The same Columbia Pictures released 3:10 Yuma, United Artists released their own very similar film The Ride Back. In both films, a reluctant lawman is recruited to escort a dangerous criminal to his doom-in 3:10 to Yuma it's the train station, and in The Ride Back it's the United States border. Chances are, if you liked one you'll like the other, so if this is your cup of tea, give it a whirl.In this one, William Conrad is a sheriff who has to travel down to Mexico to bring back a wanted criminal. The half-Mexican wanted criminal is played by-I'll give you three guesses-Anthony Quinn. Given every opportunity, Tony tries to escape, but Bill is determined to bring him to the border. Along the way, the lines of right and wrong blur as Tony shows a warm and caring heart. Will Bill go through with it? You'll have to watch to find out. Compared to the original 3:10 to Yuma-the remake is in a class by itself-I actually liked this movie better. William Conrad is a little boring and wooden, but Anthony Quinn is delectably warm and easy to root for. And as a bonus, Eddie Albert sings the title song! If you're looking for an even better movie though, try The River's Edge, an exciting western where Anthony Quinn toughs it out with a rattlesnake.

There's a sequence towards the end of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" in which Tim Holt must keep his eye and his gun on the paranoid Humphrey Bogart, who has threatened to jump him whenever he has a chance in order to steal the treasure. It's a tense journey. Holt must be forever on his guard.This inexpensive black-and-white Western is a little like that sequence, stretched out to feature length, with a bit of "3:10 to Yuma" thrown in. William Conrad is the American deputy who captures accused murderer Quinn in a small Mexican village and must take his prisoner through Indian country and back to Scottsville for trial.Everyone seems attracted to Quinn's character, for reasons that escape me. He's not an evil guy but neither is he charismatic. Yet his live-in Mexican girl friend is willing to die to save him, a little girl picked up during the journey loves him, and even Conrad begins to weep as he bitterly admits that everybody likes Quinn while nobody loves Conrad.It's a routine story, with some irrelevant plot points. Quinn's charisma has nothing to do with the outcome of the story. And some discontinuity. Quinn, a known fast gun who has killed at least one man and treats his girl friend casually, suddenly turns to jello when he befriends the orphaned young girl. That girl, Ellen Hope Monroe, seemed very familiar, as if she'd grown into a well-known adult actress, but that appears not to have been the case.The photography and make up are careless. After Quinn shoots a couple of evil drunken Apaches, the shadow of the camera is noticeable several times in the shots. The actors sweat, except that in the desert no one sweats. The air is so dry that sweat evaporates immediately. I drove through Death Valley with someone who drank beer after beer and never needed to urinate. The clothing, which should look dusty, looks greasy, as if the actors had just crawled out from beneath a truck. I can't think of many black-and-white Westerns that have managed to suggest clothing or flesh that's dusty instead of simply filthy with accumulated black grease.There is one element that's unusual. Quinn and three other characters speak Spanish, just as they would have. Of course Quinn was born in Chihuahua but came to the states at an early age, and it was a surprise to hear how comfortable he was with the language. He'd never used it in any of his other "ethnic" roles. Oh, I just thought of another surprise. As the credits role and a dull song is played, the lyrics are belted out by a robust, earnest, and strenuous tenor belonging to Eddie Albert. I winced.

Extremely BORING (and I mean it) and slow Western, redeemed in the last 10 minutes by a serviceable, nice enough ending. Even the humdrum song sung by the noted actor Eddie Albert delivered a nice touch at the ending. Boring even though the famous Robert Aldrich is one of the producers, as is William Conrad, who also co-stars in it with Anthony Quinn. I can't repeat enough how BORING it is, save for the last 10 minutes. Very inexpensive black and white Western. Conrad is the lowly lawman who travels to Mexico to bring Quinn back for trial. After a lot of useless talk in Spanish and no action, Conrad takes his prisoner on the trek back. They encounter some Indians and a young orphan girl. It's just the two of them filling the screen most of the time. Did I say it was so BORING? Don't be fooled by the unanimous laudatory other reviews here. I know what the producers were aiming at. That was laudatory, but the execution was tedious IMHO.

The overall look of a routine "B" oater serves as a mere backdrop for what in reality is a fascinating character study. The leads alternate between playing cat-and-mouse with each other and discovering disarming truths about their own characters. The supporting cast, although unknown, provide dynamic supporting performances -- check this unknown gem out, and share your thoughts with me.