THE HELLIONS is an enjoyable British western, shot in South Africa with an authentic foreign feel. Richard Todd plays the usual kind of character, the police sergeant of a small town invaded by a gang of reprobates led by the swaggering Luke Billings, played to the hilt by a cast-against-style Lionel Jeffries. After a great deal of simmering tension and a bit of violence here and there, things build to a head as the townsfolk must decide whether to fight back or not. An ensemble cast of familiar and surprising faces (Ronald Fraser, Marty Wilde, James Booth, Colin Blakely) work hard with the material, lifting it from its pulpish origins, and the bad guys are particularly well drawn, having a lot more fun than the heroes. Things build to a lavish action climax that proves extremely satisfying.
Review of The Hellions
