The Man Behind the Gun (1953) User Reviews

He wasn't born, he was issued!

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 2 July 2010]

Randolph Scott is Major Ransome Callicut, who goes undercover as a school teacher in 1850s California to hopefully thwart separatist plotting as secessionist fervour starts to boil over.

The Man Behind The Gun is directed by Felix E. Feist and adapted to screenplay by John Twist from a story by Robert Buckner. It is shot in Technicolor by Bert Glennon (Wagon Master) out of Bell Ranch, Santa Susana, California. Joining Scott in the cast are Patrice Wymore, Dick Wesson, Philip Carey, Lina Romay & Alan Hale Jr.

It's true enough that material such as this, well more the themes and basic story, deserves a better movie than what this ultimately is. Yet to shout down this film for not being a finely tuned politico piece is a touch harsh one feels. This is after all, a modestly budgeted Oater out of Warner Brothers that comes at a time when Randolph Scott was knocking out Oaters for both WB and Columbia at a rate of knots! Scott was three years away from starting a run of films with Budd Boetticher that would finally realise his talents, whilst simultaneously giving the serious Western fan some gems to shout about from the saloon rooftops. So where does The Man Behind The Gun sit in the pantheon of 50s Westerns? Well a better director than Felix Feist would have helped since the material called for someone interested in the more psychological aspects of the characters. The afore mentioned Boetticher is a given of course, while another of Scott's 50s directors, André De Toth, would have enjoyed the intrigue and underhand core for sure.

Still, given its short running time, Feist does manage to craft an action packed movie that's led by Scott's protagonist playing it rugged, sneaky and tough to get the job in hand done. There's gun fights, whip-cracking, chases, explosions; and even pretty gals scrapping it out in a crash of chairs, tables and pottery. For an 82 minute movie it doesn't fall short as an action piece. If viewed on those terms it holds up very well, even if there's so much going on it can be hard to follow at times. There's even nice dashes of humour, none more so than with the entertaining turn from Wesson. Be it whipping off some saloon gal's dress or playing it in drag, his Sergeant 'Monk' Walker gives the piece a lift when it threatens to be bogged down by good guy-bad guy character turns that come and go all too frequently. Scott is as ever straight backed and as cool as a cucumber, while Hale Jr, Carey and Wymore each leave a favourable impression.

Yes it could have been a deep and potent piece, but that it's not does not make it a bad film. It's a ripper of an action movie backed up by a couple of strong turns from Scott & Wesson, even if the film that surrounds them is just a little chaotic at times! 7/10

Randolph Scott Western containing noisy action , shootouts , a climatic confrontation on the final , twists and turns

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 18 September 2019]

It is good action entertainment for those who like their westerns action filled. An Easy-Going Gent with Deadly Guns...and a Reputation to Match! This undemanding western in which a counterespionage agent attempts to discover who's behind a Southern conspiracy , as it is plenty of suspense as the dreaded final attack . This exciting picture tells the story of an upright officer , Randolph Scott , who gives a perfect acting in his usual stoic style . A nice Western with frantic action , intrigues , thrills , fights , crossfire , suspense , wonderful outdoors , all of them keep things lively . Here Randolph Scott goes undercover to find a ring of treacherous rebels who are working in cahoots with the Confederacy and posing as a schoolteacher . As undercover government agent Ransome Callicut (Randolph Scott) arrives in 1850's South California . As he gradually gains trust the townsfolks to uncover their plans and reveal the dark objectives ; then he discovers a hidden cache of rifles . Aided by his underlings : Monk Walker (Dick Wesson) and Olaf Swenson (Alan Hale Jr) he fights political assassination and other adventures to unmask the ringleader of the plot and keep the Golden State in the Union . Along the way , he falls in love for a gorgeous woman , Lora Roberts (Patrice Wymore), who is already engaged with a cavalry officer , Capt. Roy Giles (Philip Carey) .

