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During the American Civil War, the Quantrill's raiders use the spy Jeff Travis (Randolph Scott) to plunder the city of Lawrence, in Kansas, and Travis leaves Quantrill when he sees the massacre of the town. After the war, Travis believes that he is a wanted man and he heads to Prescott, in Arizona, to start a new life. However, the powerful Jules Mourret (George Macready), who apparently is a businessman but actually is the leader of a gang of thieves, knows his past and forges documents with a fake identity to give a job in the local Conroy Stage and Freighter Line. Mourret is unsuccessful trying to steal the money and gold transported by the company but is frequently lured by Jason Conroy (Pierre Watkin); he intends to use Travis to get inside information about the transportation of gold. When one of Mourret's men kills the driver of the wagon, Travis schemes a plan to get rid of the gang.

"The Stranger Wore a Gun" is only an average Western and is disappointing considering the names of Randolph Scott, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine in the cast. The story is weird and the motives of the ambiguous character performed by Randolph Scott are absolutely confused, but in the end this movie entertains. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Pistoleiro" ("The Gunman")

'The Stranger Wore a Gun' did have a good deal of potential. The premise sounded interesting as was seeing how early 3D would fare. Randolph Scott was always well worth watching, well when his acting style matured, especially his work with one of his most prolific directors Budd Boetticher (i.e. 'Seven Men from Now'). Andre DeToth was another frequent director, with he and Scott doing six films together. Ones that were watchable at least for namely Scott but not must sees.

Which is where 'The Stranger Wore a Gun' fits under exactly, watchable but not essential. While Scott is one of the best aspects and it is a good representation of him as an actor, he did do a lot better films and performances. It is not a good representation really of DeToth, who was no stranger to good and more films himself, my first exposure to him being 'House of Wax'. Does all that mean that 'The Stranger Wore a Gun' is a bad film? No. It's not great or even good either, my feelings if anything were very mixed and a large part of me was disappointed seeing as it was an opportunity to see Scott in the film genre he was best known for.

Sure 'The Stranger Wore a Gun' has good things. Some of the production values are nice, the film is handsomely shot and the scenery is attractive regardless of whether they're authentic or not. The music is pleasant and rousing enough. The climax has fire and excitement that wasn't present enough in too much of what came before it.

Found the cast to be a very mixed bag. Scott comes off best, typically purposefully stoic but very authoritative too. Claire Trevor brings a good deal of class to her role and does a great job with what she has. Seeing Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine in anything is always worthwhile, and seeing both of them being menacing and fun (especially Marvin) and making the most of the too little they had was a pleasure.

Others were less successful. Worst was Alfonso Bedoya, who overdoes it and comes over as really grating. Joan Weldon is rather pallid, acting inexperience showing, and the film does too little with her character, to the point where you question why she is even there. Was not sure what to make of George MacReady, he does what he can but did think at the end of the day that he could have been more menacing and gone for it more (being almost too smooth). DeToth's direction is pretty routine and didn't seem properly engaged with the material or know what to do with it.

While some of the production values were nice, the 3D is pretty cheap looking and added nothing (almost gimmicky) and the editing in some scenes is haphazard. Lets not get started on the blatantly obvious stunt doubles. The script lacked toughness and grit, playing it too safe too often, and was very stilted and hard to take seriously. The story's action is pretty forgettable and under-utilised, shining properly only in the climax, and the soapy love triangle is just as pointless as the 3D. Not only was the story bland and silly, it felt incomplete and like things had been dropped out in editing when they should have been left as some events and character motivations are vague at best and downright beyond confusing at times.

In conclusion, definitely not something to write off but there are far better Scott, DeToth and Western films around. 5/10

There are quite a few surprises in this film. First of all, it keeps you guessing especially as regards Randolph Scott's character, whose motivation is difficult to discern. It's hard to tell if he's a bad guy or a good guy sometimes, as he manipulates two different gangs of unsavory characters. This does not anticipate Yojimbo or A Fisftful of Dollars. Both of those films, plus this film, all derive somewhat from The Glass Key, which was filmed twice before The Stranger Wore A Gun was released in 1953. (In 1935 with George Raft and 1942 with Alan Ladd.)Those films were based on Dashiell Hammett's novel of 1931. In any case, this film has its own tale to tell, and the performances of Scott, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine are solid. The film suffers somewhat from the 3-D effects which are kind of lame in the 2-D format we have to suffer on our TV sets. People who don't remember the 3-D craze will probably think the director was weird. All in all, the film's offbeat style and great ensemble cast make this well worth watching a time or two. It is by no means an ordinary run-of-the-mill Western.

