People are voting emotionally.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Columbia's 1943 Western "The Desperadoes" is a diverting (albeit familiar) tale of a good outlaw trying to go straight. The film straddles the line between comedy and drama but ultimately falls on the side of humor. The tone of the film is a stark contrast to the Randolph Scott oaters of the 1950s; its lighthearted tone prevents it from becoming a memorable film.Although the film headlines Scott and Claire Trevor they merely serve as bait to attract 1943 audiences to witness the buildup of third billed Glenn Ford. He triggers all the action scenes and enjoys the love of both Miss Trevor and the lovely Evelyn Keyes. His character, Cheyenne Rogers, is being set up for a bad end; he's basically a decent man that has been forced down the outlaw path by circumstance. He eventually decides to go straight when he falls for a girl (Miss Keyes) but events pull him back into a life of crime. Despite all the foreshadowing the movie's lighthearted tone allows him to skirt his inevitable fate and ride off to a happy ending.Filmed in Technicolor, the movie looks gorgeous and is further aided by a lack of process shots. The principals are clearly riding horses in the close shots and that certainly adds an air of authenticity. The action scenes, particularly a barroom brawl and the climactic horse stampede, are expertly handled.Ford is solid but not spectacular as the good badman; not an abundance of star potential is displayed. Evelyn Keyes looks great in a tomboyish role and is easily believable as the love interest. Claire Trevor is wasted but she is always a joy to have around. Irving Bacon has some genuinely funny moments as a beleaguered bartender desperately trying to salvage his establishment which gets destroyed twice. Edward Pawley, taking a break from playing cons and hoods at Warners, is on hand as a mustachioed deputy and future Frankenstein Monster Glenn Strange enacts one of the villains.Two performers deserve special mention. One of my personal favorites, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, portrays Ford's pal. Williams has to be one of the best sidekicks ever and has several hilarious moments. Perhaps his best is when he gallops up to Ford pulling his buddy's horse behind him. When the now-reformed outlaw Ford inquires what the rush is Williams simply informs him he's just robbed a bank. Ford almost blows a gasket as he's now forced to hightail it out of town.The second notable performance is turned in by Edgar Buchanan. He is the father of Miss Keyes and also involved in Bank Manager Porter Hall's scheme to rob his own institution. As the plot unfolds he's forced into allowing Ford to be framed for the crime in order to protect himself. Buchanan expertly straddles the line between drama and comedy as his conscience slowly weighs him down.As for top billed Randolph Scott, the film provides another bland, asexual hero part. He doesn't have much to do except counsel Ford and cheerfully steer him into the arms of a woman (Miss Keyes) that he probably wants for himself. The fact that both leading ladies have no interest in Scott is pretty remarkable for a supposed star.All in all "The Desperadoes" is an entertaining film and can be enjoyed if one doesn't expect much from Scott or Miss Trevor.

You won't see many movies as visually enjoyable as this 'un. Careful attention was given to weaving stunning color throughout the movie. The story is both enjoyable and believable and well acted. Cinematography is outstanding and may pass as a western "Film Noir" in some circles. Randolph Scott is at the top of his game physically and gives one of his finest performances. Glenn Ford is outstanding and seems to me to be a more dynamic player than I am accustomed to seeing in his movies. And Claire Trevor fans won't be disappointed either, although some of her costumes are a bit over the top! Wonderful production values and color worthy of an expressionist. Especially enjoyable is the beauty of Utah. Pay attention!

Ladies and gentlemen, is the daily grind getting you down? Do you want a good, old-fashioned oater to fill in the early evening hours? Well, it's all here for you folks in Charles Vidor's 1943 production "The Desperadoes".You've got your stalwart lawman (Randolph Scott), your good bad guy (Glenn Ford), the spunky romantic interest (Evelyn Keyes), the tough but tender saloon hostess (Claire Trevor) and the not-too-bright sidekick (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams). You've got gorgeous Technicolor, stampedes, bronco riding, shady businessmen and an explosion or two! So, pop that corn and melt that butter. What's that? You want more, folks? You want scene stealers? Well, seeing as it's you, we have two of the greatest. Mr. Edgar Buchanan and Mr. Raymond Walburn will commit grand larceny before your very eyes.So, sit back and relax, ladies and gentlemen. It's all here!

"The Desperadoes" (1943) is a genuine classic, not for its story (which is fairly routine), but for its technical production elements. This was a landmark western, the biggest ever at the time of its release and all the more unique because it was a Columbia production-a lightweight studio with a bottom feeding reputation. Only Fox's "Jesse James" (also starring Randolph Scott) from a few years earlier gave anywhere near this lavish a treatment to the genre. Although it would be eclipsed in a few years by "The Searchers" and "High Noon", "The Desperadoes" was a ground breaking effort and a historical treasure. In 1863, the economy in the town of Red Valley, Utah is based on rounding up and selling wild horses to the Union Army. The script gets a little messed up here with references to the railroad (which was several years away in Utah's future) and Custer's Last Stand (Custer was busy fighting Stuart in Pennsylvania at the time) but these are not important plot elements. Red Valley has an honest sheriff, Steve Upton (Scott), but the banker and several citizens are corrupt; robbing their own bank each time the government pays for a herd of horses. The town is visited by Cheyenne Rogers (Glenn Ford), a famous outlaw who is an old friend Steve's. He wants to go straight, especially after falling for the pretty livery stable owner Alison McLeod (Evelyn Keyes). Cheyenne's partner "Nitro" Rankin (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) is mainly there for comic relief as are Uncle Willie McLeod (Edgar Buchanan) and the town judge (Raymond Walburn who models his character on Frank Morgan's "Wizard of Oz" crystal ball faker). Taking no chances with their huge budget Columbia packed this thing with tons of action and every western movie element but Indians and covered wagons. There is the best wild horse stampede ever filmed, a spectacular barroom brawl, an explosive climax, romance, and three-strip Technicolor. All this stuff doesn't necessarily fit together but who would have cared back in 1943. Unity is a problem as it tries to be both a serious action western and a comedy. The cinematography was probably the best ever at the time of its filming. The indoor scenes are solid but it is the naturalistic outdoor photography that is truly impressive; both the lyrical static shots and the moving camera filming of the action sequences. Scott and Claire Trevor were top billed, but the studio clearly wanted to promote Ford, who would soon be their biggest star. And Director Charles Vidor utilized the film to showcase his new wife Keyes (whose portrayal of Scarlett's sister in "Gone With the Wind" had connected with audiences more than any small part in the history of films). The Ford-Keyes dynamic is "The Desperadoes" most unique and important feature. Rather than go for the cliché "love triangle" with Scott and/or Trevor (which it first appears will happen), the entire romantic focus is on the two younger actors. This was probably the best role Keyes ever got and she makes the most of it. Playing a tomboyish but extremely sexy young woman who looks great in both leather pants and dresses, and who rides and fights like Kiera Knightley's character in "Pirates of the Caribbean". This was revolutionary at the time and coincided with the 1942 formation of the WAAC for WWII military service. "The Desperadoes" is one film that has been well taken care of and the print looks like it is brand new. Unfortunately there are no special features on the DVD. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.