MartinHafer "Rimfire" is an odd western for several reasons. First, the film really has no stars in it--just lots and lots of B and C-list supporting actors. Second, the plot itself is rather diffuse and meandering. This doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad film--just not exactly typical.The film starts with an aborted stage coach robbery and it sure looks as if the film is about an evil boss-man in town whose lackeys are committing the robberies. Well, it ISN'T about this--though the first portion of the film is. The Abilene Kid is a gambler who is accused of using marked cards. In a VERY unlawful sort of hearing, the guy is railroaded and hung. Then the weird stuff begins--those responsible for the handing out this injustice are killed off one after another--with a playing card left with their corpses. You'd think the film is about some sort of ghost--but it turns out not to be. Then, out of the blue, a shipment of stolen United States gold is discovered around the same time the killer is discovered--leading the viewer to wonder exactly what was the film about, anyway?! The bottom line is that this is not even a B-western--it's more of a C-western with poor writing and an odd assortment of minor actors. Not terrible...but also not very good.

Spikeopath Rimfire is directed by B. Reeves Eason and jointly written by Ron Ormond, Arthur St. Claire and Frank Wisbar. It stars James Millican, Reed Hadley, Mary Beth Hughes, Henry Hull, Fuzzy Knight and Victor Killian. Music is by Walter Greene and cinematography by Ernest Miller.Captain Tom Harvey (Millican) is an undercover army officer working in a small Texas town investigating the theft of army gold shipments. Taking on the role of a deputy, he suddenly finds the town gripped by terror as they believe the ghost of a gambler who was wrongly convicted and hanged has come back from the grave to enact revenge."Gold and greed, it seems, go together. And so do. So do gold and death"Clocking in at just over an hour, Rimfire is compact and unfussily directed for maximum impact. There's a slight irk that once the central hanging and conviction enters the story, the film barely has time to unfold the mystery element, in fact so much is crammed into the final twenty minutes you really can't afford to look away. But why would you look away when the film is so interesting in narrative and so visually arresting? The biggest character in the piece is Ernest Miller's black and white photography, low-key lighting with prominent shadows, there's a pessimistic ambiance given the production, a sense that humanity is rotten. Which when coupled with the unusual aspects of the story make this very much a unique Western of the 40s.Well performed with the likes of Hadley, Hull and Millican turning in professional shows, and with super work from photographer Miller, this rounds out as very much a Western noir worth checking out. 7.5/10

JimB-4 With the name B. Reeves Eason in the credits as director, one would not be out of line expecting a fast-paced and action-packed adventure. Eason was widely known and respected for the machine-gun speed of his movies. But upon watching this film, which should be retitled "Misfire," one would not be out of line suspecting that Eason directed it while under anesthesia. James Millican, a not unlikable character player, gets to play the tough guy that all the saloon girls ogle, but he has neither the looks nor the charisma to carry off this kind of Western leading role. There are plenty of fine character actors in this movie, and the plot could conceivably have been used for a tense little programmer. Instead, this one moves like frozen molasses. The actors speak at half speed, the editing is at quarter speed, and there is very little to hold one's attention. The slowness of this movie must be seen to be believed, but please....trust me. It isn't worth that effort.

VernC Ignored even when it was released this B western is akin to Audie Murphy's "No Name on the Bullet" as it is a different kind of western, actually a suspense/mystery in a western setting, not a horse opera at all. The cast is an ensemble of reliable character actors doing what they do.This one is probably lost for ever, but it is an example of what can be accomplished on a starvation budget when a little creativity is applied.IT'S THE WRITING, STUPID!