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Best Of The Badmen

1951, Movie, NR, 83 mins

Best Of The Badmen: Review

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Another James-Younger saga lionizing the outlaws, who are persuaded, as members of Quantrill's guerrillas, to surrender and receive amnesty following the Civil War and to take up lawful pursuits. Ryan, Buetel, Cabot, Tierney, Tyler, and others accept. Preston, a back-stabbing Union detective, has no intention of allowing the ex-Confederates to live in peace, however; all have huge rewards on their heads and he plans to kill them in ambush and collect. Ryan learns of the plans and tries to warn the Southern boys but Preston captures him and he is sentenced to hang. Trevor, Preston's estranged wife, helps Ryan to escape and he rejoins the outlaw band, which is presented as more law-abiding than their pursuers (as was certainly not the case in real life). They rob banks and trains in which Preston has an interest. Ryan finally faces Preston in a shootout, kills the villain, and is exonerated to live happily ever after with Trevor, while the outlaws continue their criminal careers. Ryan is powerful and rugged in his role, lifting this production out of the average oater class, and receives witty, tough support from Cabot, Brennan, and others and from a clever script that never bothers with the facts. Russell directs with professional smoothness. This was the first film of Buetel, Howard Hughes' protege and star of the inflated western THE OUTLAW, since making that potboiler in 1941, a 10-year lapse which no one in Hollywood, including Buetel, ever explained. leave a comment
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