Review of Buchanan Rides Alone (1958) by Stephen C — 10 May 2015
Budd Botteichers pair down B westerns deserve to be raised to a more loftier plane as they are the mosy interesting films in the western genre.
The films he made with Randolph Scott are pretty matchless in terms of quality of acting and direction.
Here Scott plays Buchanan a saddle tramp who rides into a border town where the welcome is less than friendly.
Pretty soon Buchanan is making enemies with the local town bigwigs while standing up for a young Mexican who killed a local .
Everybody in the town is pretty nasty and in a neat plot device some are related to each other.
That doesn't stop them from underhanded and double dealing whether its stealing Buchannan's money or demanding an extortionate ransom to save the Mexican from the hangman's noose.
It soon boils down to a final standoff but the film has a load of twisty turns to make before we reach that finale and unlike some of the other Scott/Botteicher Westerns there is plenty of humour too.
The film contains plenty of tension as well and like all of Budd Boettichers films it really is a grand film in the western tradition.
This review of Buchanan Rides Alone (1958) was written by Stephen C on 10 May 2015.
Buchanan Rides Alone has generally received positive reviews.
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