Well made film, though not outstanding , I loved the scenery and the cinematography by expert director of photography Bert Glennon is beautiful. It also has strong direction, a charming music score from David Buttolph that compliments the film perfectly, an attractive story with an interesting structure and themes and sharp dialogue. However, while it is not an exceptional movie it is a very acceptable and enjoyable one, and I also think overrrated . Not that it's a bad film, but a fairly routine western which even kind of gives away who the inside man is way too early in the film. This agreeable tale is almost rudimentary though a few clichés , containing an interesting as well as stirring screenplay by John Twist , based on a story by Robert Buckner . Being breathtakingly photographed in Technicolor ; In addition , good pacing is also at hand, and the cast are great . Randolph Scott has done better work perhaps, but still gives an engaging performance. Randolph Scott gives a decent acting in his usual style as the undercover army officer to gather intelligence about an insurrectionist plot to have the southern part of the state secede to become a slave state , subsequently revealing his true identity and assuming command of the local army post. Nice supporting actors largely hang around waiting for something to do , and with plenty of familiar faces , such as : Dick Wesson , Philip Carey , Lina Romay , Roy Roberts , Alan Hale Jr , Morris Ankrum , Douglas Fowley , Katherine Warren and Anthony Caruso.

Furthermore , a moving and rousing musical score by the classical composer David Buttolph . As well as glimmering and shimmering photography by Bert Glennon , shot in studios and exteriors from Bell Ranch, Santa Susana, California . This thrilling chronicle of espionage and counter-espionage during the American Civil War was decently directed by Felix F. Feist . It is a typical Western professionally directed with lavish production design and enough budget . At his beginning Felix Feist entered the Hollywood film industry, obtaining work as a writer, and producer , before finally becoming a director , filmmaking several Shorts and documentary . His first feature films were : All by Myself and You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith . After that , he made a lot of films of all kinds of genres , getting hits and flops ; such as : ¨Deluge¨, ¨George White's scandals¨, ¨The Winner's Circle¨ , ¨The reckless age¨, ¨The devil thumbs a ride¨, ¨The Golden Gloves Story¨, ¨The threat¨, ¨Guilty of treason¨ , ¨The Basketball Fix ¨, ¨Tomorrow is another day¨, ¨The Man Who Cheated Himself¨. And his two greatest successes : ¨Big trees¨and ¨Donovan's brain¨.

Middle of the Road Scott Western!

[bsmith5552 · 6/10 · 8 December 2006]

"The Man Behind the Gun" is another of a series of 80 minute little westerns churned out by Randolph Scott during the 1950s. As with most of these films, there's plenty of action and a stellar supporting cast.

Major Rance Callicut (Scott) poses as a disgraced army officer who is sent to work undercover to foil secession threats which would take Southern California out of the Union. The time is the 1850s. On the stagecoach to Los Angeles he meets Lora Roberts (Patrice Wymore) who is on her way to LA to marry army Captain Roy Giles (Philip Carey). Also on board is bandit Vic Sutro (Anthony Carouso) whose holdup attempt is foiled by Callicut.

With his two side kicks, Sgt. Monk Waller (Dick Wesson) and Cpl. Olaf Swenson (Alan Hale Jr.) Callicut at first posing as a school teacher, sets out to discover who is behind the troubles. He learns that there are two opposing factions, one headed by Bram Cregan (Morris Ankrum) and the other by Senator Mark Sheldon (Roy Roberts). Calicutt is not trusted by Giles, who tries to arrest him before learning his true identity. Calicutt becomes attracted to the lovely Lora (of course).

Also in the mix is saloon owner Buckley (Douglas Fowley) and his singer Chona Dregnon (Lyna Romay). Calicutt is assisted by a young Mexican bandito, Joachim Murietta (Robert Cabel) whom he had earlier befriended. When Senator Sheldon is shot, and Cregar rescued from the hangman's noose, Calicutt thinks he has it all figured out...or does he?

As in most of Scott's westerns there is a major shoot out and plenty of fast paced action. Alan Hale Jr. basically picked up where his late father left off playing similar roles until he hit it really big as the Captain in TVs "Gilligan's Island". As an item of interest, Hale Sr. had appeared with Scott in one of his last films, "Colt 45" (1950). Patrice Wymore was one of Errol Flynn's wives. Robert Cabel is best remembered as "Hey Zoos" on TV's "Rawhide" for several seasons.

Not one of the best Scott westerns but entertaining nonetheless.

Vigorous Randolph Scott western with unusual setting

[BrianDanaCamp · 26 November 2010]

THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN (listed as 1952 in Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide) is a Warner Bros. western starring Randolph Scott and set in Los Angeles, California in the early 1850s. The script is okay, the pace is fast and it has a large, colorful cast. There are a number of interesting elements in it that are worth noting. The Southern California setting enables the script to name-check landmarks in the area: San Pedro, Santa Monica and the LaBrea Tar Pits—which two characters visit at one point. (No sightings of woolly mammoths, though.) They even mention San Luis Obispo, which is further up the coast. The plot involves manipulation of the water supply to L.A. with a corrupt politician trying to take control of it. As such, it looks forward to Roman Polanski's CHINATOWN (1974), 22 years later. There's even a direct casting connection. The actor who plays a California senator here, Roy Roberts, plays L.A.'s mayor in CHINATOWN.

