snicewanger By 1960 the Hollywood Western was pretty much headed for television. Only John Wayne was drawing fans to the theaters. Hell Bent for Leather is story that probably would have been better told on an episode of Gunsmoke or Bonanza. As it is, Audie Murphy gives it his all as horse breeder Clay Santell who is misidentified as a shotgun wielding killer named Travers, played by a smirking Jan Merlin. Stephen McNally plays US Marshall Deckett.McNally was really good at playing sleazy types and he plays Deckett as such a type. Deckett knows Sentell isn't Travers but he has decided to pass Santell off as Travers,kill him and claim the reward money and the glory of having taken out Travers, whom he really really doesn't want to actually meet up with.Audie could always be counted upon to deliver a top notch performance and Jan Merlin's psycho gunman is well played,but there are just way too many plot holes in the script, along with some clumsy direction from Sherman. Sherman would,however, go on to better things.While this film isn't on a level with Ride Clear of Diablo or Walk the Proud Land, if you are an Audie Murphy fan definitely look this one up, otherwise there are other oater's that are much better done.

Tweekums This western opens with a man carrying a fancy shotgun staggering through the brush into the camp of a man and his horse... the second man gives him water and is about to give him a much needed meal when the first man strikes him with his gun and steals the horse. The second man fires a single shot and the thief drops his gun but gets away... The first man is Travers, a wanted killer and the second, the hero of the story is Clay Santell. Without a horse Santell walks to the nearest town and to buy a new one and get something to eat; the town is fairly empty though as almost everybody is at the funeral of Travers' victims. The two people he does see are friendly enough until they see the distinctive shotgun he is carrying... clearly they believe he is Travers. Soon more men turn up and it looks as though Santell is going to be lynched; then the marshal arrives and says he is going to take him to Denver for trial. Something is wrong though; the marshal knows he isn't Travers but he as decided that he is fed up of tracking the real killer so will settle for a man who a town full of people have identified as the killer. Santell manages to escape and ends up in the company of a local woman who he forces to help him; in time she comes to realise he is telling the truth... the problem is there is a posse after them and the marshal will kill them both to keep the truth from coming out! This is a quality B-western; the plot may be simple but it is well executed; little time is wasted and once the action gets started it doesn't let up until the final scene. Audie Murphy does a fine job as hero Clay Santell; an unusual western hero as he has no gun for most of the film. Stephen McNally, who puts in a good performance as Marshal Deckett, makes an equally unusual antagonist; he is a lawman who is willing to murder innocent people to attain glory. The romantic interest is provided by Felicia Farr; she is the only standard main character; most westerns seem to have a woman who stands by the hero even if she distrusts him at first. The film is helped by a decent amount of action and plenty of tense scenes set amid some stunning scenery. If you are a fan of westerns this is certainly worth watching.

chipe Fans of Western movies will not be disappointed. While not a great or even distinguished Western, it also LACKS the faults of so many other Westerns. On the plus side it can boast good colorful outdoor mountainous locations and cinema-photography , leading and supporting actors, a believable situation and a literate imaginative script. On the negative side: zero; I can't think of anything laughable, offensive or jarring. Audie Murphy looked and acted good. Felicia Farr looked better, even gorgeous. And Stephen McNally stole the movie with his acting chops. Robert Middleton was his usual excellent self in a brief suspenseful scene during Murphy's chase from McNally. Jan Merlin did well as a villain.I thought it was an interesting and unusual motive for Sheriff McNally's lying that Murphy and not Merlin was the criminal being chased. I won't reveal it in this review, though it is spelled out in most of the other reviews here. The reason puzzled me throughout watching the film, and it was finally revealed at the conclusion. Also intriguing was how Murphy would extricate himself from his predicament. Finally, kudos for Farr's back story. Surprising that there were no romantic scenes (embraces, kisses, etc.) between the two leads, Murphy and Farr, though the last scene had then leave hand in hand.

dbdumonteil The most decorated combat soldier of the war,Audie Murphy, plays the part of a man,falsely accused of being a gangster by a marshal .This embittered cop has been searching for the true culprit for months and he needs to find one ,his claim to fame.Stephen Mc Nally is the stand out ,the audience realizes little by little he has gone completely nuts ,heading the posse on his victim's trail.The girl the horse-trader meets (Felicia Farr,better known for her part in " kiss me ,stupid" )and who takes up his cause is some kind of outcast for her father was not a good man .She was taken in by neighbors but she has not really been received at the community :she takes care of the children when the inhabitants attend the service.This is a modest but entertaining western with good suspense and a great finale when the wrong and the right man meet in the mountain.