julian-er-allen
I have really enjoyed some of Boetticher's other movies - especially The Tall T. This one starts well and seems to prefigure some of Clint Eastwood's westerns. The town riven with corruption etc. There is a marvellous scene of dark comedy between Randolph Scott and L.Q.Jones as they 'bury' another guy (who has tried to kill Scott)in a tree!!!. The dialogue is very good here. However the film loses it's way with the overcomplicated action in the town - and the villains are rather pallid in presentations and somewhat poorly acted - they do not have the depth of the 'villains' in the other films. Indeed this series of westerns is notable for the richness of the portrayals of the morally compromised characters - they are presented as complex characters - with acute psychological realism. This makes this film all the more disappointing - it is very much the poor relation of the others.
FightingWesterner
Happy-go-lucky drifter Randolph Scott rides into a crooked border town controlled by the sleazy Agry family and steps into trouble when he saves a Mexican youth accused of murder from being beaten to death by the sheriff.As with the other Bud Boetticher directed westerns starring Randolph Scott, this is excellent storytelling with stunning Technicolor cinematography that looks like a million bucks, with perfect composition in every frame!The fast-paced, entertaining story is a nice blend of suspense, drama, and comedy, with great performances by all the actors involved, especially a young L.Q. Jones. His eulogy to a fellow hired goon is a real hoot.
Michael Morrison
Randolph Scott once claimed a certain club that refused membership to actors should let him since he had 50 movies to prove he wasn't an actor.He was being terribly modest.Watching "Buchanan Rides Alone" one realizes he was a very good actor.Critics say his best performances came with direction by Budd Boetticher and "Buchanan Rides Alone" stands as evidence for that belief.In fact, the entire cast gives great performances.One of the attractions of this film is that there are so many strong characters, so many individual parts very well played by great actors.Far too many of these great actors did not become famous, but they certainly deserved to.This is a classic.
bkoganbing
Soldier of fortune and jack of all trades Randolph Scott rides in from Mexico to the border town of Agryville which is run by three brothers, all greedy and of varying intelligence. Judge Tol Avery, Sheriff Barry Kelley and hotel owner Peter Whitney. They are three really low specimens of humanity, only differing in their type of depravity.They've got another young Agry in William Leslie who is Avery's son, a real punk who gets killed by Manuel Rojas in a gunfight. But with the town being named Agryville Rojas is not exactly assured due process and when Scott steps in to keep the Agrys and their hired guns from beating Rojas to death, he gets arrested as well as an accomplice.But these Agrys are a really scurvy lot and Avery decides there's more money to be made by ransoming off Rojas to his father who is a rich Mexican don. And he's not going to cut in his brothers. So this Agry family double dealing is what gets Scott free and of course the cowboy hero does what a cowboy hero always does.Buchanan Rides Alone is probably one of the weaker of the Randolph Scott-Budd Boetticher films, it could have used a lot better script. Still Scott is his usual heroic self and he's got a touch of humor in this one. In fact the business where you see all the town businesses with the Agry name on it, must have inspired Mel Brooks to use Johnson on all establishments in Blazing Saddles.There are two other prominent roles, Craig Stevens who works for Avery, but plays a lone hand and L.Q. Jones in one of his earliest roles as a young cowboy who proves to be a friend indeed for Randolph Scott.For fans of Randolph Scott and good B westerns.
AD
