A fun desert adventure of a bunch of escaped convicts being led out of danger with the help of a stolen truck, a nurse played by Madelyn Rhue and student rebel Sal Mineo. The main attraction of course is Yul Brynnyr, mainly speaking only when necessary yet still commanding. Others along are Anthony Caruso and unforgettably Jack Warden who gets the showiest of roles. In a fun cameo, James Mason pops up unexpectedly, and steals his five minutes that he's on screen. A colorful production with tons of action, lots of desert wind and the camera staring into the soul of Brynnur, this is very cinematic and the type of film that did what films like this set out to do. Take the audience to exotic places, provide them with non-stop thrills and give them a good deal of entertainment in under two hours. In short, an old fashioned hit that made cinema a lot of fun in glorious widescreen and Technicolor.
The best performance comes from Warden, playing the type of character that he became very well known for, the brash, outspoken American, yet given a drunk moments that reveals so much about his soul is that it opens Rhue up to liking him. Up to this point, she hadn't trusted him or liked him much. Another great scene has an ailing Mineo being comforted by Brynnur, showing the type of chemistry they must have had when they were together on Broadway as father and son In "The King and I". It's a shame that Mineo, with all these early great parts, Oscar nominations and fantastic reviews, couldn't get leading roles outside of a few well done B films in the late 50's. He definitely showed star quality here, even with minimal dialog here. This is one of those cinematic film that most people have never heard of that certainly deserves to be rediscovered.
The best performance comes from Warden, playing the type of character that he became very well known for, the brash, outspoken American, yet given a drunk moments that reveals so much about his soul is that it opens Rhue up to liking him. Up to this point, she hadn't trusted him or liked him much. Another great scene has an ailing Mineo being comforted by Brynnur, showing the type of chemistry they must have had when they were together on Broadway as father and son In "The King and I". It's a shame that Mineo, with all these early great parts, Oscar nominations and fantastic reviews, couldn't get leading roles outside of a few well done B films in the late 50's. He definitely showed star quality here, even with minimal dialog here. This is one of those cinematic film that most people have never heard of that certainly deserves to be rediscovered.