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Fans of Western movies will not be disappointed. While not a great or even distinguished Western, it also LACKS the faults of so many other Westerns. On the plus side it can boast good colorful outdoor mountainous locations and cinema-photography , leading and supporting actors, a believable situation and a literate imaginative script. On the negative side: zero; I can't think of anything laughable, offensive or jarring. Audie Murphy looked and acted good. Felicia Farr looked better, even gorgeous. And Stephen McNally stole the movie with his acting chops. Robert Middleton was his usual excellent self in a brief suspenseful scene during Murphy's chase from McNally. Jan Merlin did well as a villain.

I thought it was an interesting and unusual motive for Sheriff McNally's lying that Murphy and not Merlin was the criminal being chased. I won't reveal it in this review, though it is spelled out in most of the other reviews here. The reason puzzled me throughout watching the film, and it was finally revealed at the conclusion. Also intriguing was how Murphy would extricate himself from his predicament. Finally, kudos for Farr's back story. Surprising that there were no romantic scenes (embraces, kisses, etc.) between the two leads, Murphy and Farr, though the last scene had then leave hand in hand.

Audie Murphy Leads a Good Cast in front and back of some Outstanding Scraggy Rock Formations that make this a slightly Edgy Entry in the "Murph" Filmography.

By 1960 the Western was Waning in Popularity due to an Overexposure of Movies and TV Titles that became Exponential as the Decade Unfolded. This is a Strong "B" Entertainment that Delivered Color, CinemaScope, and an Adult-Theme Touch.

Some of the Dialog is Cutting Edge for the 50's, and the Leering Looks that Felicia Farr gets in the Cabin as She is Verbally Raped and Forced into Servitude is a Standout.

Some of the Back-Stories are Complex as Murphy is on the Run from a Psychopathic "Lawman" and some Revengeful Townsfolk, that the Script is Quick to Call Religious Hypocrites (you wouldn't find that on TV).

Steve McNally is Memorable as the Cold-Blooded "Marshall" and Jan Merlin makes His Mark as a "Smile-Happy" Shotgun Killer. Fast Paced and Thoughtful Western that is Slightly Above Average in the Decade's Outlandish Output of Westerns and another Solid Outing for Audie Murphy Fans to Appreciate.

Note...Audie Murphy's Career mostly ignored by Film Historians deserves another look and deeper analysis. As a consistent entertainer, especially in the Western Genre, it has been passed over and underrated.

Hell Bent for Leather is directed by George Sherman and adapted to screenplay by Christopher Knopf from the novel Outlaw Marshal written by Ray Hogan. It stars Audie Murphy, Felicia Farr, Stephen McNally and Robert Middleton. A CinemaScope production in Eastman Color, it features music jointly scored by William Lava and Irving Gertz (Joseph Gershenson supervising) and cinematography by Clifford Stine.

Audie Murphy plays Clay Santell, a horse trader who is wrongly accused of murder and goes on the run pursued by a vengeful Marshal. The Marshal (McNally), knows Santell is innocent, but he doesn't care and figures that killing a wanted man that nobody has seen before can only earn him glory.

There is often a tendency from Western film critics to undersell a "B" Western, it's like you are not allowed to rave about or rate a "B" the same as an Oater from the well regarded and well known movers and shakers in the genre. This happens to be more the case where Audie Murphy's output is concerned. Not blessed with great acting talent, Murphy none the less knew how to make a scene work, to imbue a passage of play with great presence, never once trying to hog the limelight from co-stars, he remains more so today a Western star whose values should not be easily dismissed. His CV contains quite a few bad or ordinary films, but he was in some very good ones as well, and one such film is Hell Bent for Leather.

Plot is essentially standard fare, a wronged man is on the run and he is saddled with a pretty gal for the journey. Posse are in pursuit and wronged man has to prove his innocence before he is killed by a sadistic sheriff out to feather his own nest. Yet the locale and well written characters mark this out as a tough little Oater. Sure there's little action to pump the blood of those who need such passages, though some good chase scenes are here and one finishes with a great bit of stuntery, but the neat trick here is having Murphy and Farr's characters run off/up into the rocky terrain; the magnificent Alabama Hills rocky terrain. As Anthony Mann had a knack of marrying up surroundings to psychological aspects of his protagonists, so it be here with Sherman, but of course this is a "Audie Murphy B Western", so such things aren't possible...

