Jovens Intrépidos

A footnote in western film history due to the fresh-faced young cast - of whom Jim Mitcham looks most like his famous pa - bolstered by veteran Chill Wills.

A very conventional tale of pursuit and gunplay given visual interest by being shot almost entirely outdoors; despite the jaunty title it's actually a rather sombre affair.

The movie contains a bunch of Hollywood actor's offspring in a Western about...about....well it's about three groups of people all out in the western wilderness with different agendas.

You first have six rebels and one union officers and a chick that have stole a large amount of money. Not much is revealed about the eight but they have the money and going through Indian territory. -- Then you have one person chasing the group, Tyler Duane (Gary Conway) along with his friend, Jeff Shelby (Jody McCrea) and two other people that have just married and want a new start in a different location, Morgan Cole (James Mitchum)and Lily Glendenning (Alana Ladd)also along for the ride is a preacher Sam Shelby (Chill Wills). ---Now on the trail of the five is the father of the new bride, Jesse Glendenning (Robert Lowery), and his bunch, that think his daughter has been kidnapped. Now the entire group is in the Apache territory that will only lead to one after another being killed for a variety of reasons.

There is more going on in this long story than 'just the chase'. There are family members in different groups and also old friendships that have turned sour. All these experience add to the situation as the group makes there way through the dangers of the early west.

The concept of the story seemed to be an interesting tale. However, the screenplay, along with the suspicious acting abilities, made the story feel like a much longer trek than needed. There were actually some very good scenes in the movie but there just was not much feeling in the heart of the actors. After the first thirty minutes, I thought this was going to be a terrible movie but as things settle down and we got some western action going, the film became somewhat interesting. And the glue that kept the viewer's attention was the veteran actor Chill Wills. Who would have thought?

Gary Conway is the real protagonist of this western, although the siblings of Joel McCrea, Robert Mitchum and Alan Ladd were given top credit. But James Mitchum had no charisma, and Alana Ladd was not a good actress, so the best parts of the film are carried out by Conway, Jody McCrea, and Chill Wills.The film starts well when Conway arrives in a town controlled by a nasty landowner. He is following a patrol of Southern rebels carrying stolen money. But then the attention turns to the romance of the landowner's daughter (Ladd) and a guy raised by Indians (Mitchum). As things get more complicated and the film demands higher production values, the budget betrays everybody's effort, making everything look really cheap.

Young Guns of Texas is directed by Maury Dexter and written by Henry Cross. It stars James Mitchum, Alana Ladd, Jody McCrea, Chill Wills and Gary Conway. A CinemaScope/DeLuxe Color production with cinematography by John M. Nickolaus and music by Paul Sawtell and Burt Shefter. The title song is sung by Kenny Miller.

There's not a lot of good will around for this Western but it's far from being a stinker. Very much using a gimmick by starring the offspring of Western heroes Robert Mitchum, Alan Ladd and Joel McCrea, it's an OK Oater to pass the time of day with.

Plot sees the young guns team up for a perilous journey through dangerous Mescalero territory. Accompanied by wise old Preacher Sam Shelby (Wills), they each have different reasons for being out on the lam. Be it eloping, friendship or hunting for a patrol who have stolen an army payroll in their possession, they all have a common bond to move forward. Naturally they in turn are being pursued by a posse led by the angry father of Lily Glendenning (Ladd). This essentially means there are three separate groups out in the wilds, and as the bodies begin to pile up and the various character dynamics are unearthed, all three groups catch up to each other and have a date with the Mescaleros!

The acting is standard fare, with Wills holding the young cast together, and it's hardly genius in plotting or direction. However, it's lovely to look at as it's filmed out of Big Bend National Park in Texas, there's enough requisite action (including an extended fist-fight) for the undemanding Western fan; in fact for the finale the kill quotient is very high, while there's a slight veer away from the expected during said finale. So some value to be found, then, even if it's not a comfortable recommendation to Western fans. 6/10

Young Guns of Texas is a western with a gimmick starring the children of well known actors. The film sees these young ones team up for a perilous journey through dangerous Apache territory, accompanied by a veteran preacher. Gary Conway is hunting for a patrol who have stolen money from the army and this could lead to a personal conflict. There is a wild man raised by Indians who is eloping with a wealthy landowner's daughter, the irony is that it was the landowner who rescued him from the Indians and raised him as his own son and is now hunting him down with his posse.

Conway is the main star of the film who has screen presence. James Mitchum has top billing but although he has his father's looks, he does not have his acting chops. Alana Ladd looks nice but again the acting is just so-so.

Itmis left to the veterans to add some meat and bite to their roles, the film is simplistic, low budget but is watchable enough if you are looking for something undemanding. There is a nice shootout at the end as the different hunting parties converge in Indian territory.