Really Surprised!

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

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

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

And to think I almost didn't rent this movie during my preparation for Anthony Quinn week on Hot Toasty Rag! I would have missed out on a very good movie, and a very good performance-and all because I was hoping to avoid Ray Milland. Get your suspension of disbelief out of the way: Anthony Quinn plays the stable husband, and Ray Milland plays the criminal ex-boyfriend Debra Paget can't get out of her mind. I know, it's pretty ridiculous that anyone who's married to Anthony Quinn would still be hung up on Ray Mi-bland. Still, that's the casting decision that was made.Years ago, Debra and Ray were a criminal duo, but when she was sent to jail and he ran off, she married the kind, hard-working farmer Tony. She's still in love with Ray, though, and when he shows up she runs to his arms. Ray's committed another crime, and he needs to cross the border into Mexico before he gets caught. Together, the three-Tony goes along to try and win his wife back-embark on a dangerous adventure against time, police, and the elements. Maybe the plot doesn't sound very exciting, but trust me, this one's pretty good. There are many, many suspenseful scenes, including a very scary confrontation with a rattlesnake! Plus, I absolutely love when Anthony Quinn is sweet and loving. I lost track of how many sweet-nothings he said to Debra, but every time he "sweetie-ed" or "baby-ed" or "honey-ed" her, I would have shouted at the television, "Why are you still hung up on Ray?" but I was too busy swooning.

Not a western but a well shot and performed drama set in the West. The story is rather ordinary but benefits from the role reversal of Ray Milland, usually the hero and Anthony Quinn, often the heavy but in opposite roles here. Even at the relatively brief running time the script could have been tightened a bit but overall a good film. One caveat-it would take a great deal to make a woman as stunning as Debra Paget was in her prime look bad but the filmmakers almost achieve that feat. Saddled with unflattering makeup and frightening Lucille Ball red hair that never moves no matter what travail she is enduring her beauty is almost completely obscured.

Harold Jacob Smith co-adapted his own short story "The Highest Mountain" about a cattle rancher near the Mexico border who reluctantly harbors a fugitive; seems the rancher's new bride was once a pushover for this manicured killer, and now she's involved with him again. Handsomely-produced, sloppily-directed crime-drama with western applets doesn't seem to have anywhere to go after the set-up is clear. A few senseless murders don't do much to enhance Ray Milland's crook-in-a-suit (he's passable, but that's all); Debra Paget isn't bad as the fiery woman caught between the two men, however Anthony Quinn's performance in the lead strikes gold. Alternately a big brother and a daddy-bear husband to Paget, Quinn knows exactly how to handle this scenario, and never overplays. One comes away wanting to know more about this character and hoping he'll be all right--and that's solely due to Quinn's acting. The cinematography and the score (which pushes the oldie "You'll Never Know" a bit strenuously) are both classy, but director Allan Dwan doesn't know how to stage this showdown, and occasionally one loses patience. ** from ****

This is perhaps the best films made about a farmer marrying a woman, who knew about if not took part in stolen money, and a plot to escape the country. If this is about a marriage gone wild, this will work.Movie Plot Summary, an unsuspecting farmer marries a woman with a dark past that catches up with them, and the guy who stole the money wants the woman back, husband to get them out, and make husband watch his wife with him! It's practically a love triangle movie. Good girl fell for bad guy, and tries to clean herself with a good guy. Never work! Through the whole movie, the farmer watches painfully as his wife is in the arms of the other man, making out in the trailer. If anything, if marriage is put in doubt then there's your answer. :)