A bank robber (Audie Murphy) assumes the identity of the sheriff who died accidentally while chasing him. A very light weight film trying to be a combo comedy western, a usually deadly idea with the exception of Destry Rides Again or a few others. Audie Murphy isn't very funny, and while Walter Matthau is, his role as a drinking judge and local leader of a town on a river, lacks any discernible wit. That leaves one with the story of a basically good guy who's done bad things given the second chance to redeem himself, as well as the saloon girl Gia Scala) who also gets in on the masquerade. A few good scenes here and there, and generally good natured entertainment, and a neat scene in the bar where a guy puts a cigar butt out in Murphy's whiskey, the film generally lacks excitement or tension, though the story had possibilities.
Review of Ride a Crooked Trail
