Far-West 89

Figured this film was going to be your typical Western film and very soon I found out this was a great 1948 Classic Western with Randolph Scott, (Marshall Vance Cordell) who is about to retire and marry a woman he loves who also has a child from a previous marriage. However, their plans had to be canceled because their town of Paxton Oklahoma was invaded by a gang of famous outlaws called the Dalton Gang, Sundance Kid, Billy the Kid and Wild Bill Doolin. There was also a young gal named Cheyenne, (Anne Jeffreys) who was a female outlaw with this gang and added a different interest to this Western Story. Marshall Cordell became involved with Cheyenne and she falls in love with him and also the gal he intends to marry which adds some romance to this shoot E'M kill E'm Film

Randolph Scott had scored a pretty good success dealing with a whole bunch of name outlaws in Badman's Territory a few years back. Small wonder that RKO decided to repeat the same formula. Though Return of the Badmen is by no means a sequel to the original film.

Return of the Badmen finds Randolph Scott as a retired Texas Ranger looking to settle in the newly opened Oklahoma Territory. But formerly the territory known as the Indian nations was patrolled by the army with visits from occasional federal peace officers like Rooster Cogburn if John Wayne fans will remember True Grit.

A summit of outlawry has been called by Bill Doolin as played by Robert Armstrong. He brings in the Daltons, the Youngers, Billy the Kid, and the meanest of them all, the Sundance Kid as played by Robert Ryan. This is not the same guy who partnered with Paul Newman. He's a mean cuss and he's the guy that Randolph Scott eventually squares off with for reasons you'll have to see the film for.

Repeating the same formula that RKO used for Scott in Abilene Town, he's got two girls pursuing him. One is Jacqueline White who is banker Gabby Hayes's daughter who is the widow of a peace officer herself with a small son in Gary Gray. The other is a Calamity Jane type outlaw named Cheyenne played by Anne Jeffreys who is Armstrong's niece. Again you'll have to see Return of the Bad Men to figure out who Scott gets.

In true cowboy hero fashion, old peace officer Randolph Scott answers the call of the citizenry for law and order. Though Return of the Bad Men doesn't cover any new ground, it's a good western for Randolph Scott.

Or as Mel Brooks would have it, RANDOLPH SCOTT.

This greatest frontier drama since ¨Cimarron¨ deals with a marshal (Randolph Scott) carries out peace and order at a town outside the law and all the notorious badmen who fought to keep it there . An epic thrill parade down banditry's halls of infamy , violence-filled heart of the wild west and being a sequel to ¨Badman's territory¨ (1946) . Concerning the worst killers of the untamed West and the Lady they called 'Cheyenne' (Anne Jeffreys) on a rampage of murder and terror in the blood-red days of frontier Oklahoma . There Vance (Randolph Scott) is appointed Marshall who must fight against a gang of outlaws led by a sadistic Sundance Kid (Robert Ryan) .

An epic saga of a land beyond the law starred by an all-Western-star cast , including cowboy actors , great personalities and many other things . An exciting and explosive exploitation for the great big action western of 1948 . The plot is plain and simple taking place when part of Oklahoma Territory becomes officially part of the U.S. , there a sheriff has to deal with such notorious outlaws as the James and Dalton boys in a territory outside of government control . Here appears a lot of of bandits ; see them all : the most wanted outlaws : Cole Younger , Jim Younger , Bob Dalton , Grat Dalton , Emmett Dalton , Billy The Kid , Arkansas Kid , Sundance .... This is a Frontier history written by Luci Ward in the violent deeds of the most famous outlaws of the 1880s and in the grit and guns of the couraged few who dared the crimson challenge . This ¨Return of the badmen¨ belongs to a trilogy formed by the original ¨Badman's territory¨ (1946) by Tim Whelan with Randolph Scott , Anne Richards , Steve Brodie and George ¨Gabby Hayes¨ and a third part titled ¨Best of the Badmen¨ (1951) by William Russell with Robert Ryan , Claire Trevor , Jack Buetel , Robert Preston , Bruce Cabot , Walter Brennan , all of them starred by notorious bandits of the wild west . Nice acting by Randolph Scott in his usual style as Vance Cordrell , a straight-shooting marshal is forced to deal with some of the most infamous outlaws of the Old West . And several known secondaries playing the known bandits , such as : Steve Brodie (Cole Younger) , Tom Keene (Jim Younger) , Robert Bray (John Younger) , Lex Barker (Emmett Dalton) , Walter Reed (Bob Dalton) , Robert Armstrong (Wild Bill Doolin) , among others . Tom Tyler would play Frank James in Badman's Territory (1946) and Best of the badmen (1951) as well as another film, here he plays fictional outlaw Wild Bill . And , of course , the comic relief for the veteran and usual George ¨Gabby¨ Hayes .