There are two significant Latino characters. One is female nightclub owner Chona Degnon, played by singer Lina Romay. She's the film's resident femme fatale and she tries to recruit Scott to help out with her gun-running sideline. She sings a couple of numbers, too. Some of you may remember her from her delightful live-action cameo in Tex Avery's cartoon, "Señor Droopy" (1950). The other Latino character is famed California bandit and folk hero Joaquin Murietta, well played by Robert Cabal, an actor I'm otherwise unfamiliar with. Other movies have been made about Murietta, including the TV movie, "Desperate Mission" (1971), starring Ricardo Montalban. Murietta is seen here on the cusp of his outlaw career and he becomes an ally of the hero. He's quite handy with both guns and knives and kills seven opponents, often quite casually.

The cast includes Patrice Wymore (looking quite beautiful) as the fiancée of a military officer (Philip Carey) assigned to work with Scott. She soon finds herself falling for Scott, an undercover officer sent by Washington to put down a planned secessionist revolt. Wymore and Romay have a pretty convincing catfight at one point. Dick Wesson and Alan Hale Jr. (taking up where his dad, a longtime Warners contract player, left off) play ex-soldiers who'd served with Scott in the Mexican War and who act as his reluctant sidekicks here. They provide much of the (forced) comic relief. Dependable heavy Morris Ankrum has too small a part as a die-hard secessionist. Other dependable heavies in the cast include Douglas Fowley and Anthony Caruso.

It's all mostly shot on studio sets, with location work saved for the action finale—a spectacular raid on the water pirates' camp. In a few sequences, the film uses stock footage culled from an earlier Warner Technicolor western. IMDb says it was SAN ANTONIO (1945). I'm more inclined to say it was DODGE CITY (1939)—and it's quite possible that the footage used in SAN ANTONIO was indeed taken from DODGE CITY as well. If anyone wants to watch all three of these films back-to-back just to get this straight, be my guest.

This isn't the best Randolph Scott western I've ever seen, but it's certainly above average for him.

A Serious Mission

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 11 July 2010]

The Man Behind The Gun is a Randolph Scott western with Randy on a most serious mission. He's going undercover in southern California just before the Civil War to prevent a secessionist plot from taking California out of the union or at a very least splitting off southern California as a separate state for the southern Confederacy to be.

Scott's only got two allies from his previous army service Alan Hale,Jr., and Dick Wesson whom he can rely on. The situation is such that he can't tell who's on what side, least of all the army commander in the Los Angeles area, Philip Carey.

The film boasts a top notch cast of players that include Roy Roberts, Douglas Fowley, Anthony Caruso, Katharine Warren, Morris Ankrum, and as a young Joaquin Murietta, Robert Cabal. The two female leads are Patrice Wymore better known as the third Mrs. Errol Flynn and band singer Lina Romay who formally was with both the Xavier Cugar Orchestra and the Bing Crosby radio show at different times. Romay gets to sing a couple of sultry songs in Spanish. Also since this was a Warner Brothers film, Some Sunday Morning which was introduced in the Errol Flynn film San Antonio gets interpolated here.

Telling you who the head of the secessionist group would spoil things, but I will say it's one very deadly individual.

The Man Behind The Gun is a very good Randolph Scott western which would please his still devoted legion of fans.

OK, but strictly standard handling of good premise

[Amos_Dundee · 6/10 · 9 November 2006]

Randy is an army deserter (or is he?--not terribly original plot point but workable)involved with separatist gun runners out to control the water supply & thereby the whole of Southern California. The exact time frame is uncertain: after the Mexican War & before California became a state, General Zachary Taylor is mentioned (his picture hangs in Phil Carey's office) in the present tense but not his being president--so who knows & who cares. This isn't a history lesson; it's a Randolph Scott western where everybody carries a six-gun (even if at that time--most did not) and the Cavalry are wearing the completely wrong uniforms. Anyway, the first half sets up a decent premise and is pretty entertaining but once a certain cat is out of the bag so to speak it devolves into a very standard a rather dull outing for Randy. Patricia Wymore is very attractive & a decent actress. Phil Carey, Roy Roberts, Alan Hale, Jr., Douglas Fowley, Morris Ankrum and Anthony Caruso lend good support but the less said about Dick Wesson's more or less comedy relief role, the better. The script by John Twist has giant plot holes & is very clunky and Felix Feist's direction is alternately pedestrian and sloppy. Oh well, the Techincolor is quite nice. All I really ask from a Randy Scott western is to be entertained, this one only got me halfway there.

