the marshal by the authorities in the town, led by the genial Judge Kyle (Walter Matthau, in a show-stealing performance). Joe keeps up the ruse, thinking he'd like to rob the town bank, and the ruse is threatened when his old acquaintance, Tessa (Gia Scala), shows up in town and nearly exposes him. So he forces her to pose as his wife, and *she's* not happy about that. Then her boyfriend Sam Teeler (Henry Silva, amusing as always), who is Joe's rival in crime, shows up, and of course he wants to rob the bank too.

Scripted by Borden Chase, based on a story by George Bruce, this is just good, straightforward Western entertainment, given polished direction by Jesse Hibbs. Hibbs had previously guided Murphy in "To Hell and Back", the film version of Murphy's wartime exploits. What gives "Ride a Crooked Trail" some distinction is its light comic touch. Among other things, Joe decides to sleep in a bathtub when Tessa refuses to sleep with him. Naturally, a fair amount of the humour lies with Matthaus' deft, offbeat performance. The judge is not one to be messed with, but at the same time he does take a fatherly interest in this young newcomer to his town. (This, despite the fact that Matthau was only a few years older than Murphy in real life.) Murphy is quite engaging himself, creating a character who is sometimes on edge (instinctively flinching when people say the word "maybe") and out of his depth. Scala and briefly-seen Joanna Moore add plenty of feistiness and sex appeal; Scala has some good chemistry with Murphy as they do a fair bit of bickering and bantering. Silva is great value as always. As the viewer will see, Sam Teeler is an unscrupulous, lying weasel. Child actor Eddie Little is appealing as an impressionable boy named Jimmy, who begins to look up to Joe. Familiar character actors like Mort Mills, Leo Gordon, Bill Walker, and Richard H. Cutting fill out supporting roles quite well. Bob Steele and Morgan Woodward have uncredited bits.

All in all, "Ride a Crooked Trail" is pure fun for fans of the genre, complete with the time-honoured premise of the potential redemption of a person who's had no breaks in life and a criminal past. It begins with an action scene, and gives plenty to amuse and delight the viewer before wrapping up quite pleasantly.

Seven out of 10.