Représailles en Arizona

A remake of 1951 The Texas Rangers, Arizona Raiders faithfully follows its general plot,however, there's some differences. The conflicted persona of the lead character, as played Audie Murphy, who is asked to choose sides between the rangers and heading over the border, is better played and distinctive. The other characters are finely etched too, such as George Keymas, who plays the outlaw like a maniac. Sure there is that narration in the opening, and the fact Quantrill never travelled to Arizona, but it's not meant to be historically accurate ( which western is?), but it's a rousing, fast-paced western that marries the B-western with the elements that you would find in paella westerns. I.e. a little more blood, the cactus used as torture. There's an air of comic book style going on, especially with the action and the Native Americans fleeting in and carrying away the bad guys like wreaths. The cinematography and location is really eye catching. Buster Crabbe and Ben Cooper adds to the fun. This is a fun and an exciting western that I first saw on UK Television ( channel 4)in 1991 and i was really looking forward to watch it. I was corresponding with western writer J.T Edson, who based his character Dusty Fog on Audie, at the time, and he was looking forward in watching it, too

I saw this recently on cable and, admittedly, I'm a bit biased due to the fact that I have lived in Arizona for 33 years. Looks to me that special attention was paid to the scenery in this film and it's a terrific shoot-em-up. I also applaud the defensive use of cactus in this film, quite painful as I've experienced in person :)

Lots of great action and like a previous poster said, the Indians are on the side of the "good guys" this time out and are not the enemies. Looks like it was a great time while filming!

They've been showing it on cable recently and it's worth your time if you happen to stumble upon it.

When the Quantrell gang is almost destroyed, two of its members, Clint (Audie Murphy) and Willie Martin (Ben Cooper), are taken prisoner, but they later escape from prison thanks to a captain (Buster Crabbe) who assigns them a dangerous mission, to become Arizona Rangers and hunt down the murderous members of their former band. They are rumored to be hiding in a town "near the border", according to the words of a ballroom dancer. So our protagonists head off to pursue the thugs - Brady (Michael Dante) and Montana (George Keymas) - who are allegedly hiding on an Indian mission. After a massacre, there they find a beautiful young Indian woman (Gloria Talbott), but then things go wrong.

In the period when European westerns were in vogue, the sixties, with Sergio Leone as the main architect, this western film from th was released on screens with relative success . The film is full of whirlwinds of action, confrontations, emotions, fights, sustained energy and, often, praiseworthy results. The feature film has a raw elegance and vigor, although some scenes are a failure. A tense but already seen plot allowed director William Witney to maintain scenes with pedigree and at their own gallop, as well as exciting and moving moments. The Indian attacks, the shootouts, the pyrotechnics, the duels, the horse chases, all of them are briefly spectacular due to the condition of being a low-budget film, that is why the film is another passable Hollywood product, but B-series. It contains some vigorous and cleverly done action scenes, but others do not make much sense. There's a surprising description about the Yaqui Indians that are described as somewhat wild natives who subject their enemies to cruel torture, such as the execution of the "Cactus." The film stars Audie Murphy, one of the most decorated American soldiers of World War II, who, after the conflict, turned to film actor, playing a soldier in the war in the movie "Return to Hell," as well as developing a brief career as a country musician. Here Murphy plays in his ordinary style a former follower of the well-known Quantrell who is escaped from prison with his friend Ben Cooper to become an agent of the Arizona Rangers in order to hunt down the remnants of the gang. He is accompanied by an aging Buster Crabbe, a former Olympic swimmer who in his youth successfully played three of the most popular comic book heroes of the 1930s: Tarzan (Tarzan of the Beasts), Flash Gordon (Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe) and Buck Rogers (Buck Rogers).

The film was professionally directed by William Witney, one of Tarantino's favorite filmmakers. In fact, he was the one who began choreographing the action scenes in Westerns, following the pattern used in Busby Berkeley's musicals. A prolific filmmaker, Witney was a craftsman who worked extensively for Republic Pictures, the studio where he worked for many years producing a series of low-budget Westerns, many of them starring singing cowboys like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. Witney spent his entire career making serials and second-rate films, such as 40 Guns at Apache Pass as well as Apache Rifles. After World War II, William Witney continued acting in western films such as Shadows of Tombstone, Heart of Rockies, Bells of Coronado, The Painted Stallion, The Lone Ranger, Home in Oklahoma, On the Old Spanish Trail, High Time in Nevada, Gay Ranchero, Helldorado, Rex Ryder, Eyes of Texas, among others. In addition, his work in television included some quite interesting episodes of successful series, such as: High Chaparral, Bonanza, Laramie, Zorro, The Virginian, Wagon Train and he continued working in film and was able to make passable mid-budget films such as Santa Fe Passage, The Bonnie Parker story, Robur and Escaped from Devil Island. Score: 5.5/10. An acceptable and slightly decent western, at times, that Audie Murphy fans will love.

This movie is a remake of the 1951 movie "The Texas Rangers", same plot, same storyline, same lines. Only the locale and the actors are different. I take that back, this time it wasn't just a couple of men who were removed from prison, they were moved from state to state.

Having said that, I did enjoy the movie. There were enough changes to make it interesting. Audie Murphy did a wonderful job in the lead role. The location was beautiful. The director did a good job in making this movie stand on it's own.

If you liked the earlier movie, you will enjoy this remake. Audie Murphy fans should enjoy seeing him in this.

His raiders are broken up and Quantrill dies in an army hospital. Audie Murphy is sentenced to death, but the sentence is commuted to 20 years on the recommendation of Buster Crabbe, who led the attack on them. Crabbe winds up leading the Arizona Rangers. There the remnants Quantrill's forces have retreated, to become outlaws. The government can't figure out where they are, where they will strike, but he comes up with a plan: release Murphy, induct him into the Rangers and set him after the bad guys.

Audie Murphy had moved surely into westerns after he became the most decorated American soldier in the Second World War and had prospered. He was getting on in years, and the genre westerns were beginning to disappear. This movie was an attempt by him and director William Witney to produce something epic and mythic. It begins with a recitation of Quantrill's history, and moves in action. There are many nice touches: Murphy's conflicted position, the beautiful Indian girl played by Gloria Talbott, the importance of oaths, the stalwart Crabbe, and the savage Indians who carry their victims away like demons. It's a B western on a grand scale, and Witney was the man who ld bring it off if anyone could. Ford had abandoned the trappings of B productions four decades earlier. Witney had begun in the Bs, the youngest director around when he began, and he had reformed the genre, the fights, the stories, always constrained by short budgets and shooting schedules. Now, with a color camera and three decades of experience, could he save the traditional western?

Alas, no. The western was passing out of the mythscape of the world, gradually being replaced by the new frontier of science fiction. But he makes a good try here, and there are some lovely moments that recall when the west was the endless frontier, before civilization closed in. Now the West was a landscape in which everyone was corrupt, where the good, the bad and the ugly fought endlessly without any sense of right or wrong.

But Witney certainly gives it a shot. There are some lovely moments and good, canny work here. It's just that not enough people cared any more.