There's only one reason to catch this Western, and that's to see just how far over the top Jack Palance can take it. There are times though when even he gets to be too embarrassing, as in a scene late in the picture when he does a drunken jag while holding his grandson hostage. He's just totally crazed and manic at that point, which makes me wonder now whether he was really on a drunken jag while filming. I guess we'll never know, but man, he was really out there.
If one has any sense of America's Civil War history, you'll probably recognize elements of the Quantrill Raider legacy in this story of Josiah Gant (Palance), leader of a vicious band of rebels even the Confederacy doesn't care to acknowledge. The opening scene is reminiscent of the Quantrill raid on Lawrence, Kansas in 1863, but in this case the location is given as St. Thomas, Kansas, and the marauding gang is nowhere near the size of Quantrill's bunch. When it occurs, Galt's oldest son Davey (Vince Edwards) has an epiphany of sorts; he begins to realize just how vile and dangerous his family is. The father's murderous nature extends to David's brothers Jacob (George Maharis) and Adam (Christian Roberts).
A quick flashback scene of Davey's dying mother telegraphs the finale, but even though her vision of the future calls for the family members to destroy each other, one wouldn't expect the ending to be as final as it was for all concerned. However it did leave a question mark over the fate of Jacob, a quick cutaway of the fight between him and Davey aboard a train left his fate inconclusive. But if you go with the premise, all the Galt's were goners.
Keep an eye on the scene when Jacob and Adam are in jail fully expecting Davey to bust them out. When Davey skips out, the bars of the jail cell actually move when Jacob shakes them. They probably could have walked out any time they wanted.
There must be something about the word 'desperado' to assign the kiss of death to movie Westerns. A 1943 film titled 'The Desperadoes" (with an 'e') starring Randolph Scott and Glenn Ford also comes up short in the way of telling a story. But that was twenty five years earlier than this one, so you can cut it some slack for the writing. Not only that, but it's a little shocking to see Neville Brand in this film as a federal marshal - I've never seen him so fat!
If one has any sense of America's Civil War history, you'll probably recognize elements of the Quantrill Raider legacy in this story of Josiah Gant (Palance), leader of a vicious band of rebels even the Confederacy doesn't care to acknowledge. The opening scene is reminiscent of the Quantrill raid on Lawrence, Kansas in 1863, but in this case the location is given as St. Thomas, Kansas, and the marauding gang is nowhere near the size of Quantrill's bunch. When it occurs, Galt's oldest son Davey (Vince Edwards) has an epiphany of sorts; he begins to realize just how vile and dangerous his family is. The father's murderous nature extends to David's brothers Jacob (George Maharis) and Adam (Christian Roberts).
A quick flashback scene of Davey's dying mother telegraphs the finale, but even though her vision of the future calls for the family members to destroy each other, one wouldn't expect the ending to be as final as it was for all concerned. However it did leave a question mark over the fate of Jacob, a quick cutaway of the fight between him and Davey aboard a train left his fate inconclusive. But if you go with the premise, all the Galt's were goners.
Keep an eye on the scene when Jacob and Adam are in jail fully expecting Davey to bust them out. When Davey skips out, the bars of the jail cell actually move when Jacob shakes them. They probably could have walked out any time they wanted.
There must be something about the word 'desperado' to assign the kiss of death to movie Westerns. A 1943 film titled 'The Desperadoes" (with an 'e') starring Randolph Scott and Glenn Ford also comes up short in the way of telling a story. But that was twenty five years earlier than this one, so you can cut it some slack for the writing. Not only that, but it's a little shocking to see Neville Brand in this film as a federal marshal - I've never seen him so fat!