The location shooting was done at Movie Flats off Route 395 near Lone Pine, California, and, along with a lot of faces in this film, will be familiar to experienced moviegoers. They've been making movies up there for years. The rocks themselves are studded with bolts and adhesions of cement left over from early productions, which date back at least to "Gunga Din." And it's easy to see why it was used so often in inexpensive Westerns like this. The jumbo-sized boulders seem made of stucco and the Sierra Nevadas in the background include Mt. Whitney, as colorful as a painted backdrop. The whole place looks as if nature had put it there to be used as a spectacularly realistic phony movie set.

Yes, it's alive with history. The ghosts of a thousand extras in sombreros haunt these rugged trails, and at night when the wind moans you can hear the hoofbeats of yesteryear. Zzzzz.

Some of the ghosts must surely include Randolph Scott, who spent so much time before the cameras here in so many movies. In this one, he's an ex-confederate who allows himself to be hired out to save a stagecoach company that ships gold to -- well, never mind.

Scott is in his burnished Western middle age and rides his usual horse, a beautiful mount, a kind of rusty brown animal with a white face, white maine, and white tail. (I was momentarily tempted to call the horse a "roan" but hesitated to do so because I don't know what the word means.) Anyway, the horse will be almost as familiar as Scott. Scott's hat will look familiar too. So will Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin, the two outstanding heels of "Bad Day at Black Rock," but they don't get enough screen time. Alfonso Bedoya, Gold Hat from "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," has more screen time. He can't act, but he doesn't have to. If you think he did curious things to the word "badges" in "Treasure," you absolutely must hear how he wraps his speech organs around "foreigner" in this one. George MacReady is the chief villain. I prefer it when his villainy is of a slyer, more boardroom-bound sort.

Claire Trevor is a hooker with a heart of gold. I know it's hard to believe, but hookers come in all different varieties. Joan Weldon is pretty and was a singer rather than an actress. There is a marvelous scene in which Scott introduces his old girl friend, Trevor, to Weldon, the new young beauty he's just met, and the two women trade the kind of insults and suspicious queries that only women know how to sling about. "It's funny he never mentioned you to me." And, "From the way he described you, I thought you'd be much older." Scott, meanwhile, is standing there with this dumb smile, looking back and forth at his two friends, as if pleased that they are being so nice to one another, giving an excellent impression of a man who hasn't the slightest idea of what's going on between them.

Movies like this don't crop up on TV very often and sometimes, remembering how much I enjoyed them as a child, I find myself missing them. Then sometimes they DO show up, as this one did, and I watch it out of curiosity and wind up realizing that there are a lot of things to be nostalgic about but Westerns like this aren't among them.

Having been shot in 3-D, expect a lot of guns to be pointed at you and sometimes shot, fire coming at the camera, and even rock formations in Lone Pine to appear to have shelves. Outside of this minor distraction, the story is a good one concerning the aftermath of Quantrill's Raiders involving one of his spies, Jeff Travis (Randy Scott), who is determined to run away from his past and begin a new life. Following a fracas on a riverboat, he ends up in Prescott, Arizona, just as the capital of the territory is being moved to Phoenix because of the lack of law and order in the town. Somewhat of a mentor to him as well as lover is the soiled dove Josie Sullivan, played knowingly by Claire Trevor. He rides into Prescott loaded for bear, hence the title "The Stranger Wore a Gun." That he can't shake his past even in an out of the way western hamlet becomes obvious when both Josie and Jules Mourret (George Macready), another ghost from yesterday, turn up there. It's not quite clear where the stranger is heading until a close pal is murdered by Jules' henchmen. To muddy the water a damsel in distress appears, pretty Shelby Conroy (Joan Weldon), who seems shy and innocent. The stranger begins falling in love with her to the displeasure of Josie. Newcomer Jules is holding a Mexican gang at bay led by the colorful Degas (Alfonso Bedoya). The stranger begins playing one gang against the other to almost be gunned down in the crossfire.

Two of Jules' henchmen would go on to win Academy Awards a few years later, Lee Marvin as Dan Kurth and Ernest Borgnine as Bull Slager. Borgnine wears one of the loudest cowboy outfits ever, including a green shirt. He looks like a dude from the east. This doesn't stop him from being the sadistic bully he usually played in those days. Marvin too is his usual twisted demented character fans loved to hate. To see these two in action is worth the price of admission.