He's a Son of a Gun

[jcohen1 · 6/10 · 8 February 2008]

Hey I liked this flick more than I would have thought given it's from Scott's earlier block of films. An interesting plot with lots of characters, many of who standout. I liked Alan Hale as Olaf and sidekick Monk (Dick Wesson). They provided comic relief not usually present in a RS flick. Scott is his usual coxcomb, cool self. Romancing two lovely ladies (a first?) and not too shabbily. He takes his uniform off to provide a look at his less than ripped (but not too shabby frame) The film unfortunately lacks a compelling villain. Some nice California scenery (not as good as One Eyed Jacks) They kinda threw the kitchen sink into this B movie. Hey it even has a catfight where the two kittens in question manage to do no damage. Lina Myway per favor.

Enjoy.

Folks are doing History a real disservice to call . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 27 March 2018]

. . . THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN just another run-of-the-mill Western. THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN is about a Confederate Conspiracy to split off California south of San Luis Obispo as a Lazy Southern Racist Black Slavery state. At the time that Warner Bros. released THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN, Hollywood's biggest names at the other movie studios were spending more time in snitching out their Progressive Union Label benefactors to moronic alcohol-fueled Witch Hunters Hell-bent upon dredging up the South to "rise again" than they were in making films. This deplorable Real Life debauchery was spear-headed by Tinseltown's most bloated gas bag "star," who spent his nights riding up and down Wilshire Blvd. on Harleys with a few drunken co-stars, clubbing any guys within reach of their hogs who seemed "Gay" to them. THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN depicts an 1800s Los Angeles rife with such Thuggery, plots, and back-stabbing. Always prophetic, Warner Bros. uses THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN to warn America that this flick's wanton mayhem was happening in Real Life in the 1950s, and would pop up again in the 2010s.

L.A. Confidential

[FightingWesterner · 5/10 · 27 January 2010]

Supposed killer and Army deserter Randolph Scott heads to Los Angeles sometime before the Civil War. Posing as a schoolteacher who can't shoot straight, he gets knee-deep in some intrigue involving a group of separatists, the assassination of a US senator, and their attempts to split California into free and slave states.

Costumes and sets are lavish and there's lots of great old-California atmosphere. However, The Man Behind The Gun is disappointingly routine. It's really too bad, because this is really one handsome production!

The actors are game and some of their characters are quite colorful. The filmmakers should have pumped a little more action and suspense into the script, or trimmed the final product to about an hour.

No Surprises, An Ok Tale

[damianphelps · 6/10 · 9 March 2021]

Its a likeable Randolph Scott movie (as they usually are). It doesn't offer much in the way of a unique story but ambles along to provide the expected level of entertainment for a Scott film.

Many of Scott's films could be described as mediocre but they fall on the mediocre side of good :).

All Gloss, No Grit

[ashew · 4/10 · 9 November 2006]

I'm a huge Randolph Scott fan, but this film is a dud. The whole thing has a canned, fake, soundstage feel to it, with truly awful rear-screen projection. It has a good plot idea that the screenwriter has successfully buried in a nitwit script, which makes it impossible for the audience to become immersed in the action and truly care about any of the characters. The directing is pedestrian, and only accentuates how bad the script is instead of helping to improve it. I've seen plenty of thoroughly enjoyable "soundstage productions" before, but this is not one of them. All it does is make you appreciate the gritty Scott/Boetticher films all the more.

Randolph Scott is tanned, trim, and shines that million dollar smile throughout. He's always a pleasure...even in the worst of his films. Aside from Scott, the other main reason I wanted to see this movie was due to how much I enjoyed Ms. Wymore in Errol Flynn's movie, "Rocky Mountian". In "Man Behind the Gun", she is just as beautiful, and you can tell she's a good actress, but she was forced to say some pretty dumb lines, and the blocking she was given by the director was truly awful. I've only seen Phil Carey in "Operation Pacific", and he plays the exact same character here...an arrogant pain-in-the-butt you want to beat into unconsciousness. I guess it proves he's a good actor...he made me hate him. There are some lame attempts at comic relief that only detract from the film, in my opinion. Although there are many elements to knock, I must say that I found myself truly enjoying the two Spanish songs sung in the musical numbers...but that's not why we go to see Randolph Scott movies, right?

