Devil's Canyon (1953)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Film Perfection

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I taped Devil's Canyon when TCM screened it in November 2009 b/c another western with a historical theme (Great Day in the Morning)was next and I had plenty of tape (I'm still an analogue guy). Reasons for giving it a chance included Dale Robertson in his prime, Steve McInally who was a dependable western heavy, plus Virginia Mayo's OK, but esp. b/c RKO in its decline often made uniquely flawed but curious products.What's strange about Devil's Canyon (besides the absence of a canyon) is the prison set, which appears only partially, but the walls appear to be enormous hewn stones that cast off strange pastel glows that change with the time of day. As a complement to these eerie atmospherics, the script and scenario range from casually crude to bluntly stupid. As a friend once said of a similar film, "It's just like a porn flick except everybody keeps their clothes on." The film's best passage--the attempted prison break--takes advantage of the set. The escapees anticipate which doors the guards will open and ambush their entrances, eventually controlling the entire prison, which sets up Robertson's gatling gun throwdown. Overall, the direction and editing of Devil's Canyon overall are unredeemable, but if you're not asking for much in those regards, the film's visuals have the quality of a meaningless dream.

DALE ROBERTSON is a marshal unjustly prisoned in an Arizona jailhouse who hinders and then helps a prison break plan concocted by VIRGINIA MAYO. This has the look of a low-budget movie that was put together hastily with a second-rate script and designed as a programmer to fill out a double bill.VIRGINIA MAYO looks absolutely beautiful but her hairdress and costuming is strictly from the 1950s--and so is her overall demeanor as a tough gal who thinks she's in love with the brutish STEPHEN McNALLY.Among the supporting cast, Whit Bissell, Arthur Hunnicutt, Robert Keith, Earl Holliman and Irving Bacon have all seen better days.It affords only minimal entertainment with a standard prison break climax not too convincingly staged. Of the actors, only the handsome and stalwart DALE ROBERTSON looks as though he believes in his role, bringing strength and sincerity to his role as the marshal.You can afford to miss this one.

500 desperate men and only one woman .....as the trailer breathlessly tells us from the lusting voice over, panting away at that idea in this Howard Hughes tailored RKO prison scenario....the idea that there are 500 horny desperate convict loonies punching it out to be the..er...... rider up DEVIL'S CANYON' is just too obvious for me. Arthur Hunnicut who must have been the representative for the 'dirty ol man hillbilly' section of this bumpkin intended audience jumped ship from THE FRENCH LINE to chew his face and mouth spittle led asides about anyone and everything in this possible combo of what would be PAPILLON and THE BEAUTIFUL BLONDE FROM BASHFUL BEND. No wonder poor RKO was on the skids....and if all else fails, there is always VIRGINIA MAYO-NOSE to make word jokes about.

This grim sagebrush drama is about a clash between inmates at a 1890s Arizona prison. Dale Robertson is the ex-marshal that finds himself behind bars for killing two men in self defense. Virgina Mayo is the love interest and maybe best thing about the movie. Also in the cast are: Stephen McNally, Robert Keith and Earl Holliman. Typically predictable western.