While this is not a great film, it certainly is well worth watching--especially in light of Sterling Hayden's nice performance. While hardly a household name today and never a top star, Hayden was a terrific performer with his direct, no nonsense style of acting. Oddly, however, this film finds Barton MacLane playing a nice guy...can you figure?!
The film begins with a particularly useless and bad prologue--it was poorly written and seemed to pull its punches as it didn't want to offend anyone...though the Civil War had been over for almost 90 years when the movie was made! It is set in Kansas just before the war and concerns the US government and railroad's desire to get the railroad completed...especially as it will be needed to bring in needed supplies if war breaks out (which it did). But, Quantrill and his gang are doing everything they can to sabotage the railroad, so an Engineer (Hayden) is brought in to help the foreman (MacLane) get the project completed. All in all, it's a pretty ordinary sort of film, though it plays fast and loose wit the facts...in particular Quantrill's life. Despite this, the film is enjoyable, well-made and worth seeing--even if you aren't a dyed in the wool western lover.
The film begins with a particularly useless and bad prologue--it was poorly written and seemed to pull its punches as it didn't want to offend anyone...though the Civil War had been over for almost 90 years when the movie was made! It is set in Kansas just before the war and concerns the US government and railroad's desire to get the railroad completed...especially as it will be needed to bring in needed supplies if war breaks out (which it did). But, Quantrill and his gang are doing everything they can to sabotage the railroad, so an Engineer (Hayden) is brought in to help the foreman (MacLane) get the project completed. All in all, it's a pretty ordinary sort of film, though it plays fast and loose wit the facts...in particular Quantrill's life. Despite this, the film is enjoyable, well-made and worth seeing--even if you aren't a dyed in the wool western lover.