There are definitely worse Scott films out there, and this one certainly isn't unbearable, but it also certainly couldn't be deemed anything beyond mediocre.

The man behind the masquerade

[weezeralfalfa · 8/10 · 19 April 2008]

In contrast to most reviewers, I found this one of the most interesting Randolph Scott westerns I have seen. However, it could have used a better descriptive title. For a start, "The man behind the masquerade" would apply to several of the main characters, including Randy.

The plot centers around two things: the secret effort of the US army to infiltrate and break up a pre-Civil War secession movement in southern CA, and the shiftings in the romantic quadrangle between Randy, as Major Callicut, Captain Giles(Phillip Carey), Lora(Patrice Wymore) and Chona(Lina Romay). The two female leads are cast as opposites in personality as well as looks. Chona is a worldly Mexican spitfire singer in an L.A. nightspot, whereas Lora is a straight-laced rosy-cheeked striking blond school teacher from the East. Randy is clearly smitten by both, as is Captain Giles, who will unexpectedly be working with Randy to squash the secession movement. Lora is engaged to Giles, but she soon cools toward him, while warming up to Randy, whom she met on the stage to L.A. Meanwhile, Giles has been dallying with Chona, in Lora's absence. Now, Chona is angry that Giles has stopped seeing her, after Lora's arrival. She briefly hints at a romance with Randy, but this fades after he discovers that she is in with the rebels and she discovers that he is a secret agent for the army. Chona eventually initiates a spirited but remarkably inept cat fight with Lora over Giles. It ends in a draw, but tragedy soon strikes one.

Meanwhile, Creegan, a vocal supporter of an independent southern CA, as a slave state, is at odds with Senator Sheldon, supposedly a staunch supporter of a united free CA. However, Sheldon also has plans for an independent southern CA, with himself as kingpin. But first, he wants to relieve Creegan of his monopoly of the water supply for L.A. It takes Randy a while to figure out that it is the supposedly deceased Sheldon, not Creegan, that he must subdue.

Dick Wesson And Alan Hale Jr. are Randy's sidekicks, providing occasional comic relief. Wesson served other supporting roles during this period, usually as an effeminant daffy character.(examples: "Desert Song" and "Calamity Jane"). Here, he masquerades as a woman in one scene, but is laughingly unconvincing, with his moustache and unshaven face! He usually sports a bull whip which, among other things, he uses to remove the dress from the derriere of a saloon girl! Hale is easily confused with his father, who played similar supporting roles, especially in Errol Flynn movies.

Patrice Wymore was the last official Mrs. Errol Flynn. She would interrupt her rather short Flynn-promoted film career to tend her ailing husband, whom she eventually divorced. Unfortunately, her daughter by Flynn turned out to have Flynn's addiction to drugs and died a beach bum cocaine and rum addict, reduced to stealing coconuts to support her habit. Lina Romay was primarily known as a Latin singer. She should not be confused with the younger actress of mostly horror and pornographic films, with the same name.

In some respects, this film reminds me of the earlier Wayne western "Tall in the Saddle". Again, Wayne simultaneously becomes tenuously involved with a raven wildcat and a cool blond from the East. Again, Wayne is initially misled as to who the real villain is he is looking for. This was a B&W film, in contrast to the Technicolor treatment the present film was given. Color films rapidly took over Hollywood in the '50s, largely because of increased competition from TV and reduced complexity of making color films. Color TVs didn't become common until the '60s. Thus, color served as another reason for people to go to theaters.

