L'uomo che non voleva uccidere

It was a memorable film that i first saw on 'Saturday Night At the Movies" when I was 12 years old, (six years after it was released in 1958). Being raised on a diet of TV and movie westerns, 'From Hell to Texas' stood out from all of them; I identified with the lead and had a crush on Diane Varsi that lasted for years.

I saw this feature only one more time when I was 21, just before shipping out to Nam. This time I identified with the scope of the film and the depth of the characters. Chill Will gave a memorable performance definitely a cut above his typical side-kick comic relief roll, and I thought it interesting for a father to actually help his daughter's suitor in such a unstinting fashion. Opposite Wills was R.G. Armstrong and his son Dennis Hopper, though the heavies one could not really hate them. It was through these characters that it was easy to understand that it is not the person who is evil it is the deed. This film has always been in the back of my head and deep in my heart, for it stood out as having both action and a message. I hope it will be transferred to DVD soon. On memory alone I give it an '8'out of 10.

If you have an all-region DVD player, which costs less than $100, you may order a very fine anamorphic widescreen copy of this film from Amazon Italy.

Don Murray, on the run after an accidental killing, eludes R.G. Armstrong and a very young Dennis Hopper in this stark western from Henry Hathaway. Along the way he meets a rancher and falls in love with the man's daughter. A fiery confrontation with the dead man's family finally brings closure to this violent chase story. Well developed characters not usually found in this genre.

Hard to find and well worth the effort.

I switched on the TV today and accidentally caught this movie (having missed the first 8 mins) on (Freeview) FilmFour (UK) digital TV channel.

The "info" panel said it was first released in 1958 and directed by Henry Hathaway - a name I recognised from all those movie history books.

All the other reviewers have told all you need to know about the plot. There are no cardboard villains here. One feels empathy for the "bad" guys too!

If you enjoy watching intelligent movies that your parents (or your grandparents) may have enjoyed watching on the big screen in their youth then this is a movie you should try to catch!

Most of Hollywood movies of 90s and '00s seem such forgettable dreck compared with this movie!

The stars, Murray & Varsi, are good if a little bland. The old-timers, Wills & Armstrong, steal the show & give the movie some extra flavor. Hopper plays the role of "the youngest son" with the usual angst we have come to expect from him. Nice scenery, simple plot, well-directed. Overall, an enjoyable adult western with lots of shooting. I rate it 8/10.

I saw this for the first time recently n got pleasantly surprised. It is a well made western with sufficient action, drama n romance.

A mild mannered man Tod, good with shooting but refrains from taking life due to his dead mother's upbringing, accidentally kills a man in self defense. Hell bent on revenge, the dead man's family members pursue Tod relentlessly. Tod flees to New Mexico to seek his estranged father across desert canyon country pursued by his enemies but on the way he comes across people who likes Tod for his clear conscience. The film moves at a decent pace, it has some striking picturesque settings n a lil bit tension n suspense towards the end.