Postscript: Look for Tap Canutt, son of famous stunt man Yakima Canutt, in a bit part. He was also one of the stunt men for the film.

Fresh from his work on 'House of Wax' Andre De Toth was assigned another 3D project by Columbia in the form of this Randolph Scott western with rather Gothic-looking interiors in which De Toth demonstrates a liking for shadows when not pushing objects at the audience. These include Lee Marvin, already teamed with Ernest Borgnine, with whom he soon made such an ugly pair of heavies in 'Bad Day at Black Rock' (the two of them vying with Alfonso Bedoya to see who can show the most teeth while grimacing).

There's hardly any romance this time round, Claire Trevor providing wry asides rather than fluttering her eyelashes.

Jeff Travis (Randolph Scott), a spy for Quantrill's Raiders, leaves when he realizes Quantrill's true nature and enlists in the confederate army. After the war he narrowly escapes a gang looking for Quantrill's men thanks to Josie's (Claire Trevor) warning jumping off a river boat. He rides to Prescott, Arizona to start a new life, and ends up working for the crooked saloon owner Jules Mouret (George Macready). His job: to monitor a series of gold shipments on the local stage line run by Jason Conroy (Pierre Watkin) and his daughter Shelby Conroy (Joan Weldon) in preparation for a major robbery. Jeff then has to inform Mouret about the shipment, and then his thugs - Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine - intercept the shipment, but Jeff changes sides when one of the jehu's (stagecoach driver) gets killed.

Not sure if the 3-D was needed, but in the 1950's filmmakers were putting it to use. Nevertheless, the Stranger wore a gun is another fast-paced western with exhilarating chases that are well-staged. Scott's character is interesting, ones not sure whether he is good or bad. Loved the way he manipulates both sides of the gang by telling the bandit -Mouret's rival - about a shipment run. George Macready is excellent as usual, lending a villainous suaveness with his distinctive voice. A tense climax in a burning saloon rounds things up. An energetic and well-mounted little sagebrusher.

The Stranger Wore a Gun is directed by Andre De Toth and adapted to screenplay by Kenneth Gamet from the story Yankee Gold written by John W. Cunningham. It stars Randolph Scott, Claire Trevor, Joan Weldon, George Macready, Alfonso Bedoya, Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and Pierre Watkin. Technicolor/3-Dimension production, music is by Mischa Bakaleinikoff and cinematography by Lester White.

Jeff Travis (Scott) was a spy for Quantrill's Raiders, but after disagreeing with the savagery he witnessed during The Lawrence Massacre, he decides to head off to Prescott, Arizona to start a new life. Unfortunately his reputation precedes him and it's not long before he is in the middle of robberies and murder as the hunger for gold rears its ugly head.

As anyone who has seen it in its 2D print will attest, the 3D moments in this look rather bad, some films have been able to get away with it, but this is not one of them. However, mercifully this isn't a production that throws things at the screen every five minutes, or one that films every action sequence in depth perception. As it is, the 3D scenes are the least of the problems on show here, where were it not for the stoic Scott, the lovely Trevor and the novelty value of early turns from Marvin and Borgnine, then this would actually be a below average disaster.

It's sometimes fun, but not always intentionally, and it looks very nice from a location perspective (Alabama Hills, Lone Pine), but the cast are saddled with a mediocre and unadventurous screenplay. The subject of Travis' past is briefly dangled, intriguingly so, with the fact that he is scarred from his "work" as a soldier of the Civil War grabbing the attention, but it's quickly dispensed with to pitch this interesting character into a cliché riddled "town rascals at work" plot. There's a boorish love triangle that's as pointless as it is obvious as to where it will end up, and Bedoya is irritatingly awful to the point his scenes are practically unwatchable.

De Toth seems strangely off form on this one, you would tend to think the 3D filming had him losing his focus, but in this same year he crafted the hugely successful House of Wax in 3D. So he obviously had a knack for depth filming. He also this same year made Thunder Over the Plains with Scott, a significantly better Western than what is on offer here. In one fight scene between Scott and Borgnine, the director struggles to hide the fact that Borgnine has suddenly lost 50 pounds and Scott is 15 years younger! It's very poor from a director who undoubtedly had great talent.

