Review of Terror in a Texas Town (1958) by Allan C — 24 Oct 2011

A small town in Texas is being terrorized by a greedy oil-man, Ed McNeil, who is attempting to force everyone off their land which happens to have tons of oil beneath it. One day a young Swedish man, George Hansen, shows up in town to find his father, but discovers he has been killed.

Ted just left his life as a whaler to finally settle down and after learning about his father's death, he refuses to leave his land and will not rest until he finds out who is responsible for his father's death.

This is just an insanely unique, beautifully shot and directed western that has so much to offer. The character of George Hansen is such a great protagonist. Being a Swedish immigrant, his English is very basic to the point that he comes off slow, while still being very intelligent.

His character is driven and consumed that he doesn't back down, never fearing death, even though Ed McNeil's goons are plentiful. He isn't the only great character as Johnny Crale, Ed McNeil's right hand man, is also well developed, as our main villain, in terms of immediate danger.

The actor who plays him (Nedrick Young) seemed to be channeling his inner Humphrey Bogart, as he's a cool, slick, scary individual. The film doesn't shy away from any taboo about immigrants treatment, instead it presents a much more realistic portrayal of how it probably was.

Aesthetically the film has some great compositions showcasing some wild depth of frame and nice shadows. As far as the pacing goes, it flies by with lots of great tension throughout to really set-up the ending.

In one word, BADASS.