"I was told when a man got this far West, nobody asked him questions."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 17 March 2023]

Randolph Scott goes undercover as prospective school teacher Rick Bryce, but seriously, who would believe that after he demonstrated his prowess with a six shooter? His character is really Major Ransome 'Ranse' Callicut, formally cleared of an unjust shooting and placed in charge of a cavalry fort where he's investigating a plot to have Southern California declared a separate state in which slavery would be legal. A host of shady characters comprise the supporting cast, with Roy Roberts portraying Senator Mark Sheldon, the mastermind of the coup attempting to head up a new pre-Civil War entity in 1850 California. Ransome has a couple of comedy relief sidekicks in this one, in particular, Alan Hale Jr. Brings the house down in more ways than one when he attempts to dead lift a thirteen hundred pound boulder at Buckley's Palacio. His other partner, Monk Walker (Dick Wesson), used a bullwhip gimmick making me think it might have been Lash LaRue in the role, except that he had only the slightest resemblance. Later on, Monk dresses in drag to help Ransome infiltrate the villain camp, resulting in a wild melee that smokes out villain Sheldon and the rest of the baddies. Interestingly, an ambiguous historical figure of the era aids Major Callicut in busting up the secession plot in the guise of Joaquin Murietta, portrayed by a youthful looking Robert Cabal. Nicknamed the Robin Hood of the West, Murietta was a Mexican figure of disputed legend.

Nothing special....

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 17 February 2012]

I am a big fan of Randolph Scott and try to watch as many of his films as I can. Why? Because Scott had a nice style--easy-going and likable yet tough. However, I must also admit that for every exceptional film his made (such as "Ride the High Country") he made several that were not so special--and perhaps a few that were simply adequate. Considering how dull this film was in spots and how similar it was to several of his other films, I'd put "The Man Behind the Gun" in this last category. Like MANY of his other films, this one is about the Civil War and divisions between Northerners and Southerners. In about half of these films (or perhaps a few less) he is working for the North and in the others he's either an agent/spy for the South or an ex-soldier after the war trying to help oppressed Southerners. To me, it's like the writers were beating a dead horse and needed some originality. The only thing SLIGHTLY original about this is that it is set just BEFORE the war instead of during or after. Otherwise, a very typical sort of formula. And, if you care, a chance to see Alan Hale, Jr. in a supporting role. In addition, there's just too much singing in this film. Now if you are NOT a fan who's seen most of his films, this may not be that important and the film might be more watchable. At best adequate.

Mundane handling of lively elements makes this Randolph Scott western dull going.

[Mozjoukine · 27 October 2002]

All the things that made the Scott movies the most agreeable matine fare are present - an opening shoot out in foggy San Francisco streets, a stage hold up, historical plotting about stealing the L.A. water supply (well before CHINATOWN), false identity, opening an empty grave and hard riding and shoot outs in the great out of doors. On top of that it's delivered in Technicolor by some of Warners' most assured technicians, complete with stock shots from the Flynn movies and snatches of earlier Warner scores.

The reason it's so mechanical must be the routine direction of Felix Feist who fades away as Scott takes on sure hands Andre de Toth and Budd Boetticher as directors. The scene with Lina Ronay against the studio sky is particularly lack lustre. Randy grins his way through events and is doubled in the final river punch out while villain Roy Roberts does his own stunts - like I mean - really!

LA Western

[Tweekums · 5/10 · 21 April 2012]

Set in southern California this western is considerably further west than most of the genre… although not much further west than many were filmed! The story opens in a stagecoach heading towards Los Angeles; on board are a school teacher, a senator, a bandit, a man we will soon learn is a deserter from the US Army and a wealthy land owner who is wants Southern California to break away from the rest of the state and become a new state where slavery is legal… this is in the 1850's several years before the civil war that was to abolish slavery throughout the United States. The bandit tries to rob the stage but fails and is handed over to the local army captain in Los Angeles. It looks like he can't be trusted though as the man escapes. This is where the deserter is identified as Major Callicut; a man wanted for killing a fellow officer in a duel. Shortly afterwards the senator is shot and killed by the leader of the secessionists. What follows has more twists than a corkscrew as we learn that little of what we have seen is quite what it seemed; Callicut is in fact on a mission to root out the secessionists who plan to take over the area's water supply to force the government to give in to their demands.

This is a decent enough film with a solid performance from Randolph Scott as Callicut; there is sufficient action and even a few good laughs… mostly provided by Callicut's sergeant; at one point he is even disguised as a woman in a bonnet and dress! The problem is the story wasn't that believable… If the threat from secessionists was so serious surely the government would have sent more than one man and people were quick to believe him when he showed his ID; it hardly looked forgery proof! Another problem was the obvious use of back projection in many scenes; I know this was a common thing in films of the time but it seemed particularly obvious here. I will admit though that the twists weren't bad and I certainly didn't spot the main one; don't worry I won't spoil it here! The film is still worth watching if you are a fan of the western genre just don't expect anything too special.