It's one for fans of the name actors only this one, a picture to tick off your lists, to be forgotten and consigned to Cinema Boothill. 5/10

i liked this western.it isn't the greatest western i have seen,but i thought it was mostly well acted,i found the story interesting,and i thought there was some good chemistry between the characters.it's well paced,with a fair amount of action and some excitement.Randolph Scott is the lead actor in the movie,and i thought he was OK,except he seemed a bit too old for the part.but maybe that's just me and my imagination.Claire Trevor(Stagecoach,1939))also stars,and is great.Ernest Borgnine appears as well.there are some other well known actors of the time,(and genre)as well,but i can't recall their names.by the way,this movie was originally filmed in 3D,so it looks a bit cheesy when objects are thrust toward the screen.for me,The Stranger Wore a Gun is a 6/10

With Randolph Scott in his best outfit riding his best horse (Starlight) and looking and acting his dusty old best, and with Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine at their early villainous peaks, this could have been something. With Andre de Toth directing, it really should have been something. But it's not something. It's not anything, except a mess. Horrendous dialogue, terrible editing (the big gunfight in the mountains is unintelligible until the principals gather to rehash what just happened), and some really bad acting (not so much from Scott, Borgnine, or Marvin, but pretty much everybody else. Alfonso Bedoya is a joy to watch, as always, not because of his acting, which is abominable, but because it's so much fun trying to figure out what it is he's doing with his mouth to make him sound that way. George Macready, who belongs in things like "Gilda" rather than oaters like this, kept getting shoved into Randolph Scott Westerns (four of them). He's incredibly out of place in all of them. And Claire Trevor, so wonderful in "Dead End" and "Key Largo," is wasted here and one's heart goes out to the Oscar-winning actress for having to do such pot-boiling dreck as this a scant five years after winning that Oscar. The attempts at 3-D effects are pretty laughable in their earnestness, and for an action movie, an awful lot of the actual action occurs just off-screen -- saving money on stuntmen and stagecoaches, I suppose, but diluting the feel of the down-and-dirty Western this clearly wants to be taken for. I'll watch anything Randolph Scott did in the Fifties and Sixties, but this one was an absolute chore. I'd sure like to know where to get a coat like that, though.

"The Stranger Wore a Gun" is fun western. It has Randolph Scott as solid as ever surrounded by a rock solid supporting cast. I mean, come on, he's has to tangle with both Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin. I also a kick out of all the 3D throwing stuff at the screen. "The Stranger Wore a Gun" has a fast moving story and a lot of action. I know it's just a movie but the fire at the end looks so dangerous. I'd be surprised if nobody got hurt while filming that scene. Honorable mention: Alfonso Bedoya.

When an innocent man is gunned down during a robbery, "Travis" (Randolph Scott) flees to a small Arizona town where he adopts a different identity. Not long after he arrives, though, he encounters his old malevolent friend "Mourret" (George Macready) and is soon embroiled in that man's scheme to rob the local freight line of it's regular gold supplies. When a tragedy occurs, he swears vengeance and as he was a spy during the US civil war he is quite adept at double dealing as he works to entrap his former friends. Meantime, his long time associate "Josie" (Claire Trevor) has also arrived hoping to pick up where she left off with "Travis", only he has now taken a bit of a shine to "Shelby" (Joan Weldon) who just happens to be the boss who's getting his gold attacked. As the temperature rises, it's not clear where the greater danger lies for "Travis". Might he have more to fear from a scorned lady than from a vengeful criminal? It's all a fairly procedural drama this, probably only notable for early contributions from Lee Marvin and for a heavily choreographed fist fight with Ernest Borgnine that saw a great deal of furniture smashed up. Some of the photography (intended for 3D) can seem a touch aggressive as you watch things heading towards your head enthusiastically, but Scott is as pedestrian as usual and the story slips neatly into the well establish tram-lines that passes eighty minutes easily enough, but entirely forgettably.

I have a feeling that a lot of The Stranger Wore a Gun was left on the cutting room floor and if someone's ever interested in a director's cut it might explain some of the holes in this story.

The film opens in the middle of raid on Lawrence, Kansas by William Quantrill. Disgusted by all the killing, Randolph Scott quits the outfit, but can't outrun his reputation. Going further and further west Scott gets himself involved with another ex-Quantrill man, George MacReady who's looking to set himself up in Arizona as another version of Quantrill.

