Dangereuse Mission

Stephen McNally plays Steve Davis, who's working undercover for the U. S. government, trying to infiltrate and bring down a gang robbing brand-new mail trains. Congress is threatening to cut off funding for the trains if the rampant theft cannot be stopped.

Alexis Smith is a glamorous saloon singer Steve falls for, but she isn't just a mere romantic addition; she has a major role in the film.

A thoroughly entertaining Universal western that successfully mixes western genre with a crime thriller, has fantastic scenery, and telegraphing, and leaping off the pole and into a river! (Great scene). The mystery big boss behind the fiendish gang is revealed at the end, and though you would probably guess who it is, the suspense and the breakneck pace just sucks you in. There's a fantastic bad guy hideout. And there's the fantastic looking trains, all captured in gorgeous technicolour.

And Alexis sings a nice song, and looks fetching in her gowns (No wonder Errol married her).

I reviewed this movie and find it very strange, that after all these years this movie is still around. I was visiting my relatives in Sonora California when I was 16 years old and Universal International was filming the movie. Most of the movie crew ate at the El Nido Inn where I stayed. I was introduced to the producers and and directors and they took me into the production as a guest. Every morning I would tale the big limos to the locations. One location was the Sonora city dump transformed into a scene that didn't resemble the original location. I met actress Alexis Smith, although she was a very private person. I was introduced to her because she was from Penticton B.C. Canada only 50 miles from my home town. I recall many moments of the production. It was strange to see it later in the theatre, because most of the scenes became different than what I saw in real life. Memories still linger.

Usually stephen mcnally plays the surly bad guy so playing an undercover good guy is a twist but his attitude hasn't changed ... he's still a hard case and considers himself a lady's man ... and to prove it they have alexis smith play his gal pal ... the usual cast of bad guys are in this film, except jim arness who later becomes matt dillon on the long running series "gunsmoke" ... the problem with this plot is the railroads shipped money for express agents, hardly ever the us postal service .... howard silva never changes his spots

I watched it because it was from Universal studios and also directed by Reginald LeBorg, whom I did not comment so many films from him so far. It is a good effective western starring Stephen McNally for once in a good guy character, an undrcover agent to nail a gang of outlaws. As you see, nothing exceptional here. No surprise at all. I would have prefered Mc Nally as a gang leader, but Howard De Silva could not be an undercover agent. It would not have matched at all. I don't even speak of Ed Begley. Good sequences though, good production design, this western was a small budget one, OK, but not PRC or Monogram either, so the lack of budget did not justify some flaws explained by a lack of care from the director and not the production.

Pretty good Western that gets better as it goes along. Railroad agent Steve Davis (McNally) goes undercover to catch an elaborate gang of train robbers. Along the way, he meets lovely songstress Mary Williams (Smith), but much worse, has to go to prison to establish his outlaw cover. The gang, it turns out, has respectable confederates but we can't be sure who they are.

There're several good surprises, plus some nice touches from director LeBorg— e. g. a wounded Indian Joe trying to hook on the train, the final scene that hits the right notes, a frantic outlaw (Jaeckle) atop an exploding baggage car. Also, that rock formation of the gang's hideout is impressive as heck, with its spindly ladders to the caves at the top. Then there's a splash or two of great blue sky scenery.

The supporting cast is also notable—Begley, DaSilva, Evans and Jaeckle, plus a young, curly-haired James Arness and-- look quickly—Richard Egan as a prison guard. Universal Studio did a number of these Technicolor Westerns at the time, using solid performers and location filming. None that I've seen reach the first rank, but do remain solid entertainment for horse opera fans, including this one.