Return of the Bad Men (1948) User Reviews (27)

A few notches above the average Western

[holerjunker · 6/10 · 30 May 2009]

Two things really distinguish this otherwise typical Scott/Hayes western - Unbelievable cinematography - I cannot believe how lovingly and lushly this film was photographed - amazing evidence of how much impact cinematography alone can have on an otherwise average motion picture.

The other thing is a gleefully ruthless performance by a young Robert Ryan playing The Sundance Kid as one mean, ornery sonuvabee. To say that he put a different spin on the character than Robert Redford did is putting it mildly. Robert Ryan is one of my favorite actors and there is clear evidence here that he had the goods from the very beginning. Just don't turn your back on him.

This film is available as part of the Warner Archive collection and a solid addition to any Western film library.

A Summit of Outlawry

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 4 July 2007]

Randolph Scott had scored a pretty good success dealing with a whole bunch of name outlaws in Badman's Territory a few years back. Small wonder that RKO decided to repeat the same formula. Though Return of the Badmen is by no means a sequel to the original film.

Return of the Badmen finds Randolph Scott as a retired Texas Ranger looking to settle in the newly opened Oklahoma Territory. But formerly the territory known as the Indian nations was patrolled by the army with visits from occasional federal peace officers like Rooster Cogburn if John Wayne fans will remember True Grit.

A summit of outlawry has been called by Bill Doolin as played by Robert Armstrong. He brings in the Daltons, the Youngers, Billy the Kid, and the meanest of them all, the Sundance Kid as played by Robert Ryan. This is not the same guy who partnered with Paul Newman. He's a mean cuss and he's the guy that Randolph Scott eventually squares off with for reasons you'll have to see the film for.

Repeating the same formula that RKO used for Scott in Abilene Town, he's got two girls pursuing him. One is Jacqueline White who is banker Gabby Hayes's daughter who is the widow of a peace officer herself with a small son in Gary Gray. The other is a Calamity Jane type outlaw named Cheyenne played by Anne Jeffreys who is Armstrong's niece. Again you'll have to see Return of the Bad Men to figure out who Scott gets.

In true cowboy hero fashion, old peace officer Randolph Scott answers the call of the citizenry for law and order. Though Return of the Bad Men doesn't cover any new ground, it's a good western for Randolph Scott.

Or as Mel Brooks would have it, RANDOLPH SCOTT.

The Birth of Oklahoma

[krorie · 6/10 · 21 May 2006]

In good historical fiction as in good sci-fi what is revealed must be possible, even if not likely. Though a superior B shoot-'em-up, "Return of the Badmen" plays havoc with the history of the Old West, not only in location but also in time period. Billy the Kid was never in Indian Territory (Oklahoma). It is highly unlikely that the Sundance Kid was ever in Indian Territory. The Bill Doolin Gang with the Arkansas Kid are depicted fairly accurately as far as place is concerned. Doolin called his band of cutthroats "The Wild Bunch" so maybe the writers confused Doolin's gang with Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch. It is also true that the Dalton Gang rode with the Doolin Gang in Indian Territory (Bill Doolin began his outlaw career with the Dalton Gang). The Younger Brothers with Frank and Jesse James hid out in Indian Territory but did not venture as far west as Guthrie. Cole Younger allegedly had a child (Pearl Starr) with Belle Starr in the area of today's eastern Oklahoma around Eufaula.

The time line is also out of sync. Billy the Kid was killed in 1881, Jesse in 1882. When Frank turned state's evidence, the Youngers left alive went to prison. The Coffeyville, Kansas, blunder was in 1892. The 1890's was the time of the Doolin Gang's peak activity, joined by remnants of the Dalton Gang. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were active at the turn of the century. As the later classic western, "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid" shows, Cassidy's version of the Wild Bunch was the last notorious outlaw band of the Old West.

The Oklahoma Land Rush that led to the founding of Guthrie, Oklahoma, took place in 1889, several years after Billy the Kid's death. The part of the film showing Guthrie growing overnight to 10,000 inhabitants is historically accurate. The lawman who takes Cheyenne (Anne Jeffreys) into custody to deliver her to the federal court in Fort Smith, Arkansas, had a long journey before him. It is today an almost three-hour drive by car from Guthrie, Oklahoma, to Fort Smith, Arkansas.

I have read that because horror film producers were successfully grouping monsters together in one film, producers of westerns thought audiences would turn out to see oaters that grouped badmen together in one flick. If "Return of the Badmen" overdid it a bit, the concoction does make for an entertaining picture. At the crux of the story is the conflict between Marshal Vance Cordell (Randolph Scott) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Ryan). These two skilled actors make the whole hodgepodge work. The Sundance Kid is portrayed as a hothead who is more interested in killing the Marshal than in robbing banks. Ryan's concept of the Sundance Kid is quite different from Robert Redford's later incarnation of the badman. Redford's Kid is jovial, fun-loving, yet deadly when provoked. Ryan's Kid is dead serious, at heart a cold-blooded killer. As to be expected at the center of the rivalry is a woman, Cheyenne, a reformed outlaw, niece to Bill Doolin. To complicate the situation, the Marshal is already betrothed to the banker's daughter, Madge Allen (Jacqueline White), not the sweet, innocent young thing one might expect, but certainly with higher morals than the resourceful Cheyenne.