Hey, it's no Naked Spur et al, far from it, but it is far better and grittier than some think it is purely because of the director and star who made it. It also has a great finale, where up in the jutted rocks we get a tense situation that sees the wronged man, the guilty man, the spunky girl with a substantial back story and the unhinged glory seeking Marshal, all brought together in a moment of reckoning. You will not die of shock with the outcome, but it's a finale rewarding us for having spent the time with these deftly etched characters. Acting is safe and sound, with Middleton the stand out performer, and the music score is "B Western" 101 stuff. But if only for Stine's CinemaScope photography then the Western fan should see this, the Alabama Hills, so prominent in many a great and classic genre offering, are beautifully captured and very much a critical character in the story. 7.5/10

Audie Murphy is a horse trader. He wanders into town on his latest assignment, where Marshall Stephen McNally accuses him him of being a dangerous criminal. At first Murphy thinks it's a gag to get him out of town before the townfolk can hang him, but it turns out that McNally is a glory hound who intends toshoot Murphy and take the credit.

McNally tries to steal the movie with his sweating lunatic, but Murphy's low-key approach ande the approval of Felicia Farr ake the cake. Director George Sherman does his usual competent job, and cinematographer Clifford Stine shoots the Alabama Hills so they are instantly recognizable, and beautiful in a new way. It's a standard psychological western, but very well done.

Hell Bent for Leather (original title) is a nice Western providing the screenplay allowed him to keep them thrilling at his own moving and relentless gallop . It contains attractive and charming images that , in the eyes of connoisseurs makes one of the most enjoyable of his kind . When Clay Santell (Audie Murphy) stops in the town of Sutterville after having his horse robbed , he is mistaken by townsfolks for a murderous named Travers (Jan Merlin) . The townspeople take Santell, and turn him over to allegedly marshal Harry Deckett (Stephen McNally) . Deckett, who is really tired of inexorable chasing the real Travers, taking care of him . Santell getaways from Deckett who pulls off an implacable hunt . Later on , Clay takes the beautiful Janet Gifford (Felicia Farr) hostage in the process. Janet comes to believe Santell's story , and supports him in his fight to demonstrate his innocence . Along the way Clay attempts to prove his actual identity , that's why he tries to clear his name by find out the real culprit and catching him . Target For Terror!

This exciting Western packs thrills , noisy action , spectacular struggles and lots of gutsy adventure . Brawling , sprawling , almost primitive action in which our protagonist is forced to go on the run , teeming across the screen by means of escapes , attacks , rescues , and ambushes .The picture contains whirlwinds of manic action , fights , sustained energy and often commendable results . The film has a slickness and crude vigour , including impressive outdoors with rocky mountains stunningly photographed by cameraman Clifford Stine . This is a distinctive Western saga with a special look at Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California and other countryside landscapes . Features impressive as well as spectacular crossfire scenes punctuated with great action sequences .This is a stirring story about an agreeable couple and their fight for innocence as well as freedom and director takes a fine penned script by Christopher Knopf creating an agreeable tale that is far from ordinary , exploring the anguish and desperation of an innocent man and villany of the pursuers . Audie Murphy delivers a fine acting as an innocent passer-by who mistaken for a killer outlaw is relentlessly chased . Murphy won more tan 20 medals , being the most decorated American soldier , including the Congressional Medal of Honor and he was also awarded five decorations by France and Belgium . He starred a rendition on his own self-biography titled ¨To Hell and back¨ that was an acceptable picture based on actual events about Audie Murphy who played himself following his Army career in WWII , being professionally directed by Jesse Hibbs and it was a box-office hit for Universal Pictures and its record was apparently not broken until Jaws (1975). Murphy starred a great number of Westerns as ¨The kid from Texas¨, ¨Cimarron Kid¨, ¨Gunpoint¨, ¨Night Passage¨, ¨The Gunrunners¨, ¨Posse from Hell¨, ¨Gunfight at Comanche¨, ¨Rifles Apaches¨, ¨The Unforgiven¨, ¨Red badge of courage¨, ¨Legend of Sam Ward¨, ¨Whispering Smith¨, ¨40 Guns at Apache pass¨ , ¨Texas kid¨ , among others . Being usually directed by Jesse Hibbs who directed various Audie Murphy vehicles such as : this ¨To hell and Back¨ (1955) , ¨World in My Corner¨ (1956) , ¨Ride a Crooked Trail¨ (1958) , ¨Medal of Honor¨ and ¨To Hell and Back¨. He is well accompanied by the woman-star who results to be the lovely Felicia Farr , at the time married Jack Lemmon . Co-starred by Stephen McNally as a nasty lawman who decides to murder Santell and pass him off as Travers . Stephen McNally gives the best acting as a cruel and hysterical villain who carries out a merciless pursuit . Support cast is frankly nice , providing splendid interpretations , such as : Robert Middleton , James Westmoreland , Jan Merlin , Allan Lane , Bob Steele and the usual veteran John Qualen .

