Runtime: 80 minutes
Directed by: Budd Boetticher
Starring: Randolph Scott, Craig Stevens, Barry Kelley, Tol Avery, Peter Whitney
From: Columbia
In a bid to clear off the DVR of programs I’ve recorded in the past few months-not to mention adding variety into what I see-it was time to see another Budd Boetticher Western starring Alpha Male Randolph Scott, one recorded off of HDNet Movies awhile back.
Scott played the sort of cowboy he always did in a Boetticher Western—a tough, honorable sort who lives by his own code of ethics yet (usually) is easy to root for despite not always being a stereotypical White Hat cowboy. In this case he was in fact the titular Buchanan who at first rides alone but later in the picture does ride with others. Our hero is passing through a California border town-wanting to return to West Texas-and despite quickly realizing it is a crooked town run by members of an extended family-the Agry clan-he doesn’t like being pushed around so not only does he stand up for himself, he tries helping a Hispanic male who kills an Agry son. That results in him being close to death but thankfully the extended family is so crooked that they can’t help but feud with each other over jealousy and greed.
Even if it’s not the best movie that star and director have done together (I prefer The Tall T, Ride Lonesome and 7 Men from Now) this is still a solid Western. It was easy to root for Buchanan-he tries helping people barely known to him, wants to retrieve his own stolen cash without any help and simply wants a medium-rare steak after a long day on the trail. There is sharp dialogue along with the expected shootouts and fistfights but there is also plenty of time spent with the Agry males bickering amongst each other. That made this interesting and was a quick 80 minute watch.
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