Complicated plot

[deexsocalygal · 4/10 · 20 September 2021]

I'm a Randolf Scott fan but I didn't like this one because the plot was too complicated. First of all the movie starts with Randolf in a stagecoach going to California. He is pretending to be a school teacher in the stagecoach but when a bad guy riding in the stagecoach tries to shoot everyone he reveals he's really a sharp shooting bad guy. When they arrive at a small town saloon Randolf hooks up with two bad guys & they talk about making some money illegally & he tells them to call him by a different name because he's pretending to be a schoolteacher. Then you find out he's not a bad guy or a school teacher he's really an undercover Marshall with the army or something I don't know. There were so many bad guys pretending to be good guys and good guys who were really bad guys and to make it even further complicated good ladies who were secretly involved with bad guys that I couldn't figure out who was what & what was going on. I didn't understand what everyone was trying to do. All I know is Randolf was pretending to be a school teacher who was pretending to be a bad guy who was actually an undercover army marshall who is in love with a Spanish Salon girl who pretends to be interested in him but she's really in cohoots with some bad guys. Randolf is also in love with a lady who wants to be a school teacher but she is involved with another army marshall who tries to arrest Randolf but Randolf shows him papers that say he is undercover army marshall too just like he is & so they become friends which is awkward because they both love the same girl until she tells the guy it's not working out & kisses Randolf. I can't recommend this one. Watch another one.

Pretending to be.

Fine Randolph Scott movie with an excellent plot

[shakspryn · 9/10 · 29 April 2023]

Any movie that stars Randolph Scott is, basically, a good movie--because he's in it. His quiet, understated charm, his graciousness, sense of strength and strong moral character, are always apparent in the roles he plays. And that's not even to mention that he is remarkably handsome! Yes, during the late 1940's and through his very productive decade of the 1950's, he was a man in his 50's; but it was never hard to imagine a pretty young lady getting romantically interested in this tall, tough, appealing gentleman.

I just watched this movie on dvd, and the colors are absolutely beautiful! It's a pleasure to watch, with many outdoors scenes for us to enjoy. The plot is rather intricate for a Western, and there is a big cast of characters. One of the good points about the plot is, it takes some twists and isn't just predictable. There is a good amount of action scenes throughout the movie.

Fans of good Westerns and especially fans of Randolph Scott should definitely see this movie.

Dull, routine western had Scott stopping Confederate sympathizers

[a_chinn · 4/10 · 15 January 2018]

I had to start this movie over twice because I realized I'd stopped paying attention, which should tell you something about the quality of storytelling here. Randolph Scott plays an undercover government agent investigating some Confederate sympathizers who want California to secede and become a rebel state. Routine western offers nothing original. It's not terrible, but it's so routine and bland that it hardly held my interest.

The Man behind a vague I.D

[tim-764-291856 · 5/10 · 26 November 2010]

Seemingly, for a good part studio-bound, this bright little western is OK, as they go. It has good colour, a couple of breezy leads, some obviously staged fights and a story that seemed as vague as everybody in the film was about Randolph Scott's identity.

How anybody could quite think that a tall, lean, cowboy-looking cowboy with a ten gallon hat to boot, would ever pass off as a 'schoolteacher', I don't know! In all westerns I've ever seen, schoolteachers have been pretty, demure little damsels that are just arriving by stagecoach or have been in post for years and inevitably marries the sheriff. That's a given...

Very disappointing Scott film

[Marlburian · 4/10 · 11 March 2010]

Oh dear! What a disappointment. I've been watching old Westerns on British TV for decades, and I wasn't aware of this one until its showing yesterday - most other Scott Westerns come around every few years or so and are usually worth watching again.

The rich colour and outdoor sets were good, but that's all I can say about this film. I have to agree with most of the other negative comments already made. Several times I felt like turning it off, and finally I did, halfway through, something I hardly ever do.

Scott seemed unusually oily in charming the girls, his two sidekicks were annoying and so was the Mexican bandit lad. And I've a feeling the army uniforms were 20 years or so too modern, not that this has bothered makers of many other Westerns.

Perhaps it got better in the second half, but I couldn't be bothered to wait and see.

TWENTY-TWO MONTHS LATER:

Bit worrying. I sat down to watch this film and it took a while for me to realise I'd seen it, and less than two years ago. This time I did persevere and watched it all the way through, and still wasn't impressed. It's a bit like a stew into which everything has been thrown, with an unappetising result.