The motion picture produced by Gordon Kay/Universal International Pictures , was professionally directed by George Sherman in B-style . Sherman demonstrates a special talent for making the densest action sequences seem uncomplicated and uncluttered and his characters , like the scenes distinguished , often have an unfettered , raw power . Sherman made reliable low-budget fare for Columbia between 1945-48, then moved on to do the same at Universal for another eight years , where he directed this ¨War Arrow¨ . Sherman specialized almost exclusively in "B" westerns there , including the "Three Musketeers" series, which featured a young John Wayne. George directed lots of Westerns as ¨The Last of the Fast Guns¨ , ¨The Lone Hand¨, ¨Santa Fe stampede¨ , ¨Red skin¨ , ¨Chief Crazy Horse¨ ¨Calamity Jane¨, ¨Relentless¨ , ¨Comanche Territory¨ , ¨Dawn at Socorro¨, ¨Border River¨ and many others . He also made occasional forays into action and horror themes, often achieving a sense of style over substance . The only "A"-grade films to his credit were two westerns starring John Wayne: ¨Comancheros¨ (1961) (as producer) and ¨The big Jack¨ (1971) . His last films were realized in Spain as "Find That Girl" , ¨The new Cinderella¨ and ¨Joaquin Murrieta¨. Rating : 7/10 . Acceptable and above average Western . Well worth watching .

The most decorated combat soldier of the war,Audie Murphy, plays the part of a man,falsely accused of being a gangster by a marshal .This embittered cop has been searching for the true culprit for months and he needs to find one ,his claim to fame.Stephen Mc Nally is the stand out ,the audience realizes little by little he has gone completely nuts ,heading the posse on his victim's trail.The girl the horse-trader meets (Felicia Farr,better known for her part in " kiss me ,stupid" )and who takes up his cause is some kind of outcast for her father was not a good man .She was taken in by neighbors but she has not really been received at the community :she takes care of the children when the inhabitants attend the service.

This is a modest but entertaining western with good suspense and a great finale when the wrong and the right man meet in the mountain.

If you like Audie (which I do) you will come to find a comfortable familiarity with many of his movies. Hell Bent for Leather is one of those movies. Doesn't really stand out from the pack but is an enjoyable film.

Its all about Murphy righting the wrongs as he does so well.

It fun as most of his material is :)

Behind the lurid title lies a moody, good-looking psychological western shot in colour & CinemaScope against the imposing backdrop of the Alabama Hills.

There moody, good-looking Audie Murphy gets a less than warm welcome from ferrity-faced Jan Merlin, doll-faced widow Felicia Farr, saturnine Sheriff Stephen McNally and mean-looking Robert Middleton; never quite sure who it's safe to do a deal with.

Very entertaining western directed by George Sherman (who did Big Jake with John Wayne and produced The Comancheros 1961). The actors are excellent. We get Audie Murphy and Stephen McNally back altogether 8 years after Duel at silver creek 1952, but here they are enemies. Felicia Farr acts in her last western. And very good supporting cast with Jan Merlin as Travers, John Qualen and Bob Steele among others.

With a very good screenplay, I really liked the character, Stephen MacNally plays. The three main actors are perfect, and they carry the movie. So if you have the luck to have the opportunity to see this movie: GOOOOO!

In Hell Bent For Leather Audie Murphy has the misfortune of running into Jan Merlin on the trail who robs him of his horse. Merlin is a man on the run and known to carry a distinctive shotgun as his weapon of choice. Murphy wounds Merlin fleeing and Merlin drops said shotgun with some fancy carving on the stock.

