"The Reckoning" was the penultimate episode of this regrettably brief series, OVERLAND TRAIL an attempt at something new from William Bendix, fondly remembered for THE LIFE OF RILEY, as superintendent Fred Kelly, up and coming Doug McClure his sidekick Flip, keeping the stage trail West from Missouri safe for all. The Wild Bunch is still on the loose, leader Cash Burdette (Harold J. Stone) trying something different by luring the men out of Laramie leaving it defenseless for a raid. His son Nicky (Denny Miller) winds up shot dead by Flip after a failed stagecoach robbery that leaves Flip bleeding and near death. Caring for him is the blind Anne Michaels (Monica Lewis), whose arrival in town was sparked by reporter Caleb Nash (John Carradine), claiming to have knowledge of her son's whereabouts, having abandoned her family for another man years before. Fred Kelly realizes that Nash is just a con artist, forcing him to return the money paid for his false information, though in fact her offspring was not far off, the deceased outlaw killed by Flip, who now must hang for it as revenge via the boy's father, Cash Burdette. Though Flip attempts to cover up her son's life of crime a locket delivered by Nash reveals the ugly truth, but will it be enough to keep Burdette from adding one more murder to his long list of sins. Carradine is well cast as a human parasite, whose distasteful actions nevertheless result in saving Flip's life, but not without consequences. Neglected and forgotten for decades, OVERLAND TRAIL can now be enjoyed since its DVD release in 2011.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
