An Audie Murphy Western from 1952 directed by Budd Boetticher (Seven Men from Now/Ride Lonesome). Murphy has been falsely accused of being in league w/an outlaw gang but when coincidentally he finds himself on a train which said gang has hit, a ruthless zealot of a peace officer tries to beat a confession out of him which causes Murphy to flee embracing the very outfit the law is after. Being a tough yet fair man, he leads the gang on a number of jobs striving to not kill any innocent bystanders along the way. With constant betrayal at his heels, he never knows when the law will eventually strike making things difficult when he's fallen in love w/the daughter of a man who he counts on as an ally. Terse & well directed as it is expected by Boetticher standards (there are a couple of symmetrical shots in the film of guns being drawn in a barn against wanted parties) but Murphy's motivations are murky at best since he wants to be a well meaning outlaw when that world wouldn't welcome it in any way, shape or form. Co-starring James Best (Roscoe P. Coltrane himself), Hugh O'Brian & Noah Beery Jr. as members of Murphy's gang.
Review of The Cimarron Kid