I could forgive the stagecoach scene with so many key characters conveniently travelling together, but there were all sorts of curiosities: the attempt to hide the assassins' bodies in the opening scenes, was the charade really necessary of Scott being a disgraced officer, the reason for Hale's feat of strength (and how were Scott and co able to engineer it), the Mexican lad's sudden transformation into an admirer and associate of Scott and his ability to supply rifles in bulk (what did happen to him after he slipped away from the baddies?), the role reversals (already mentioned) of Scott and Carey, how did Scott get a nice new major's uniform, the way the two NCOs were tricked into what they thought was re-enlisting, the stubbled NCO posing as a woman and so on.

Glossy and great fun

[coltras35 · 9/10 · 31 March 2021]

I am aware that there's some stock footage/elements taken from that Errol Flynn starrer Virginia City ( also starring Randolph Scott), but that doesn't detract the entertainment value of this western. Colourful, brisk, actionful, but what I like most about it is the mystery regarding who is behind a scheme to dispose of the garrison in old Los Angeles by controlling the water supply and therefore the land. The main villain is anonymous until the last half-hour or so. You might guess who that guy is, but it's still enjoyable. There's a slight sinister aura in that regard.

Love mystery- or who is it? -in westerns, which is, unfortunately, rare, and that gives this film an extra kick. Also, there's some good one liners from Scott's sidekick, one that is quite surprising considering the year it was made (when Scott shows amorous attention to a lady, Dick Wesson says something on the lines: "yeah, you pursue her and you'll be unique." A wordplay on Eunuch.) Phil Carey, Patrice Wymore and Dick Wesson lend great support.

Yet another potboiler western melodrama

[joachimokeefe · 3/10 · 10 March 2010]

The explosion of TV channels must be eternally grateful to the Randolph Scott Western production line, because any any moment there must be one of what seems like a hundred Randolph Scott movies playing on at least one no-budget station.

"Man Behind The Gun" is a typical early 1950's period melodrama with pre-WWII production values that relies on a historically-topical murder mystery plot peppered with action scenes to disguise the script's complete absence of character development, and thus lack of suspense. In years to come the role of these films would be taken over by TV shows like 'Gunsmoke', 'Bonanza', etc - and these actually did the job better. Randolph Scott, looking particularly grizzled in this, is the good guy, struggling against the bad guys against whom he will eventually prevail. There's no more interest in what he goes through emotionally than in what his horse is feeling, unless you count wondering whether he'll sort out the initial misunderstanding with the female lead by the end. The music is a stronger indication of the emotional state of the 'characters' than the acting is. But it's fine if that floats your boat; and I wouldn't berate you for enjoying 'Diagnosis, Murder', either.

Workmanlike, pedestrian, and ageing rapidly. 3 stars for being competently put together; 0 for artistic endeavour.

I had hopes, but they were dashed...

[sgys-65039 · 5/10 · 18 November 2023]

I have the feeling that the scriptwriter and the director were incompetent story tellers who had lucked into their jobs by a roll of the dice. This could have been a good movie; they were presented with a good plot, but the character development was poorly done, the story development was haphazard, and yet they had a quality cast and a good setting. Some of the outdoor scenes were obviously studio backdrops, but that wasn't the worst part - the failure was because the script writer the director were hamhanded. The dialog seemed random and confusing, and the director let it go, seemingly disinterested, did nothing to save this film. I believe that if they had different writers and director, this film could have reached at least an 8.

The Man Behind The Confusion

[tonypeacock-1 · 5/10 · 27 April 2023]

I had to resume this film from the beginning at the fifty minute mark because I was getting so confused with the plot strands. There seemed so many! Who were the good guys, who were the bad guys all that kind of thing because it was so confusing. To me anyway! It's a good job the film had only a modest running time to allow this to be practicable.

It's a shame because there was some good work that went into this film from both the cast and the crew. There are elements of humour, action, romantic scenes. Good location photography and sound. Some good performances from the supporting cast as well.

It's definitely a film that has to be watched if you are going to seriously explore the Randolph Scott movies because he had such a filmography.

I suppose the film did remind me of some plot in future Hollywood output from films as varied as A Few Good Men (1992) when a character talks about duty and it's importance in the army and the control of the Californian water supply reminded me of the James Bond film Quantum Of Solace (2008) albeit that was Bolivia.