LeonLouisRicci The Combination of an Early Audie Murphy Vehicle and Director Budd Boetticher's First Western make this a Must See for Genre Fans. Budd and Murphy do not disappoint.Mounted in Technicolor, a Good Supporting Cast, and a Rousing Score, this is a Solid Bit of Entertainment Complete with the Director's Crisp Action and Unconventional Inclusions.Admire the Decision to have an African American Portrayed as an Admired Family Man (Frank Silvera) with not a Hint of Exploitation or Stereotype. Check Out that Railroad Turnstile Scene (has there ever been another) Shot with an Attention to Detail. Also Notice the Strong Female Mexican Character (Yvette Duguay), as Important and Cunning as any of the Gang, and Absolutely Beautiful.These Slightly Off-Track Ingredients, and His Mastery Showcase of the Camera, Lighting, and Action Scenes, show why the Director would soon become Legendary Teaming Up with Randolph Scott to make a Series of Westerns that are Considered some of the Best of the Decade.There are Scenes with Actors in the Foreground in Nothing but Shadow, Faceless and Baroque. Take a Look at the Gun Battles and the way Botteicher makes them a Rapid Fire Standout, Realistic, although Heightened, with Visual Flare.Murph also Shows just how Photogenic He could be, Displaying Baby-Faced Features that Hide His Strong and Steely Interior. He Captures the Frame even when Surrounded by a Gaggle of Gang Members.Overall, this is as Attractive and Action Packed as any Western of the Period and can Hold its Own with the Best of the Early Fifties. Note...Look for an almost unrecognizable, bearded, red-haired Hugh O'Brian as a nasty villain, appropriately named Red Buck.

classicsoncall This picture combines elements from the real life exploits of the Dalton Gang and outlaw Bill Doolin, but if you do an internet search on The Cimarron Kid, all you get are references to this movie. I was surprised to see how quickly the Daltons faded from the story, but the events of their raid on Coffeyville, Oklahoma were portrayed fairly accurately. The historical Bill Doolin rode with the Daltons for a while, but whether he was with them on the Coffeyville run remains a matter of conjecture.Be that as it may, this Western is about par for the course for Audie Murphy's movie output. He played both heroes and villains in his pictures, trading on the personal popularity he gained as a real war hero during the Second World War. I don't think you'll find many reviewers who would call him a great actor but he managed to entertain well enough, and that's about the most one can expect from films like these.The puzzler for me in this film was why Murphy's character turned to a life of crime after being exonerated and recommended for parole over his associations with outlaws like the Daltons. His character was one that could have swayed either way, so when he goes the bad guy route I felt the film makers missed an opportunity. A scene I thought was pretty clever was the one in which Carrie Roberts (Beverly Tyler) wrangled an engagement ring out of the Kid when she wasn't even trying. Seems like Dad Roberts (Roy Roberts) was pretty much OK with it too.Now I've seen Hugh O'Brian in outlaw roles before but giving him red hair and a red beard was a bit much, wasn't it? I guess it had to do with his character's name, Red Buck. On hand as a foil to Bill Doolin's position in the gang as nominal leader after most of the Daltons get wiped out, Red doesn't make it out of Rigby during the shootout there. Speaking of which, the inclusion of that railroad turntable was a neat distraction since it had nothing to do with the outcome.Well, the real life Emmett Dalton survived the Coffeyville Raid and after serving prison time, wound up going to Hollywood to consult on films like "When the Daltons Rode". He was given short shrift in this story because the only Dalton survivor in this one was Dynamite Dick (John Hudson) who wound up double crossing Bill Doolin. Sometimes you just can't trust a fellow outlaw.

mark.waltz Being in the wrong place at the wrong time turns legendary bandit Bill Doolin to crime in this by the numbers western. It seems that no matter how much he tries Doolin (played by the handsome Audie Murphy) can't escape from his past which sees him paroled and sent to Kansas for a job he never makes it to. On the way, his train is conveniently robbed by his old pals, the Dalton gang, and he is accused of being in on the robbery. Of course, the law is now after him, so what does an innocent man do? He joins the Dalton gang for a series of shoot-outs, confrontations by posses and betrayal by the woman he loves.Entertaining in its modest way, it comes alive briefly when the gang arrives in a small town only to find their way blocked out of it by the law, and their finding an ingenious way to escape. The film basically serves the purpose of telling us that screenwriters sympathized with those on the opposite side of the law, giving many excuses for their criminal activities, and turning the lawmakers into villains while vindicating the outlaws.

alexandre michel liberman (tmwest) The best Audie Murphy films are the ones he plays outlaws. That gave an unusual touch to the films, you never knew how it was going to come out at the end. In "The Kansas Raiders", and also on his last film, he was Jesse James. Here, he rides with the Daltons, their chief is Bob Dalton (Noah Beery Jr.) and they plan three bank robberies at the same time. This film is pure fun from beginning to end, with great action scenes, after all it was directed by Budd Boetticher, whose westerns are like wine: they get better as they get older. The two women, Beverly Tyler and Yvette Duguay are quite strong characters, also unusual in this type of westerns. There are spectacular moments like when they are surrounded in a town and try to escape, with Yvette Duguay helping by turning a track on a circular platform. Also when they hold up the two banks in Coffeyville at the same time. If you enjoy a good western, this one is a must.