Powerful

Overrated and overhyped

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

There was something special about the dependable Randolph Scott, in his early days he could turn his talents to just about anything (a bit like Joel McCrea). When his romantic lead days were over he fitted perfectly into the Western genre and remained a stalwart into a healthy old age. I looked forward to finding a better than average vehicle for Mr Scott in 'A Lawless Street' and for the first 20mins was almost convinced it might be delivered. There were good one liners and some depthy observations about the character of pending evil. It even featured some very strong cinematography where it was obvious the D.O.P and director were working very well together. Some well staged action scenes also gave it a little more class. Then, sadly it all came to gruelling stop - the tired ole clichés were trolled out and dialog sounded like it was being lifted from a dozen sub-par TV westerns. It was as if the filmmakers had been told they were over budget and the film's release date had been moved forward. As for Scott's leading lady, a surprisingly good looking Angela Lansbury - who did a saucy saloon number in a revealing costume - also seemed above average for this movie. But here again, the script left her fumbling to convince and, she was simply far too young for the aging marshal. Some other better than average co-stars performed believably but overall, the cardboard characters and banal script - left it all in the lower B western category. Pity, I had hoped for a better outcome. Still, maybe one day I'll find a decent copy of "Westbound" - another Scott western with quality co-stars and some reasonable writing that fared better than most but, is rarely found available in any form of 'Studio Quality' DVD. Warner Archives anyone?

One of the Things that Elevates This One to Slightly Above Average for a Fifties Western is the Ever Present, Ever Humble, Ever Dependable, Ever Demanding, Randolph Scott, the Western Icon Who was Immortalized for His Contribution to the Genre by Mel Brooks in "Blazing Saddles" (1974),Astute Fans of the Western Know That His Collaborations with Budd Boetticher are the Highlights of His 60 Westerns, and Of Course, No One Could Forget His Curtain Call in Sam Peckinpah's Ride the High Country (1962).Angela Lansbury Does a Singing and Dancing Number, but Not Much Else. There is an Extended Fist Fight Between Scott's Marshall and a Hulk of Man (said to have killed a mountain lion with his bare hands because the cat scratched his face). Some Solid Supporting Actors Like Wallace Ford and Others, and the Steady Direction from Joseph H. Lewis Help Somewhat. This Beast of a Town is There to be Tamed by Scott, but He Needs the Help of the Townspeople to Be Successful. Will They Pitch In Before It's Too Late? Good Guess.Overall, Worth a Watch for Genre Fans. It's a Notch Above Standard Fare but Nothing that Special. Starting the Next Year Randolph Scott Starts the Ball Rolling with Some Very Special Stuff with Boettcher.

Marshal Randolph Scott is the only thing standing between the town of Medicine Bend and lawlessness. Corrupt businessmen in town hire gunmen to get Scott out of the way. Meanwhile, Scott's estranged wife Angela Lansbury shows up, having left him years before due to his violent lifestyle.Scott and Lansbury are fine. Solid support from Wallace Ford, Jeanette Nolan, and Michael Pate. One of Jean Parker's last movies. She's reduced to a minor part as a married woman having an affair with one of the villains. Predictable western. A couple of nice action scenes. Nothing special but a decent time-passer. Ending is pretty flat.

This western has a good story and many excellent action scenes. There is quite a fistfight between the Marshal (Scott) and Dooley Brion (Don Megowan), a very strong guy. The gun duels are unusual and well staged. Marshal Calem Ware is a man who lives not knowing if he will survive that day, because of gunfighters that keep showing up to kill him. There are two women of strong character in the film: Tally (Angela Lansbury)who used to be the Marshal's wife but left him because she could not stand the constant fear and Cora who is the wife of Asaph Dean, and the mistress of Hamer Thorne. Thorne wants to take Asaph's place as the most important man in town. I enjoyed every minute of this film which was probably influenced by "High Noon" and must have influenced "The Fastest Gun Alive".