The premise for this Warner Brothers western is certainly ironic. Randolph Scott plays a gun salesman whose forty-fives are taken and used by a hardened criminal (Zachary Scott) during a jailbreak. This turns the first Scott into an unlikely detective trying to track down the second Scott.
The weapons cost a lot and are meant to be used responsibly. If they remain in the possession of an outlaw and his gang, these babies will not be used carefully. So you might say that this a tale about gun control.
Along the way we meet a gal played by Ruth Roman whose husband (Lloyd Bridges) is mixed up with Zachary Scott's group. Miss Roman is introduced during a nail-biting sequence involving a gold shipment and a runaway stagecoach. After her safety is assured, she takes off on a stolen horse.
When she arrives home, she reconnects with her husband. But she is unaware of the extent of his criminal activities.
She thought he was forced to keep an eye on the gold coming in and out of Bonanza Creek, something she is assisting him with...but he is actually a willing participant and plans to rob from the bank and various businesses in the local town. Eventually she realizes how corrupt he is...and voices her opposition to it.
There's an interesting scene where she goes on horseback to tell the sheriff (Alan Hale) what's going on, not knowing he's as crooked as the outlaws. As she reaches the center of town, her husband shoots her in the arm to stop her from exposing his nefarious deeds.
Of course, we know that Randolph Scott, who has become deputized, will clean up Bonanza Creek. And once her bad-guy hubby is out of the way, Miss Roman will be free to have a proper relationship with him.
The film contains a surprising amount of violence for a something made when a strict production code was enforced. It seems to work in two directions. Heroes are responsible with their firearms, and villains are not. Both sides of the law provide great shoot-'em-ups that western fans will enjoy.
The weapons cost a lot and are meant to be used responsibly. If they remain in the possession of an outlaw and his gang, these babies will not be used carefully. So you might say that this a tale about gun control.
Along the way we meet a gal played by Ruth Roman whose husband (Lloyd Bridges) is mixed up with Zachary Scott's group. Miss Roman is introduced during a nail-biting sequence involving a gold shipment and a runaway stagecoach. After her safety is assured, she takes off on a stolen horse.
When she arrives home, she reconnects with her husband. But she is unaware of the extent of his criminal activities.
She thought he was forced to keep an eye on the gold coming in and out of Bonanza Creek, something she is assisting him with...but he is actually a willing participant and plans to rob from the bank and various businesses in the local town. Eventually she realizes how corrupt he is...and voices her opposition to it.
There's an interesting scene where she goes on horseback to tell the sheriff (Alan Hale) what's going on, not knowing he's as crooked as the outlaws. As she reaches the center of town, her husband shoots her in the arm to stop her from exposing his nefarious deeds.
Of course, we know that Randolph Scott, who has become deputized, will clean up Bonanza Creek. And once her bad-guy hubby is out of the way, Miss Roman will be free to have a proper relationship with him.
The film contains a surprising amount of violence for a something made when a strict production code was enforced. It seems to work in two directions. Heroes are responsible with their firearms, and villains are not. Both sides of the law provide great shoot-'em-ups that western fans will enjoy.