Which is enough to give the townspeople the idea he's Merlin. That's further reinforced by Stephen McNally who represents the law on Merlin's trail.

But McNally is tired of chasing Merlin. Since he is the only one who really knows Merlin and he's tired of chasing him, McNally is willing to take credit using Murphy, preferably dead and get credit for stopping the outlaw killer.

Hell Bent For Leather is a lot like another classic western where McNally is the pursued instead of the pursuer Winchester 73. This film is tightly edited and the tale well told, not a minute of footage is wasted. Note also good performances from Felicia Farr as the woman who by circumstance becomes Murphy's hostage and then ally. And another from Robert Middleton as an old outlaw, not the most noble of characters but one with his own ethics.

This one is a must for Audie Murphy's fans.

By 1960 the Hollywood Western was pretty much headed for television. Only John Wayne was drawing fans to the theaters. Hell Bent for Leather is story that probably would have been better told on an episode of Gunsmoke or Bonanza. As it is, Audie Murphy gives it his all as horse breeder Clay Santell who is misidentified as a shotgun wielding killer named Travers, played by a smirking Jan Merlin. Stephen McNally plays US Marshall Deckett.McNally was really good at playing sleazy types and he plays Deckett as such a type. Deckett knows Sentell isn't Travers but he has decided to pass Santell off as Travers,kill him and claim the reward money and the glory of having taken out Travers, whom he really really doesn't want to actually meet up with.Audie could always be counted upon to deliver a top notch performance and Jan Merlin's psycho gunman is well played,but there are just way too many plot holes in the script, along with some clumsy direction from Sherman. Sherman would,however, go on to better things.While this film isn't on a level with Ride Clear of Diablo or Walk the Proud Land, if you are an Audie Murphy fan definitely look this one up, otherwise there are other oater's that are much better done.

Audie Murphy plays Clay Santell ,a horse dealer whose hospitality to a stranger who stumbles on foot and on the verge of collapse into his camp is to have his horse stolen by the man in question.Santell wounds his assailant who drops his lavishly embossed shotgun as he flees Santell's camp.The man is Travers ,a wanted outlaw .and the local townsfolk believe Santell is Travers,based on his having the gun .Corrupt Marshall Deckett (Stephen Mc Nally)takes him into custody ,knowing full well he is not Travers but hoping to pass him off as the outlaw ,and boost his reputation as the man who saw Travers hung.

Santell escapes ,taking with him a young woman ,Janet Gifford ,and Deckett and a posse set out in hot pursuit. Can Santell avoid capture and clear his name ?That is the central issue of this modest but brisk Western that benefits from some striking location shooting and some decent performances especially from McNally and that splendid character actor Robert Middleton .

Based on a novel by pulp Western maestro Ray Hogan this moves briskly and energetically and will appeal to most devotees of the genre.

Director George Sherman does not ring any bells in my film cortex and, having taken a glance at IMDB's biographical and other information on the man I can see that there is good reason for my ignorance: he did mostly B pics and very few of them rate above 5.

One such exception is HELL BENT FOR LEATHER, which - in addition to wonderful landscapes - contains one of WWII hero Audie Murphy's finest performances as horse trader Clay Santell willing to serve as good Samaritan when horseless but gun-carrying Travers (cunningly played by Jan Merlin) comes to him for water and assistance, but then hits him with the butt of his fancy carbine and proceeds to steal his horse.

Santell is understandably peeved and manages to fire off a shot that causes Travers to drop his fancy weapon. Now horseless Santell picks up the carbine, trundles into the nearest, rather gost-like town and that is when something truly odd happens: everyone had been attending a funeral and everyone recognizes the weapon but does not know what its owner looks like, so everyone thinks Santell is Travers.

Though of course no phones were available at the time, Marshall Deckett (played with a mean streak and a touch of madness by Stephen McNally, usually more adept at crime than at serving the law) turns up pretty quickly and confirms Santell is Travers, even though he knows otherwise. The thing is, after a 4-year chase Deckett is getting tired and all the ducks seem to be in a row for Santell to fit the fall guy profile. Nor does he want to waste any time: as soon as he and the hand-tied Santell move away from inconvenient witnesses, Deckett decides to fill Santell's brain with lead.

