Here we have Alan Ladd as "The Dutchman", educated criminal who wants to steal a pile of gold. With help from fellow ex-con Ernest Bornine, and others, they succeed. There are many perils along the way.There are fights, the Sheriff, the parole board, and the bad guys trying to steal the gold including a deputy. Neihimah Persoff is the dynamite guy, as they have to go into an abandoned shaft and blast the gold out at the same time as the regular mine next to this shaft. The blast is at 4PM.They must be on daylight savings time as they get a lot done after the blast and when the movie ends, it is still not sun down. The last parts of the film are where most of the action is after the opening fight in prison. Overall, the film is pretty satisfying with a couple of good looking women to keep our heros busy and one who helps save them in the end.

Interesting story, clumsily told. Had the makings of a great western: the crime-caper, the double- crossings, the romance, and throw in some personal histories and racial and social issues. For the most part, it works well. Yet some scenes are cringe-worthy in their clumsiness. Just about any scene involving Ernest Borgnine and Katy Jurado, for example. There was absolutely no chemistry there (and this is more the script's fault, rather than their's), and their relationship just seem contrived. Some of the twists in the plot are also quite predictable.This said, the movie moves along at a good pace, the action scenes are good, and the ending wraps up the story nicely.Good performance by Alan Ladd in the lead role. Good support from Ernest Borgnine, Katy Jurado and Claire Kelly. I can't believe Claire Kelly didn't become a bigger star: she certainly had the looks, and was a decent actress.

Opening in Yuma prison this western gets off to a gritty start as we see a prisoner being flogged; he isn't one of our protagonists though; they are Peter 'The Dutchman' Van Hoek, a mining engineer framed for a robbery at the mine he worked in and John 'Mac' McBain, the conned out of the land the mine was built on. They are not friends though and Mac wants nothing to do with The Dutchman when he gets out of prison.Once out The Dutchman goes back to the mine via a disused shaft and goes to a disused section; here he heads straight to a large gold seam that he had discovered before but hadn't told the manager as he didn't trust him to reward him as promised. He takes a sample and goes to a rival mine owner and proposes that he will deliver the gold ore for smelting for $100,000; he estimates it is worth over twice that so both would be getting a good deal. To do it he must get help; Mac and an explosives expert... they must also time it perfectly so that they blast at the exact moment the miners in the active part of the mine blast so nobody notices the explosion.This western is essentially a classic heist movie the only difference is that rather than robbing a bank they are robbing ore from a mine. Alan Ladd and the recently deceased Ernest Borgnine do fine jobs as The Dutchman and Mac respectively. As with most westerns there is some female interest for the protagonists; Katy Jurado plays a Mexican woman who is rescued by Mac when set upon by thugs; this helps establish that his character is a good man at heart. The scenes in the mine are suitably claustrophobic and the outdoor scenes take full advantage of the Arizona landscape with stunning scenery and lots of towering cacti. The villains are suitably conniving making it satisfying when their plans are thwarted in the middle of a Mexican carnival. I'd certainly recommend this for fans of the western genre; especially if they are looking for something a little different.

For the record, this movie was filmed primarily in Old Tucson, near Tucson, Arizona. Ernest Borgnine and Alan Ladd made a great combo and their friendship, which began in Yuma Teritoral Prison, proved beneficial to both as the story develops. Both had been railroaded and served time in prison in spite of being innocent and both sought and obtained their revenge, albeit in a non-violent manner. Katy Jurado does a good job with her part and the relationship between her and Borgnine is well-written and played. I believe they were husband and wife in "real life." If you love "good guy wins" endings, this is the good old western for you!