Boring

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT read this review if you plan to see the movie!! Once again Marie Windsor's star shines brightly and makes one wonder why she never got "A" movie leading roles. Her co-star (despite his top billing, still the "co" star), Bill Elliott, is also excellent as a reformed gunslinger who becomes a very effective and persuasive advocate for following the Lord's Path after a preacher takes a bullet headed his way.Windsor; who it should be noted was sort of a cowgirl who grew up in Utah; plays "Doll Brown", a female outlaw who was mistreated and brutalized early in life. She is obsessed with finding her long lost younger sister and taking revenge on those who wronged her in the past. The movie starts with her gunning down a man who it is implied (but not overtly stated) sexually abused her as a teenager. The film is pretty raw for it's time. The places she searches for her sister are clearly brothels rather than the "dance halls" depicted in most old Westerns.Elliott takes her under his wing even though she at first resists his friendship and even threatens him. Their discussions and interactions are quite touching and uncommonly deep for a Western. The movie becomes somewhat disjointed and even a bit silly towards the end. But I certainly didn't mind seeing Windsor change from cowboy duds to a skimpy saloon girl outfit with what really looks like an embroidered Mound of Venus in the crotch area! Yippee Yi Yo Kayay!!! Just as the film seems to be lightening up, and Doll appears to be on the verge of changing for the better, Grim Reality returns and she is shot in the back by her victim's brothers while reading the Bible. The film closes with Elliott embracing Doll and continuing her Bible reading. Doll is still conscious at the fade out, but it is strongly suggested---especially since the reading is from the 23rd Psalm---that only her soul is saved. A harp and wings perhaps, but no Little House on the Prairie. Very sad. A truly superior, off beat movie that deserves much more recognition than it's gotten. Just like the star.

HELLFIRE stands out by virtue of its unusual religious angle, which is carefully integrated into the standard Republic Pictures B-western framework in a way that strikes me as much more dramatically sound and emotionally honest than if such a plot had been treated in an A-western. Just imagine how sanctimonious THE GUNFIGHTER or SHANE would have been if the title characters, played by Gregory Peck and Alan Ladd, respectively, had suddenly gotten religion. The strength of HELLFIRE is its acknowledgment of the difficulty of grappling with a new-found faith in the violent hard-boiled landscape of the Republic Pictures western. The hero is only slowly finding his way and is still bound by such old habits as using his fists and firing his gun when trouble rears its head. His efforts to follow the "rule book" (the bible) are generally met with scorn and hostility by the people he encounters.William (Wild Bill) Elliott stars as Zeb Smith, a dishonest gambler who takes the high road after an old preacher takes a bullet for him. (The preacher is played by H.B. Warner, who'd played Christ in De Mille's 1927 silent version of KING OF KINGS.) Femme fatale extraordinaire Marie Windsor plays Doll Brown, a bitter, unrepentant female outlaw in men's clothes who hooks up with Zeb as she tries to outrun Marshal Bucky McLean (Forrest Tucker) and the vengeful Stoner brothers, a motley trio that includes western regulars Jim Davis and Paul Fix. The plot follows the efforts of Zeb to get Doll to change her ways as he joins her on her mission to locate her long-lost sister. He even admits to her that his initial goal was to turn her in for the reward so he can fulfill the late preacher's dream of building a church. He puts himself in a difficult position in trying to gain her trust, but also risks becoming a wanted man himself as he aids Doll in her flight from justice.Elliott was pretty wooden as an actor, although he looks and sounds the part just perfectly, but his low-key performance plays well off the standard Republic western histrionics of the rest of the cast (Tucker, Davis, Fix, Grant Withers, Denver Pyle, etc.). But as an acting showcase, it's clearly Marie Windsor's show all the way as she propels the action and provides the emotional core (and heart-wrenching finale).The film is shot in that beautifully harsh palette of Trucolor that turns everything blue-green or orange-brown, giving the proceedings an otherworldly alternate-pulp western-dimension look.

When it was made(1949)this was probably pretty rough stuff. Windsor is great as the "loose woman" on the dodge, and Elliott, once again is the anti-hero...crooked gambler turned preacher. The supporting cast is tops with Jim Davis, Paul Fix, and many other familiar faces. This is a morality tale, told in fine fashion. A great companion piece to Elliot's "Savage Horde" (1950).

Real western addicts acknowledge that Republic Studios, despite their cost-cutting measures, turned out the absolute best horse operas in history. This fine and little known movie is exceptional even by Republic standards. No subtle stuff here....just an unusually tight and suspenseful script, committed performances from seasoned western stars and, of course, plenty of the usual gunfight action.