The motion picture well produced by Nat Holt was professionally directed by Ray Enright . Ray was a craftsman who directed lots of Westerns . His Western film debut was ¨River's end¨ (40) , following ¨Bad men in Missouri¨ (41) about the Youngers , ¨The spoilers¨ (42) with a star-system , as Marlene Dietrich , John Wayne and Scott , ¨Men of Texas¨(42) , ¨Sin Town¨(42) , and various starred by Randolph Scott as ¨Trail Street¨(47) , ¨Coroner Creek¨(48) , ¨Alburquerque¨(48) , and starred by Alexis Smith : ¨South of St. Louis¨(49) and ¨Montana¨ (50) with Alexis and Errol Flynn . His last Westerns were ¨Kansas raiders¨(50) and Flaming Feather¨(52) , until his retirement in 1953 .

Return of the Badmen is directed by Ray Enright and co-written by Charles O'Neal, Jack Natteford and Luci Ward. It stars Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, Anne Jeffreys, George Hayes and Jacqueline White. Music is by Paul Sawtell and cinematography by J. Roy Hunt.

Braxton, Oklahoma Territory, 1889, soon to be a ghost town as the impending land rush changes the West. With that comes more than just settlers, it brings outlaws too, some of the meanest there is. Under the leadership of Wild Bill Doolin has gathered the Sundance Kid, the Younger Brothers, the Daltons, Wild Bill Yeager, Billy The Kid, George Mason, the Arkansas Kid and Doolin's niece Cheyenne. Standing in their way? Vance Cordell, retired Texas Ranger, soon to become temporary marshal of newly formed Guthrie Town, and a man with a score to settle with the Sundance Kid.

Premise is simple, RKO, flush with the success of Badman's Territory the previous year, decide that more is best in this second instalment of the studio's "Badmen" trilogy (Best of the Badmen followed in 1951). They pitch some of the Wild West's baddest apples together and play them off against that bastion of stoic cowboyness, Randolph Scott. As a basic Western movie it works, film is always engaging, has a good action quota, is technically safe from the camera side of things and is driven by a pot boiling destiny showdown between Scott and Ryan. Trouble is is that so many notorious characters in one mix means the film has no chance of living up to its promise. Which in a running time of 90 minutes was always going to be impossible to achieve anyway, especially when you also have the inevitable romantic angle involving our hero, another character thread involving reform and the backdrop of the land rush as well.

Thankfully the film finds Scott and Ryan more than capable of sealing the deal, lifting the picture above the routine plotting and unrealistic nature of the set-up. It's good versus evil, where Scott's Cordell is the man in light, the man of the people, and Ryan's Sundance is the man in dark, a twitchy cold blooded psycho. Yes, there's the inevitability factor of it all, we know who is going to triumph here, but the build up is well handled and it does provide a very brisk and punch laden finale. There's nothing irritable in cast performances across the board, yes we want more from the roll call of actors playing under written villains, but story, as fantastical as it is, never sags and entertains from first minute to last. There's worse ways for Western fans to spend an hour and half, that's for sure! 6.5/10

What an oddly compelling film this is. Using the usual array of Westerns clichés, Enright directs an excellent cast with a light touch of noir. The RKO production team enhances the scenes and the takes - I don't think I've ever seen a bad guy knock out a saloon window in a gunfight then poke the gun through a cobweb while firing! This was Randolph Scott's bread and butter, though like Joel McCrea, he could pull on some mighty acting chops when needed. Add Robert Ryan (steely-eyed wooden evil), George "Gabby" Hayes (His old self subdued as a banker), Anne Jeffries, Robert Armstrong and a strong supporting cast, decent production values and the ability to take each cliché just a step more personally, and you've got a pretty engaging film - Western or no.