What an oddly compelling film this is. Using the usual array of Westerns clichés, Enright directs an excellent cast with a light touch of noir. The RKO production team enhances the scenes and the takes - I don't think I've ever seen a bad guy knock out a saloon window in a gunfight then poke the gun through a cobweb while firing! This was Randolph Scott's bread and butter, though like Joel McCrea, he could pull on some mighty acting chops when needed. Add Robert Ryan (steely-eyed wooden evil), George "Gabby" Hayes (His old self subdued as a banker), Anne Jeffries, Robert Armstrong and a strong supporting cast, decent production values and the ability to take each cliché just a step more personally, and you've got a pretty engaging film - Western or no.
Review of Return of the Bad Men