This is the last of four films Scott made with George MacReady, not counting their joint appearance in Follow the Boys. The first one they did together, Coroner Creek, is a classic among westerns. Sad to say the quality diminished as the two worked together until this one.

I couldn't follow the story nor could see what Scott's motivations were for doing what he did. It might be a case of bad editing or maybe it wasn't that good to begin with. I think it's one of the weaker Randolph Scott westerns.

Claire Trevor is yet again a saloon girl with a heart of gold and a yen for Randolph Scott and her rival is Joan Weldon, stage line owner. Doing almost a dress rehearsal for the parts they did in Bad Day at Black Rock are future Oscar winners Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin as a pair of MacReady gang members.

I will say if you can sit and sift through the plot you will not be disappointed in the shootout between Scott and MacReady inside a burning saloon. Would that the rest of the film was as good.

I saw this movie in a naval base movie theatre, in, I think, 1956. It was the first thing I recall seeing Lee Marvin in. This guy just absolutely fascinated me. Randolph Scott had been a "Semi-hero" of mine in the late thirties and the forties. In this movie, he was so old, and so slow drawing his gun, that they had to speed up the film to make it look like he was drawing his gun fast. Lee, on the other hand didn't need any "camera" tricks to make him look fast. Lee Marvin, as he was dying from having been shot by this amazingly slow lawman (Randolph Scott), looked down at his two hands, as if to say, "Hands -- how could you have failed me". I thought, facetiously, "Boy oscar is written oll over that!" Really a neat scene. That began a continuing admiration for Lee Marvin,, who could do bad guys, good guys, good guy-bad guy (Cat Ballou), Comedy, Drama, Action, He was a craftsman, and a master at it.

(1953) The Stranger Wore a Gun WESTERN

Adapted from the short story "Yankee Gold" by John M. Cunningham which some of the themes is somewhat reminiscent of "Yojimbo" from 1961 or "A Fistful of Dollars" when the center protagonist is attempting to play both sides that happens later on the movie. The intro is about 15 minutes, that has Jeff Smith (Randolph Scott) at the peak of the Civil War employed as a spy for the Confederacy. Oblivious that his entire Confederate regimen were going to massacre civilians of a small town. And as a result of not liking what he is seeing, he decides to grab a horse and ride off. The next scene has Jeff playing cards at a card table with his friend, Josie Sullivan (Claire Trevor) in a paddle wheel river boat. And as soon as some people begin to recognize him, Josie then instructs him to go to Prescott, Arizona and see a guy name Jules Mourrett (George Macready) as he is escaping from the people coming after him for the massacre he had no control over, he does this by jumping off the boat. And by the time he arrives, he is then greeted by an older guy, Jason (Pierre Watkin) and his daughter Shelby (Joan Weldon) Conroy who often counts on a stagecoach to transport his gold safely. It is during then he bonds with stagecoach driver, Jake Hopper (Roscoe Ates) as Jeff joins him as ride shotgun, with a new identity from John Smith to Mark Stone, as he has to confront Jules ruthless outlaws led by Dan Kurth (Lee Marvin) and his friend, Bull Slager (Ernest Borgnine).

Complex western in the same realm as Anthony Mann's "Man of the West", "The Naked Spur" or William A Wellman's "Yellow Sky" in which the central character evolves from their somewhat from their disapproving characters. And although, obvious stunt doubles were used as well as some fake looking gunfights, the complex character Randolph Scott has played, the ending was quite satisfying. The third of six movies director André De Toth collaborated with Randolph Scott.

A spy used in the infamous Quantrill raid on Lawrence, Kansas (Randolph Scott), flees to Prescott, Arizona, after the war and gets mixed up with a shady gang of stagecoach robbers (led by George Macready). Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine are on hand as heavies.

"The Stranger Wore a Gun" (1953) is a 3-D Western, which can be discerned by objects constantly being pointed at the viewer. It was directed by one-eyed Andre De Toth, known for the more famous 3-D flick "House of Wax" from the same year, not to mention great Westerns "The Indian Fighter" (1955) and "Day of the Outlaw" (1959).

While not in the same league as Randolph's better Westerns, like "Ride the High Country" (1962) and "The Tall T" (1956), this is still a worthwhile Scott Western. There's more action than most and some decent human interest is thrown in, including his wavering between two women, one older (Claire Trevor) and one younger (Joan Weldon). Meanwhile Alfonso Bedoya is amusing as a rival gang leader.

