La grande sparatoria

Not bad western directed by Lesley Selander, the most prolific western maker in Hollywood, besides Ray Nazarro; I speak here of grade B westerns, between fifty and ninety minutes length at the most. This western is produced by Universal Studios - by the way I did not know that Lesley Selander was under contract, even for only one film, with Universal - but there is nothing really exceptional, as was SHOTGUN or ARROW I THE DUST. But seeing Richard Conte - film noir actor - in a western is so rare, so unusual, as finding Rod Cameron - western actor - in a crime film: THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE. Good time waster never boring, with convincing performances.

Riders of Vengeance (released theatrically as The Raiders) is directed by Lesley Selander and written by Polly James and Lillie Hayward. It stars Richard Conte, Viveca Lindfors, Richard Martin, William Bishop, Barbara Britton, Morris Ankrum, Palmer Lee and Hugh O'Brian. It's a Technicolor production with music by Joseph Gershenson and photography by Carl Guthrie. Plot is based in 1849 California during the Gold Rush and finds Conte as rancher Jan Morrell who is on a mission of vengeance for the claim-jumpers who stole his claim and murdered his wife.

"1849, the year in which the name John Sutter was heard around the World. Gold was the magic word that sent hundreds, then thousands of men swarming into the vast territory of California. The lust for Gold soon became a raging fever that brought death to conscience and honour. Fear and violence spread throughout the land. Those who tried to enforce the law were destroyed, as were the innocent, the courts were powerless to keep order and the guilty went unpunished. Mob rule reigned and the times were ripe for those who would control at any cost."

Colourful B Western that looks to be under seen and certainly forgotten. Not offering up anything out of the ordinary in terms of plot and structure, film is however directed smoothly and acted accordingly by all the cast. Dialogue is well scripted by the two ladies who brought us Quantrill's Raiders and Blood on the Moon, with the down time moments serving to enhance rather than hinder the narrative. Action is well constructed by Selander, with gun play and skirmishes lifting the pace, while there's a cracking scene as a herd of horses are led over a hill. Guthrie's (Fort Massacre/Gunfight at Dodge City) photography is most appealing in the capture of the landscapes, though sadly the location for the shoot is not known at the time of writing. And Gershenson (Backlash/Man Without a Star) scores it with standard blood and thunder Oater strains.

Recommended with confidence to the B Western fan. 7/10

I hadn't seen this movie before or the actors in it but found it easy to engage with. Richard Conte plays Jan Morrell a gold prospector in California before it became a state of the union. His cabin is attacked by bandits who steal his gold and kill his wife. hey leave him for dead but he is saved and goes on the hunt for the gang.

The costumes are typical 50's with lots of colour and all beautifully clean. The girls outfits are stunning - Jan Morrell gets a choice of two new women in his life - I guess the frontier life meant that you had to move on quickly !

OK, it is a bit creaky here and there but if you want a good afternoon cowboy - give it a chance.

A rancher (Richard Conte) who has staked a claim during the California gold rush goes after the gang of murderous claim-jumpers who have stolen his claim and murdered his wife.

Richard Conte is known to star in urban/noir films, but he lends some good acting chops in this Universal western as the rancher who wants to get even with the ones who killed his wife. Later, with the help of Viveca Lindfors, he realises that revenge is futile.

A handsome-looking western, the Raiders is fast-paced, has some intense shootouts, but it has a solid story that gets you involved, and rooting for the good guys.

To fill in a wet Sunday, I watched this film for the second time. The best thing is the colour photography, but as is so often the case little effort has been made to catch the 1849 atmosphere. The men wear the usual cowboy clothes and use repeating rifles and I'm not too sure that binoculars were in common use then.

There's an unrealistic and unsatisfyingly condensed court case, and the ending didn't convince. But that's what you get with a 1950s B Western.

Richard Conte is his usual slick self, as when he's playing a gangster, WWII soldier or whatever. Of the other actors, Hugh O'Brian has the most screen presence, playing the nastiest of the bad men. Of the three young women, Conte's wife was the most impressive - pity she was murdered in an early scene.