The Showdown

This could have been an excellent western movie had they not tried to be so cheap in production. Instead of filming on location with vaulting mountains and wide open scenes, we are left with filming on a back lot with very little scenery and projected background landscape. And with such gifted actors in most parts it was puzzling on why they put stiff actor Bill Elliott as the lead man. I know he has played the lead in many B-westerns but with the cast of actors in this film, he stood out like a sore thumb.

But passing on Elliott's mannequin performance, the rest of the cast seemed to flow effortless and made the story entertaining to watch. There was a few spots hard to watch but overall this film provided enough interest throughout to keep the viewer on the edge of the seat right to the end of the movie. Was actually expecting very little from this movie but was pleasantly surprised. This is a film that you ask yourself, What could have been?

Like many of Republic's B Westerns of this period, this was shot on sound stages with back-projection and process-work standing in for the big blue yonder once so much a part of the western.

Nonetheless, like 'Hellfire' (1949), also scripted by the McGowans, this was a fitting end to Elliott's long stay with Republic. The interesting script has Elliott on the trail of the murderer of his brother and joining a wagon train knowing that one of the men is the guilty one. In an attempt to find out which one, he pushes men and cattle beyond their natural endurance. Brennan, cast against type as the quiet and friendly man who is finally gored to death, is the guilty one and Windsor is the saloon keeper who buys an interest in the herd and travels with it.

The direction is as eloquent as the screenplay and elliott plays his forceful role to the hilt.

Phil Hardy

This film begins on a cold, dark night with a former Texas State Policeman by the name of "Shadrach Jones" (Bill Elliott) in the process of digging up the grave of a man who had been killed just a week before. As it so happens, he is spotted by two cowboys named "Cap MacKellar" (Walter Brennan) and "Rod Main" (Harry Morgan) who immediately demand to know what he is doing. In response, Shadrach tells them that he needs to know the identity of the man buried in this grave in order to ascertain if it is his brother or not. However, it's when he tells them that he used to work for the Texas State Police that Rod becomes extremely hostile toward him which results in Cap intervening to prevent a shootout right there and then. That being said, since it is obvious that Shadrach is intent upon finishing up what he started the two cowboys ride off with Cap telling him that he hopes the man buried there is not his brother--so Shadrach can ride off before any trouble starts. Unfortunately, Shadrach soon discovers that the body in the grave is in fact his brother and--like Cap MacKellar feared--trouble soon begins which nobody seems capable of stopping. Now rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this turned out to be a pretty good Western thanks in large part to a number of good actors and some good mystery along the way. Admittedly, I would have liked a bit more suspense here and there but, even so, it still turned out pretty well and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

Artistic Western? That one reviewer must have been hitting the Hoppy Juice a bit too often. I guess he thinks any Western that's not a clash over water rights is "artistic." This piece of junk was obvious from the start (Surprise? You thought the girl did it?)

Also "the cast was excellent , including Elliot?" He was stiffer than the oak tress in the background. I guess I can't take too much "Art" in my Westerns. Give me "Stagecoach" anytime.

The Showdown. Bill Elliot. Was old Elliot Wooden School of Acting Guru a regular Republic leading man? Why was Walter Brennan playing that type of character at that point in his career?

Too bad budget-cutting Republic pictures spent all their money on the script and cast of this surprising little sleeper. It left them none for badly needed location shots, or failing that, at least to improve on some of the poorly done process shots. Note the number of times the horsemen stand statically in front of a backscreen projection instead of riding across a natural scene These cost-cutters count here, because otherwise this is an unnoticed little gem not usually expected from the likes of Saturday-matinée Republic. The script is excellent with a number of surprises, and holds interest throughout. The main cast (Elliot, Brennan, Windsor), along with supporting players (Morgan, Williams, Ching) are as good as could be expected from the major studios. Only Nacho Galindo's buffoonish comic-relief suggests Republic's usual fare. Actually, this is a noir Western produced at a time when film noir dominated many urban crime dramas. The atmosphere here, especially the stormy opening scene, reminds me of the fine Bob Mitchum Western, Blood on the Moon, which also made good use of brooding night-time sets. Then too, Elliot's revenge-obsessed "bad good-guy" strikingly anticipates Randolph Scott"s running character in Budd Boetticher's cult Westerns of the late 1950's. Anyway, this is a surprisingly good little drama, despite the shortcomings.