Don't Believe the Hype

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

A Silvermine Production, released through Allied Artists Pictures Corp. Copyright 20 June 1954 by Allied Artists Pictures Corp. No New York opening. U.S. release: 20 June 1954. U.K. release through Associated British-Pathe: 23 April 1954. No Australian theatrical release. 7,210 feet. 80 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Fleeing from the State Police under the corrupt administration of the 1870s, a young Texan is befriended by gunman Sam Garrett. COMMENT: Wayne Morris was the last of the "B" western heroes and The Desperado is the second last of the "B" western series. It's a shame it's not the official last as it's a much superior a film to Two Guns and a Badge. With The Desperado the series "B" western would have gone out in really grand style. Blessed with an intriguing script by none other than Daniel Mainwaring, The Desperado is probably the best-written "B" western ever made. Gone are all the usual "B" stereotypes of plot, setting and characterization. Instead we are presented with a fascinating and unusually complex story, involving real, believable people.Director Thomas Carr has risen to the occasion nobly, drawing ingratiating performances and character studies from unlikely players like Wayne Morris, Jimmy Lydon, Rayford Barnes and even Dabbs Greer. One of our favorite heavies Lee Van Cleef has a major dual role, while Nestor Paiva is unusually effective in a deep-dyed villainous role with absolutely no comic undertones whatever. John Dierkes also makes a wonderfully sadistic bully-boy, but Roy Barcroft fans will be disappointed to find him in a minor sympathetic role as a too law-abiding ex-sheriff.Production values are better than the usual Silvermine level. There are plenty of scene changes, extras, a fair amount of action, and some reasonably effective locations. Technical credits including staging, lighting and music scoring are also impressive by Monogram's usual standards.Oddly, The Desperado is not listed in Mainwaring's credits as published in Backstory 2: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1940s and 1950s edited by Pat McGilligan (University of California Press, 1991). Whilst certainly a lesser effort than classics like Out of the Past, The Lawless and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it is most definitely worthy of inclusion.OTHER VIEWS: This better-than-average Allied Artists western moves at a good clip, boasts an interesting cast and will please most action fans. Although it starts off with the usual time-wasting rolling Foreword title (underlined by Kraushaar's customarily plodding score), production values are pretty fair, while Carr's direction is slightly more imaginative than his usual norm.

The Desperado is directed by Thomas Carr and adapted to screenplay by Geoffrey Holmes from the novel written by Clifton Adams. It stars Wayne Morris, Jimmy Lydon, Beverly Garland, Rayford Barnes, Dabbs Greer and Lee Van Cleef. Music is by Raoul Kraushaar and cinematography by Joseph Novak."There is one dark and grim page in Texas history; it concerns the three years 1870 to 1873, during which Texans suffered and smouldered under the carpetbag administration of Governor E.J. Davis. Texas law was administered and enforced by a despotic organisation called the Texas State police - - known as the "Bluebellies." Constitutional rights were ignored - - such as the right to keep and bear arms, the right to have public meetings, private property rights and most of the other expressions of human dignity and freedom of which Texas has always been so rightfully proud. Naturally they did something about it..."For the whole of its 80 minutes running time, The Desperado crams as much in as it possibly can, producing a mightily strong Western in the process. Stripping it down to the core the story is about a good man forced to turn bad, who does bad things in the name of correcting the wrongs done to him. He's forced to go on the run with a man he can't stand, leaving the woman he loves behind. Hooking up with a famed outlaw, he learns how to become a killer, but always the screenplay has us completely on his side, all while the finer details back in his home town build the other half of the story.A man does his own killing.His time on the run sees a friendship formed, with camp fire bondings prominent, while his backbone is continually tested by certain encounters. The narrative twists and turns to build a compelling case, the odds are firmly stacked against him as a dastardly acquaintance with an ulterior motive moves and shakes to ruin his life. The backdrop is one of bully boy law enforcement and big political change, of a place full of weasels, cowards, liars and idiots, marking this out as a film very dark in nature.Don't put faith in anybody but yourself.Violence and action is never far away either, as director Carr keeps things lively, and Novak's black and white photography is sparkling (TCM hold a lovely print). The acting is hardly grade "A" stuff, but the principal players turn in very effective shows. Morris owns the film as the wise and weary outlaw Sam Garrett, a role you can tell he is very much enjoying playing, while the beautiful Garland works really hard to make her love interest character more than a token offering - and she succeeds. Bonus for Oater fans is Van Cleef popping in for some dramatic impact, where he plays twins! Wonderful.This is very much an under seen film, and personally I'm a little proud to be able to put out on the internet what appears to be the first non professional review. It's different to the usual Wayne Morris fare and I'm convinced that Western lovers who like some dark tints in their films would heartily enjoy this one. See it if you get chance! 8/10