Problem: Santell's brain wants no lead and has other ideas, so he scrambles aways, hands tied and all, and finds lovely Felicia Farr. Of course it is love at first sight but Murphy is a very respectful man so expect no intimacy.

Other baddies interfere with the couple's flight, including an injured and free-drinking Robert Middleton, but it is Marshall Deckett who wants Audie and Felicia shot on sight. From this partial account you can infer that it is a tale with quite a few twists, some of which make less sense than others, but justice is finally served against most odds, and the happy ending helps.

Definitely worth watching. 7/10.

Pretty decent western for early 60s. Audie is good on this as well as good supporting cast in Felicia Farr and Steve McNally. Good picture directed by veteran director Harry Sherman.

An Audie Murphy western from 1960 which may've inspired Judas Priest to name one of their early albums after. Murphy plays a hapless Good Samaritan who helps a thirsty nomad who emerges from the desert but when said man conks Murphy on the head & steals his horse, Murphy manages to shoot a finely silvered encrusted shotgun from the thief's grip only to be mistaken for the same crook when the townspeople comes in contact w/him. Murphy essentially becomes a Hitchcock hero (the wrongly accused man) who has to go on the run before the lynch happy town gets their hands on him or if the marshal running the posse decides to turn him, even though he knows Murphy is innocent. Coming along for the ride is Felicia Farr (Jack Lemon's widow in real life) who is herself a town pariah of sorts due to her father's background. Pretty good but as I get through these Murphy westerns, I'm finding he did his best work w/a seasoned director than these by the number pointers he had the misfortune to work with.

Audie Murphy plays a horse trader who gets mistaken for an outlaw called travers, mainly because he walks into the town with a distinctive looking shotgun that Travers totes. He tries to clear his name, but no ones listening. And things get worse when glory hunting Marshal played by the scene chewing Stephen McNally appears. With Felicia Farr - a school teacher - in tow, the chase is on.

An exciting western, with an emphasis on suspense, Hell bent for leather moves at a fair clip. There's action but the suspense is overwhelming, especially for the fact that Audie is gunless. His quick thinking mind helps him out of the scrapes; Audie is really good in this film, really looks like a rabbit caught in the headlight. The face might be expressionless but those eyes just dance with fear. He expresses a sense of desperation well, looks vulnerable. His chemistry with Felicia Farr, who is a pariah of a sort, is very good. Their conversation is engaging. All the other players like a snarling Jan Merlin and the aforementioned McNally are on top form, but it's the mountainous terrain that looms over them that is a scene stealer. I have also read the book - outlaw Marshall by Ray Hogan - it is based on and that's just as good. An underrated western that deserves a look.

A true tale of old west redemption for a good guy in the face of bad guys and mis-lead citizens. Couldn't have been shot in a more iconic place, Line Pine, CA / Alabama Hills!

Steve mcnally plays his usual bad man role to the extreme while we wait to see if good triumphs over bad ... jack lemmon's wife felicia farr plays the femme fatale like she wrote the part ...all in all a snap bang wonder

Since I watch Westerns very closely, taping them and watching them over, sometimes I see things I missed earlier. This movie kept you at the edge of your seat much of the time, especially when Santee did not have a gun or any money. One part of special interest was when he and the girl went into a saloon and asked for a glass of water because he had lost his money in a scramble to get away from R. Middleton and his boys earlier. At the bar was a rifle that Santee had his eye on. Next to the rifle, standing, was an old timer I recognized to be Kermit Maynard. In the list of actors, he was not even credited as being in the movie. I watched it over and over, and I am pretty sure K. Maynard was the guy at the bar, who picked up the rifle and left. Anybody see it that way??? Thanks.

There are here Audie Murphy and Stephen McNally who steal the show, and I don't think they were together else where before or even after. Maybe, but I am not sure at all. Anyway, this western offers no surprise in the plot, nothing to do with the Budd Boetticher's western from this same period starring Randolph Scott, those unpredictable stories and so complex characters analysis. But please, don't complain, it is an Universal western with plenty of charm and charisma. Good western, but it's just a bit shame that the story had been told so many times before. Not NO NAME ON THE BULLET for sure.