Sorry I can't share the same enthusiasm for this film that prior reviewers have, but it seems to muddle from scene to scene in search of the righteous revenge angle that never quite materializes. The protagonist, Jet Cosgrave (John Derek), never evokes the kind of sympathy one would expect for his cause, because even though he was swindled out of ownership of his father's ranch, he only seems one track minded on doing away with his uncle The Major (Jim Davis). Along the way, he can't seem to keep his hands off the ladies, and I get the impression that if Mrs. Banner was a little younger, he might have tried to kiss her too.I guess where I lost empathy for Jet was when he failed to deal with his hired gun Dude Rankin (Bob Steele) for the shooting of the camp cook at the line ranch. It was almost like, 'well that wasn't a cool thing to do, but a purpose was served so we'll let it slide'. Check the scene right after Jet admonishes Rankin, saying he's to do what he's paid for and not more; as Jet turns his horse to ride away, the horse hits Rankin in the head! I was surprised that wasn't a do over.You know what perplexed me - the showdown that I expected to occur between Jet and the Major the first time was interrupted by the love triangle, and the Major didn't do anything but hang out waiting for something to happen. Not very believable when he was already worked up enough to face off against his nephew. Then when it was set up again, attorney Devlin interfered to prevent a more satisfying resolution. In their own way, the only characters that seemed to maintain their integrity as bad boys were the gun for hire ranch bosses, Cal Prince (James Millican) and Dude Rankin. Oh yeah, and kudos to Curly too for remaining true to his principles and not selling out his boss; what else would you expect from an actor named Nacho Galindo? At least there was that cool fist fight on horseback between Jet and The Dude, I've never seen that before. Just about everything else though was pretty much by the book for a 'B' oater. For a better John Derek effort in a Western, I would recommend checking out the 1957 picture, "Fury at Showdown". It's got better atmosphere as a black and white film, a great bar room brawl, and an effective early appearance by Nick Adams.

I saw this movie on the Westerns Channel and didn't expect much from it. But I was pleasantly surprised as it was well directed, the staging was impressive, the script was thorough and had an intriguing plot. The exterior shots were gorgeous (wonderful country, might have been Wyoming but probably the back lot somewhere.) While only John Derek was truly handsome, the cast selection and action created by the supporting cast makes this movie worth watching. The only bad thing was, Bob Steele shot a man in the back. I was horrified, having seen so many of his movies where he was the good guy. A complete change of character for him. See it.

A very good performance by a young John Derek, an outstanding performance by veteran Bob Steele, beautiful scenery stunningly photographed, and action-packed, razor-sharp direction by an old pro at the top of his form make this one of the best "B" westerns to come out of Republic Pictures, which specialized in them and did them better than any other studio did. Derek plays a young man who returns home after his father dies to claim the ranch that was stolen from him, and runs into more trouble than he bargained for. Steele, a major western star in the '30s and '40s, had aged out of leading man roles and settled into character parts, often playing--as he does here--a cold-blooded gunman (watch Humphrey Bogart's 1951 "The Enforcer" to see Steele as a hired killer par excellance). He was such a good actor that he was as effective in these roles as he was in his younger days as a cowboy hero. The cast is full of familiar western faces--Jim Davis, Ben Cooper, James Millican, Slim Pickens--and ace director William Witney uses them all to their best advantage. The blazing gun battles are expertly staged, and the film as a whole moves like lightning. All in all, an expertly made, thoroughly enjoyable little "B" western, more entertaining than many films that cost 50 times as much. Highly recommended.

An early performance by Derek is the main attraction here, in this action packed tale of a young man, returning home to reclaim his ranch from a dastardly cattle baron. A good supporting cast, and a director that doesn't let the romance scenes get in the way, make this good fare.