This is a standard actioner about railroad detective Luke Smith (Alan Ladd) who has to track down an old buddy Murray Sinclair (Robert Preston) whom he believes is involved in a series of railroad hold ups. Murray also happens to have a fine spread and is married to Smith's old love interest, Marion (Brenda Marshall).
Smith cut's Murray a lot of breaks and gives him the benefit of the doubt until someone is killed in a railroad hold-up and he can no longer turn a blind eye towards his old friend. Donald Crisp plays the leader the gang that led Murray astray and we have bad guy Whitey (Frank Faylen wearing a blond wig) as the heavy.
Paramount gave it an "A" picture look with excellent Technicolor production values, but it deserves a better plot. Preston merely repeats his good-guy-gone-bad role from BLOOD ON THE MOON, and Ladd is capable but low-key to the point of almost being monotonous. Crisp as a bad guy makes no impression while Faylen's blond wig, looks ridiculous.
It starts off being filmed up in the beautiful Sierras but winds up towards the end at the same ranch locations that Paramount used for most of it's programmers. Same old locations.
It's not bad, but it's nothing special, imo. Average.
5 out of 10
Smith cut's Murray a lot of breaks and gives him the benefit of the doubt until someone is killed in a railroad hold-up and he can no longer turn a blind eye towards his old friend. Donald Crisp plays the leader the gang that led Murray astray and we have bad guy Whitey (Frank Faylen wearing a blond wig) as the heavy.
Paramount gave it an "A" picture look with excellent Technicolor production values, but it deserves a better plot. Preston merely repeats his good-guy-gone-bad role from BLOOD ON THE MOON, and Ladd is capable but low-key to the point of almost being monotonous. Crisp as a bad guy makes no impression while Faylen's blond wig, looks ridiculous.
It starts off being filmed up in the beautiful Sierras but winds up towards the end at the same ranch locations that Paramount used for most of it's programmers. Same old locations.
It's not bad, but it's nothing special, imo. Average.
5 out of 10