"El Paso, a Pine/Thomas production has a large cast and plenty of violent action to satisfy the most demanding western fan. However, most of the real violence happens off screen to appease the censors.Clay Fletcher (John Payne) goes to El Paso to have Judge Henry Jeffers (Henry Hull) sign some legal documents for his grandfather Judge Fletcher (H.B. Warner). Clay also hopes to see his lost love Susan Jeffers (Gail Russell) as well. On his journey he becomes acquainted with bewhiskered Pesky (Gabby Hayes), a peddler.What Clay finds is a lawless town run by landowner Bert Donner (Sterling Hayden) and his corrupt sheriff La Farge (Dick Foran). Clay himself a lawyer, witnesses a mock trial of a prisoner accused of murder presided over by an intoxicated Judge Jeffers. The prisoner (Keith Richards) is quickly found guilty by a jury composed of Donner and his men. Clay goes to see Susan and the two try to find a way to sober up Judge Jeffers.Farmer John Elkins (Arthur Space) is told that his ranch is being sold for unpaid taxes. When he resists a deputy is shot in the scuffle. Ellis escapes to the hosienda of Mexican Don Nacho Vazquez (Eduardo Noriega) for protection. Clay decides to defend Elkins and hatches a plan to have, with Pesky's help, the Judge sobered up. At the trial, Elkins is found innocent but consequences ensue. The Elkins ranch is raided by La Farge's men who burn down their home and murder Elkins and his wife. Their son Jack (Bobby Ellis) witnesses the attack. At the same time, Judge Jeffers is dragged to death.When Clay learns of this he loses it and forms a gang of vigilantes to exact their revenge. Young Jack identifies some of the attackers who are promptly strung up. Unfortunately, Jack identifies an innocent man who is killed before the error is discovered.Judge Fletcher comes to town and he and Sally try to reason with Clay to stop his attacks. He agrees to do so but relents when Judge Fletcher's body is brought to him. This incites the final showdown with Donner and La Farge and................................................................................The finale for some reason, takes place in a sand storm which makes it difficult for the viewer to see all of the action. The brutal deaths of the two judges even though they occur off screen, are shocking.Payne and Hayden are convincing in their roles and the tragic Russell looks absolutely beautiful here. Gabby Hayes nearing the end of his long career, turns in another typical Gabby performance. But the big surprise is the casting of Dick Foran as the brutal sheriff. He normally was a good guy so this about face caught me off guard.The most surprising thing about this picture is the fact that Payne and his cohorts are not punished for the murder of the innocent Minister.Also in the cast are Irving Bacon as a stagecoach passenger, Mary Beth Hughes, Chief Yowlachie and Dewey Robinson as the bartender (what else?).

When all else fails out come the Colts and Winchesters. Fine upstanding ex - Confederate officer Mr John Payne tries to Clean Up The Town by lawful means but has to resort to violence in the face of endemic corruption. The end justifies the means,eh,John? If "El Paso" has a moral message that appears to be it. Aided,if that's the word by Gabby Hayes and Gail Russel,hindered by the great Henry Hull,with heavyweight "help" such as Sterling Hayden,Mr Payne finds that friends in need are friends indeed. Mind you,nobody said either he or Haynes was clever judging from the ease with which " Stagecoach Nellie" parts then from their wallets before they arrive in town. I watched a horrible orange and grey print of this on Freeview the other night and it is a tribute to the performers that stayed to the end. The odd Fordian touch kept me from grabbing the remote but overall it's potboiling stuff all round I'm afraid.

El Paso is directed by Lewis R. Foster and Foster also adapts the screenplay from a story written by J. Robert Bren and Gladys Atwater. It stars John Payne, Gail Russell, Sterling Hayden, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Dick Foran, Eduardo Noriega, Henry Hull and Mary Beth Hughes. Music is by Darrell Calker and cinematography by Ellis W. Carter. Location filming is at the Iverson and Corrigan Ranches and El Paso and Gallup. El Paso, and lawyer and ex-Confederate captain Clay Fletcher (Payne) is forced to go against his principles and go outside the law to bring order to the town. It's a town where the judge is alcoholic and manipulated by the corrupt sheriff and a nefarious landowner.In the mix here is a very decent film, and certainly there's a story that if given a bit more meat could have been most potent. Unfortunately it's a bit choppy in its telling and execution, while the Cinecolor it was shot in looks washed out and cheapens still further what was already a picture being made without a big budget.Thematically it's strong, there's a vigilante thread that's attention grabbing, with some nice suggestive shots used by the director, and a theme of ex-soldiers returning from the war - only to find their land and rights being vanquished by the self imposed powers that be - carries with it some pertinent sting. There's also some good humour in here, notably a running gag involving Hughes' Stagecoach Nellie.Cast are fine, with Hayden and Payne fronting up for their fans, Hayes does another grand grizzled old coot turn, and Noriega, in spite of being under used, is excellent. Crude back projection work undermines some half decent action sequences, whilst the extended shoot-out finale is nicely played out during a dust storm - which may be to hide some flaws in the production? But regardless it has good effect.Frustrating picture for sure, but for Western die-hards there's enough here to enjoy and not feel angry about. 6.5/10

In the immediate aftermath of the Civil War a Confederate officer by the name of "Clay Fletcher" (John Payne) returns to his home in Charleston, South Carolina, to restart his law profession. Upon hearing that a former sweetheart named "Susan Jeffers" (Gail Russell) and her father "Judge Henry Jeffers" (Henry Hull) have moved to El Paso, Texas, he volunteers to take some important legal papers to him. When he gets to El Paso he finds that a group of thugs have taken control of the small town and are manipulating the alcoholic judge to enforce their corrupt interests. Now, rather than detailing the entire story, I will just say that this film had a "Grade B" feel from start to finish. None of the actors distinguished themselves, the plot was shaky and some of the scenes seemed a bit corny at times. To be fair though, some of these criticisms can be attributed to the time-period in which this film was made. Even so, I thought it could have been better and so I have scored it as slightly below average.