The bank of Red Valley, a small town in Utah, is robbed by a gang and three residents are murdered during the heist. However the corrupt banker Stanley Clanton (Porter Hall) has plotted the heist with the owner of the local stable, Uncle Willie McLeod (Edgar Buchanan), and the rancher Jack Lester (Bernard Nedell) and his gang. Sheriff Steve Upton (Randolph Scott) is out of town investigating the holdup and is surprised by the wanted outlaw Cheyenne Rogers (Glenn Ford). The gunman that was hired by Stanley but arrived late for the heist, steals his horse and heads to Red Valley. In the stable, the daughter of Uncle Willie, Allison McLeod (Evelyn Keyes), recognizes the horse and rescues the sheriff from the wilderness. Meanwhile Cheyenne meets Countess Maletta (Claire Trevor) and his friend Nitro Rankin (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams). The Countess is the owner of the local saloon and suffers from unrequited love for him, and feels guilty for the crime life of Cheyenne that committed his first murder to protect her ranch. When Steve returns to Red Valley and sees Cheyenne, he feels happy to see his old friend and Allison falls in love with Cheyenne. But Sheriff Steve is getting close to Jack Lester and now Stanley Clanton masterminds a plan to incriminate Cheyenne for robbing the bank. Will he succeed?"The Desperadoes" is a funny and entertaining western directed by Charles Vidor and with a great cast highlighting the names of Randolph Scott, Claire Trevor and a young Glenn Ford. The story combines western, comedy and action in right doses and there are amazing scenes like for example the stampede. There is also a great message of friendship. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Império da Desordem" ("Empire of Mayhem")

You won't see many movies as visually enjoyable as this 'un. Careful attention was given to weaving stunning color throughout the movie. The story is both enjoyable and believable and well acted. Cinematography is outstanding and may pass as a western "Film Noir" in some circles. Randolph Scott is at the top of his game physically and gives one of his finest performances. Glenn Ford is outstanding and seems to me to be a more dynamic player than I am accustomed to seeing in his movies. And Claire Trevor fans won't be disappointed either, although some of her costumes are a bit over the top! Wonderful production values and color worthy of an expressionist. Especially enjoyable is the beauty of Utah. Pay attention!

Randolph Scott and Glenn Ford were once outlaw pals together, but now Scott's a sheriff and young Ford is still hiring his gun out. He gets hired to pull a bank job, but is delayed getting to town and those that hired him get someone else. That leads to all kinds of complications, a lot for a film that's not even 90 minutes long.Randy and Glenn both got girls here. Claire Trevor plays her usual good time gal with a heart of gold. And Evelyn Keyes is the daughter of Edgar Buchanan who falls for Ford big time without realizing who he is or why he came to the town that Scott is the sheriff in.It's B western, but unusual for the time and for Columbia Pictures it was given the full technicolor treatment. The Desperadoes marked Glenn Ford's first film in technicolor, a process reserved only for some of the more expensive films from bigger studios. Harry Cohn was certainly not one to shell out for it. And definitely not during war time.The plot gets a bit convoluted as both Ford and Scott are put to the test of friendship versus expediency/duty. The plot also involves some high class hypocritical skunks in Randy's town who are the real outlaws as far as the film is concerned.The four leads do a fine job and the best supporting performance is Guinn Williams as Ford's lovable explosive lunkhead of a sidekick. The climax involves a cattle stampede and a shootout in the town saloon and is one of the best ever done in a western film.Fans of the four leads and westerns in general will enjoy this one.

When the bank is robbed in town the result is murder. However behind closed doors the whole robbery was organised by the bank manager and several other important townsfolk – the murder happening because their first choice man for the job didn't show up. When the man does turn up it is too late, but it turns out Cheyenne is also a friend of the sheriff, Steve. When Cheyenne meets Alison, he turns over a new leaf and decides to go straight, however not only does his past start to catch him up, but the real robbers decide to frame Cheyenne for the crime. The whole thing puts stress on the friendship between Steve and Cheyenne.With the veteran Randolph Scott in the lead role I decided this western was worth a try. The plot starts out quite serious – a top level plot to swindle money out of the bank's customers but the plot is a little complicated by a series of rather convoluted plot devices (the most unlikely of which being the man who was meant to do the job, turning up late, being a friend of the sheriff and then changing his ways). This unlikely events sort of mess the film around a little bit but not too badly. After a while the film develops a sense of mocking humour that almost makes it a spoof of sorts – this is best seen in the bar fight where poker players continue regardless of one of their players being knocked out and the barman desperate to keep his business in good condition just long enough to sell it! These little comic touches are quite unexpected and pretty welcome as it really helps lighten up the film and make it more enjoyable.The cast are OK but are also helped by the humour of the film. For leading man, Scott has almost a supporting role to play and does very little. Glenn Ford's Cheyenne has more screen time and is really the leading character. He does well with it and is quite charismatic in the role. Support is not great but is pretty enjoyable – especially those characters whose roles are more about laughs than anything else. Added to the comedy are a couple of good fight scenes, a stampede and a final shoot out. Not all of these work that well but they help keep the light-hearted tone of the film.Overall, not a great western but quite fun to watch. It may not all work but the tone of gentle, almost self-mocking humour really helps it to be enjoyable.