Tall Man Riding (1955)

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Scott plays Larry Madden, a man who left the town of Little River after being whipped by local landowner Tucker Ordway... now he wants revenge! He isn't the only one who wants to destroy Ordway; Cibo Pearlo, owner of the town's saloon wants him dead too. One might think that Madden and Pearlo would join forces but they dislike each other as much as they dislike Ordway! Madden wants to kill Ordway in a fair fight but as Ordway has a reputation as the fastest gun around he has a second plan so that even if he is dead he'll get his revenge... he sent a lawyer to Washington to ascertain the legality of Ordway's land claim and has discovered it is not legal. As with most westerns there are romantic possibilities; here the question is will Madden end up with Cibo's girl Rivo or Ordway's daughter Corinna, who he was involved with before.This B-western is packed with action including several shootouts, brawls, the ambushing of a stagecoach and a spectacular scene where people rushed to claim Ordway's land. These scenes were all impressively filmed and looked believable despite nobody bleeding when shot! Scott did a fine job in the lead role and supporting actresses Dorothy Malone and Peggy Castle were suitably spirited as Corinna and Rivo. Being a story about revenge I thought I'd know how it would end early on but due to an interesting twist that cliché was avoided.Randolph Scott may have been getting on a bit when he made many of his westerns but he still had it in him to look believable as a tough guy; in fact here it works to his advantage as he is out for revenge for something that happened five years previously... something that wouldn't have been believable if he'd been in his early twenties! It does however mean he is a bit too old to be involved with the films two romantic possibilities as he is old enough to be their fathers.Overall this is a great little film; if you are a fan of the western genre it is well worth watching; I'm surprised it isn't better known.

This is a good Randolph Scott western , good plot, good scene of the Land Rush plenty of action scenes, colorful, two pretty actresses Dorothy Malone and Peggie Castle, where Castle outshines Malone. If you saw this western in the fifties you would certainly agree that you got your money's worth, it sure delivers all you could expect from a pre Boetticher Scott western. Scott gives one of his best performances as Larry Madden, a tough, quiet, well developed character the ideal western hero. Paul Richatd as "The Peso Kid" makes us nostalgic of the "bandidos" in the old westerns. Lesley Selander, the director, had a lot of practice in this genre, remember Hopalong Cassidy?

After five years' absence, Randolph Scott returns to a town to get his revenge. It seems that the powerful Tucker Ordway (Robert Barrat) had whipped him within and inch of his life because Scott had the nerve to ask to marry Ordway's daughter. But before he can retaliate, he stumbles into the middle of a fight between one bully, Ordway, and another of the town's bullies, Cibo Pearlo (John Baragrey). So now Scott isn't sure which one to take on first or just let the other two kill each other! In this film, Scott plays a harder man than usual. In most of his westerns, he plays a good guy--one that is exceptionally nice and good. Here, though, he isn't quite so kind but a bit more menacing than usual. He wants revenge and all else seems unimportant...until he learns Ordway's dark secret.In many ways, this is a rather typical western for Randolph Scott, even if he is hell-bent on revenge. There are the usual bosses vying for power and in the end you just know that Scott will do the right thing. A tad predictable in spots, but overall still a very good movie.By the way, doesn't the Peso Kid look a lot like his head was dipped in plastic? Normally I wouldn't say anything, but wow did he look weird!! Plus, did you also notice that his accent kept changing throughout the film? Also, didn't they make Dorothy Malone's character a bit,...nasty?! This ISN'T the word I wanted to use, but IMDb has rules against using certain words.

In Tall Man Riding, an uncharacteristically belligerent Randolph Scott returns to his home to ruin and possibly kill the wealthy rancher who bull-whipped him and run him out of town years earlier, only to get in the middle of a deadly feud.The first half of the film lacks action but it's saved by an interesting second half. Highlights include a rowdy fistfight in the Sheriff's office, another fight inside a stagecoach, and a blind gun battle inside a pitch black room.Like all studio B-pictures, Tall Man Riding is fun, looks great and has good action sequences but doesn't have a very memorable script. However, Randolph Scott is much more macho and blustery than usual, making this a bit more unusual.