The only issue I have is the way the protagonist confusingly veers between good and evil (and hypocrisy), which makes it hard to get a lock on the character. It's just challenging to root for a duplicitous 'hero,' yet it could be argued that it's core to the character's inner conflict and potential redemption. It just could've been better written. Speaking of which, the story is based on the yarn "Yankee Gold" by the author of "High Noon."

The film runs 1 hour, 22 minutes, and was shot at Iverson Ranch in northwest Los Angeles and the Lone Pine area (Alabama Hills/Whitney Portal), which is about 200 miles north.

GRADE: B-/C+

An ok western with a pretty good cast that's a little wasted (not in a Cheech N Chong way).

I must confess I was a little tired and forgot it was in 3D, half way in I'm wondering why the actors keep looking right at me and throwing stuff in my direction lol.

Highlights of the film, the dramatic end fight and a stunt double for Borgnine that looks more like Elvis!!

Quantrill's Raiders man Randolph Scott gets the film off with a flurry of action. Claire Trevor keeps the brouhaha at fever pitch by helping Scott escape from certain death. The stars keep coming with super heavies Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin doing the bidding of fellow Raider Jules Mourret (George Macready). They meet in Prescott, Arizona with Jason Conroy (Pierre Watkin) and his gorgeous daughter Shelby (Joan Weldon).

None other than "Badges, we don't need no stinking badges" Alfonso Bedoya gives his usual spirited performance as Degas. Watkin also made movie history with the classic line "Allow me to give you a hearty handclasp" in the movie Bank Dick.

An enjoyable western, with a fair storyline. I especially liked the hot "fire scene". The confrontation between Randolph Scott and Ernest Borgnine was also fun - with Mr. Borgnine throwing junk at the camera! Borgnine and Lee Marvin are both fun to watch, in these early career roles. Claire Trevor is getting older, will Mr. Scott still choose her; or, will the sweet young thing give him a spin?

"The Stranger Wore a Gun" was originally shot, by director André De Toth, in "3D"; this gives it a unique "look", I thought; and, some of the photography is very nice. I found the story difficult to follow, though. I really dig that statue in front of Juniper House.

***** The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) André De Toth ~ Randolph Scott, Claire Trevor, Ernest Borgnine

In the first five minutes it is obvious that this film was made to be shown in 3-D. Objects are thrown directly at the camera to the point of distraction. Guns are pointed directly at the viewer.

The movie is a B-grade western about robbing stagecoaches. The cast is headed by Randolph Scott (THE TALL T) and Claire Trevor (STAGECOACH), and also features George Macready (GILDA), Ernest Borgnine (BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK), and Lee Marvin (THE DIRTY DOZEN). Alfonso Bedoya (THE BIG COUNTRY) plays a rival Mexican bandit, cheerfully stumbling through his English lines. The acting is second-rate outside of the seasoned pros and the familiar story is not aided by clumsy action scenes and the annoying 3-D gimmick.

It is amusing, though, to see some of the techniques used to enhance the 3-D experience. Sure, every loose object within arm's reach is picked up and hurled at the camera by hot-tempered cowboys. But there are also chase scenes that are rear-projected and filmed with rocks in the foreground (in front of the rear-projection screen) to simulate a sense of depth and perspective. The background image is very blurry, with the rocks in clear focus.

In the story, Scott works as an inside man for gold robberies. But when things go too far, he decides he's playing for the wrong team, angering his boss. Macready leads the bandits, with Marvin and Borgnine as his trusty muscle. Bedoya is Macready's rival, and Scott plays the two against each other. Run-of-the-mill Western stuff.

This 50s De Toth/Scott oater is maybe half as good (if you're being uber generous) as the Boetticher/Scott 50s westerns. Big difference, as is often the case with this genre, is in the writing. Burt Kennedy's ability, in the Boetticher films, to portray complex but entertaining characters, especially his villains, is, to put it at its most benign, a talent not shared by Kenneth Gamet, at least not in this pic. Rarely if ever have great character actor/bad guys like Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and George Macready been this dull and one dimensional. And without a decent supply of good, sardonic quips, which Kennedy made sure to provide him with but which Gamet neglects, Randolph Scott is less than compelling. About the only reasons to stay with this dull dog are a good Claire Trevor performance, with the New York native employing a decent Southern accent, and some fun, if borderline racist, comic relief from Alfonso Bedoya. Solid C.