Buchanan Rides Alone (1958)

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Randolph Scott rides into Agry Town with a smile on his face looking like nothing will dampen his spirits - that is until one of the Agry Clan is killed and Buchanan is caught up in the middle of it. Fights, shootouts, double crossing, kidnap a dusty baron town in California, its Cactus plants, Mexicans and sombre guitar music make this a highly enjoyable Western

"Buchanan Rides Alone" was the fourth of seven films made between 1956-60 starring Randolph Scott and directed by famed director Budd Boetticher. As the title suggests, Scott plays yet another loner with no family ties.Tom Buchanan (Scott) is a soldier of fortune fighting in Mexico in order to earn a stake to stock his small ranch in West Texas. He arrives in the small border town of Agry Town on the U.S./ Mexican border. He is carrying with him $2,000 which he has earned in Mexico.The town is controlled by the Agry brothers. Judge Amos Agry (Tol Avery)and the sheriff Lew Agry (Barry Kelley). Amos Agry (Peter Whitney) is the simple minded brother who acts as a hotel clerk and Simon's son Roy (William Leslie) is a womanizing hot head. Carbo (Craig Stevens) is Simon's "bodyguard" who keeps a cool head midst the double dealings between Simon and Lew.Roy rides frantically into town with visible markings on his face. Tom and Roy have words just as a young Mexican Juan de la Vega (Manuel Rojas) rides in in pursuit of Roy. Juan shoots Roy and is taken by Lew's men. A scuffle ensues and Tom comes to Juan's aid. Both men are arrested and charged with Roy's murder. Tom is 'relieved of his money belt by Lew. Lew meanwhile, is ready to lynch both when Simon races in to stop the lynchings. Carbo had convinced Simon that a lynching would be bad for his political aspirations.Tom is found innocent and is sent packing, escorted by Lew's deputies Pecos (L.Q. Jones) and Lafe (Don C. Harvey), who have orders to kill Buchanan. Pecos and Tom become friendly, both coming from the same part of Texas. Pecos saves Tom's life by killing Lafe. Tom then offers the likable Pecos a piece of his ranch.Juan, meanwhile, is sentenced to hang. Before the sentence can be carried out, Carbo convinces Simon to demand a $50,000 ransom from Juan's father, a wealthy Mexican rancher (whom we never see). Courier Gomez (Joe De Santis) returns with the money and Lew plans to get the money for himself.Lew sends Juan along with his deputies led by Waldo (Robert Anderson) to an isolated shack. Unfortunately, Buchanan and Pecos are already there. They tie up the deputies and take Juan away telling him to flee to his home. However Waldo and the others manage to escape and follow. Tom believing Pecos and Juan are safe, returns to Agry. Waldo kills Pecos and re-captures Juan, bringing him back to town.Lew then begins to negotiate with Gomez for the ransom but is prevented from doing so and....................................................As in other entries in the series, there are sympathetic villains. Buchanan becomes fond of Pecos to the point of taking him on as a partner. Although more self-serving, the gunman Carbo and Buchanan develop a mutual respect for each other. And, there is no real leading lady in this one. Watch for western veterans Terry Frost and Riley Hill as members of the jury at Juan and Tom's trial.Another great little western from Scott and Boetticher..

This is a minor entry in the Randolph Scott canon - Sometimes I wonder if Budd Boetticher is slightly overrated as a Director and 'Buchanan Rides Alone' just reinforces my idea.I am a big Randolph Scott fan and I always thought he was the very model of a modern major western hero so I have no complaint on that score - love his pictures. Here he was his usual rugged, affable self and was surrounded by a good supporting cast; Tol Avery, Barry Kelley, Peter Whitney - in fact, the only one who seemed out of place was Craig Stevens, sporting his Ivy league look and demeanor.I think the problem was the plot. Often plots of westerns are too thin but this one had oodles of plot, enough for 2 pictures and bordered on the film-noir genre. I felt it weighed on the pace of the film, although in the process it made the characters 3-dimensional - western characters are normally not this well-defined. I also have a problem with squeaky-clean western types and I don't feel this adds to the authenticity of a western. On the contrary, they often wore the same clothes for days on end.I had seen this picture when it first came out when I was a teenager and rolled with it better than when I recently saw it. Funny how being a grown-up can ruin one's perspective. I still gave it a rating of 6 - Randy, you're still my guy.

Of all the classic Randolph Scott/Budd Boetticher, this is, by far, the worse! The story makes no sense at all! Every single character behave or react in the most stupid manner, contrary to all logic. Believable storytelling has no place here.Not helping at all, Randolph Scott grins like an idiot, like a Steve Martin caricature would, all through this topsy-turvy plot that would put most comedic plays from the french "theatre de boulevard" to shame.And the worse part is, its not suppose to be funny....I can't believe the same people that did SEVEN MEN FROM NOW, THE TALL T, and DECISION AT SUNDOWN, were also responsible for this Z-Western! Stay away from this one.