The Bounty Killer

6/19/2015

The Pharisees The Bounty Killer is directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and written by Ruth Alexander and Leo Gordon. It stars Dan Duryea, Rod Cameron, Audrey Dalton, Richard Arlen, Buster Crabbe, Fuzzy Knight and Johnny Mack Brown. Music is by Ronald Stein and cinematography by Frederick E. West. Willie Duggans (Duryea) arrives in the Wild West and quickly becomes exposed to its violence. Finding that big money can be made by bringing in bad guys, he takes up arms and plans to make enough money to set him up for a future with Carole Ridgeway (Dalton), a beautiful saloon singer. But the job isn't easy, physically, emotionally and mentally. It's a film that asks some forgiveness from Western fans, you are asked to accept Duryea being too old for the role, some iffy production issues,

9/5/2024

This could have been quite a decent western adventure were it nor for the surprisingly weak effort from Dan Duryea. He ("Duggan") arrives out west where he is shocked by the lawlessness and violence he encounters. Determined to make a decent living for himself and his gal "Carole" (Audrey Dalton) he takes up as a bounty hunter, but has he the strength of character not to become subsumed by greed and violence himself? To be blunt, Duryea is just not at his best here, and at nearly 60 years of age is not remotely convincing as the naive man he is supposed to be; unless he has been in kindergarten for an awfully long time. The story is decent, the film keeps moving along well enough, and the supporting efforts from Randolph Scott lookalike Rod Cameron and Buster Crabbe keep it off the rocks,