Better Late Then Never

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Randolph Scott rides into Agry Town with a smile on his face looking like nothing will dampen his spirits - that is until one of the Agry Clan is killed and Buchanan is caught up in the middle of it. Fights, shootouts, double crossing, kidnap a dusty baron town in California, its Cactus plants, Mexicans and sombre guitar music make this a highly enjoyable Western

"Buchanan Rides Alone" was the fourth of seven films made between 1956-60 starring Randolph Scott and directed by famed director Budd Boetticher. As the title suggests, Scott plays yet another loner with no family ties.Tom Buchanan (Scott) is a soldier of fortune fighting in Mexico in order to earn a stake to stock his small ranch in West Texas. He arrives in the small border town of Agry Town on the U.S./ Mexican border. He is carrying with him $2,000 which he has earned in Mexico.The town is controlled by the Agry brothers. Judge Amos Agry (Tol Avery)and the sheriff Lew Agry (Barry Kelley). Amos Agry (Peter Whitney) is the simple minded brother who acts as a hotel clerk and Simon's son Roy (William Leslie) is a womanizing hot head. Carbo (Craig Stevens) is Simon's "bodyguard" who keeps a cool head midst the double dealings between Simon and Lew.Roy rides frantically into town with visible markings on his face. Tom and Roy have words just as a young Mexican Juan de la Vega (Manuel Rojas) rides in in pursuit of Roy. Juan shoots Roy and is taken by Lew's men. A scuffle ensues and Tom comes to Juan's aid. Both men are arrested and charged with Roy's murder. Tom is 'relieved of his money belt by Lew. Lew meanwhile, is ready to lynch both when Simon races in to stop the lynchings. Carbo had convinced Simon that a lynching would be bad for his political aspirations.Tom is found innocent and is sent packing, escorted by Lew's deputies Pecos (L.Q. Jones) and Lafe (Don C. Harvey), who have orders to kill Buchanan. Pecos and Tom become friendly, both coming from the same part of Texas. Pecos saves Tom's life by killing Lafe. Tom then offers the likable Pecos a piece of his ranch.Juan, meanwhile, is sentenced to hang. Before the sentence can be carried out, Carbo convinces Simon to demand a $50,000 ransom from Juan's father, a wealthy Mexican rancher (whom we never see). Courier Gomez (Joe De Santis) returns with the money and Lew plans to get the money for himself.Lew sends Juan along with his deputies led by Waldo (Robert Anderson) to an isolated shack. Unfortunately, Buchanan and Pecos are already there. They tie up the deputies and take Juan away telling him to flee to his home. However Waldo and the others manage to escape and follow. Tom believing Pecos and Juan are safe, returns to Agry. Waldo kills Pecos and re-captures Juan, bringing him back to town.Lew then begins to negotiate with Gomez for the ransom but is prevented from doing so and....................................................As in other entries in the series, there are sympathetic villains. Buchanan becomes fond of Pecos to the point of taking him on as a partner. Although more self-serving, the gunman Carbo and Buchanan develop a mutual respect for each other. And, there is no real leading lady in this one. Watch for western veterans Terry Frost and Riley Hill as members of the jury at Juan and Tom's trial.Another great little western from Scott and Boetticher..

Whoever cast Barry Kelley (Lew Agry), Tol Avery (Judge Simon Agry), and Peter Whitney (Amos Agry) as brothers did a pretty good job - they all look like they could have been brothers! Whitney's character might possibly have been used for more comedic affect though, he looked a bit like Andy Devine but without the humor I was expecting. In their own way, each of these guys was a despicable character.The one player though that seemed completely inappropriate to the story was Craig Stevens as the Judge's personal aide Abe Carbo. He looked like he should have had Randolph Scott's role as the hero of the piece. At sixty years old, Scott looked somewhat worn for the lead role and actor Stevens seemed to outclass him in both looks and demeanor. One thing's for sure, Scott's character Buchanan is about the luckiest gunslinger to appear in a Western. I lost count how many times the bad guys got the drop on him before the final showdown.If you hang on through the inconsistencies, this is an OK Western but that's about as far as it goes. The burial of henchman Lafe (Don C. Harvey) in a tree was a pretty interesting element and Juan de la Vega's horse (Manuel Rojas) struck me as a dynamic looking animal. If he had the same agent as Trigger and Champion he might have had a longer film career.

Watchable, but far from the best of Boetticher (or Scott). With an almost silly grimace plastered across his face (it's supposed to be a smile, as he's playing a good-natured kinda cuss, but it's not what you'd call a tight fit: his face weren't made fer no smilin'), Randolph Scott breezes through this one like he's gotten himself lost but really doesn't give a hoot where he ends up (or HOW, as when he's about to be strung up for pretty much no reason at all and just sits astride his horse waiting for his Maker to reach down from on high and grab him by the throat). One could argue that Scott's character, fresh from "fightin'," as he puts it, is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. How else to explain his behavior? It's an all-around odd little film, but boasts some beautiful cinematography (especially near the end, when the action moves outdoors) and some fun moments. Oh, and L.Q. Jones, playing James Best.