Riders in the Storm

Can't say I'm much of a western fan, but I kept wondering why this one features a bunch of erotic thriller regulars. While this movie didn't turn out to be especially erotic, it was a lot of fun.

Rich guy Hamilton Monroe (Doug McClure) recruits prisoner Charlie Jessup (Brett Baxter Clark) to rescue his wife Maria (Crystal Owens), who has been kidnapped by bad guy Billy Van Owen (Bo Hopkins). Charlie gets the gang back together to go after Billy and his cronies. What follows is a solid adventure story, with well-written characters and great performances.

Riders in the Storm isn't one of those gritty, realistic westerns. The costumes are colorful and the sets are sometimes a bit obvious. They seem to be striving for a specific, slightly tongue-in-cheek tone, maybe more in line with the old TV westerns (again, I'm no expert). Whatever the intent, I'd venture to say it's above average for the genre.

For those who like their westerns with a touch of campy charm, you can't go wrong with this one.