George "Gabby" Hayes, still a bewhiskered windbag, expands his sidekick characterization to include being a respected banker. This time around, rather than being the brunt of many a joke, Gabby is a good-hearted leading citizen standing up for law and order. He becomes a help to the Marshal, not a hindrance.

Director Ray Enright keeps the film moving with plenty of action, including a final shootout involving a burning cart of hay. "Return of the Badmen" is exciting and should please fans of B westerns of the 1940's.

Decent B Western

[mschrock · 7/10 · 2 January 2003]

This movie surprised me. I don't care for Randolph Scott, and reading the description of the movie to include Billie the Kid, Youngers, Sundance Kid, and the Daltons, etc. This seemed like a joke. Clearly a bad movie to waste time on, but I couldn't resist watching it start to see all these headliner bad guys in one gang. I expected to rate the movie no higher than 3.....if I even made it past the first 30 minutes.

Turns out, the movie caught me off guard. In the context of a B Western, it actually works. Seeing Gabby in a 'non-side-kick' role wasn't the disappointment I expected. Seeing them "throw" bullets out of the guns (the classic snap the gun down and fire in one motion), and taking about 2 seconds from pistol blast till the bullet strikes the rock in front of the bad guy, was ok, cause that's classic B Western stuff, and after all this was B Western in the 1940's.

If you're looking for a good old B Western that doesn't have the Duke in it, try this out. I gave it a 7 in spite of myself.

You're the most unethical, ornery bandits I ever done business with.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 30 May 2012]

Return of the Badmen is directed by Ray Enright and co-written by Charles O'Neal, Jack Natteford and Luci Ward. It stars Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, Anne Jeffreys, George Hayes and Jacqueline White. Music is by Paul Sawtell and cinematography by J. Roy Hunt.

Braxton, Oklahoma Territory, 1889, soon to be a ghost town as the impending land rush changes the West. With that comes more than just settlers, it brings outlaws too, some of the meanest there is. Under the leadership of Wild Bill Doolin has gathered the Sundance Kid, the Younger Brothers, the Daltons, Wild Bill Yeager, Billy The Kid, George Mason, the Arkansas Kid and Doolin's niece Cheyenne. Standing in their way? Vance Cordell, retired Texas Ranger, soon to become temporary marshal of newly formed Guthrie Town, and a man with a score to settle with the Sundance Kid.

Premise is simple, RKO, flush with the success of Badman's Territory the previous year, decide that more is best in this second instalment of the studio's "Badmen" trilogy (Best of the Badmen followed in 1951). They pitch some of the Wild West's baddest apples together and play them off against that bastion of stoic cowboyness, Randolph Scott. As a basic Western movie it works, film is always engaging, has a good action quota, is technically safe from the camera side of things and is driven by a pot boiling destiny showdown between Scott and Ryan. Trouble is is that so many notorious characters in one mix means the film has no chance of living up to its promise. Which in a running time of 90 minutes was always going to be impossible to achieve anyway, especially when you also have the inevitable romantic angle involving our hero, another character thread involving reform and the backdrop of the land rush as well.

Thankfully the film finds Scott and Ryan more than capable of sealing the deal, lifting the picture above the routine plotting and unrealistic nature of the set-up. It's good versus evil, where Scott's Cordell is the man in light, the man of the people, and Ryan's Sundance is the man in dark, a twitchy cold blooded psycho. Yes, there's the inevitability factor of it all, we know who is going to triumph here, but the build up is well handled and it does provide a very brisk and punch laden finale. There's nothing irritable in cast performances across the board, yes we want more from the roll call of actors playing under written villains, but story, as fantastical as it is, never sags and entertains from first minute to last. There's worse ways for Western fans to spend an hour and half, that's for sure! 6.5/10

Return of the Badmen historically incorrect

[frontrowkid2002 · 20 April 2008]

The reviewer "krorie" from Van Buren, Arkansas, goes to great length to point out how historically Return of the Badmen were, listing the dates the different real life outlaws, depicted in the film, were living and when they died. While your research is to be commended, you missed the whole point of the movie. It was made for entertainment not enlightenment. Most of the westerns made by Hollywood took liberties with the facts and were presented in a fashion that audiences could accept. The Return of the Badmen, like its predecessor "Badmen Territory" used the combined villainy of real life western outlaws to add appeal to the western. While both films were made in the late Forties, and television had not yet made an effect on the movie going public, the genre was slowly being burned out. Everything possible had been tried in order to boost box office appeal. Actually, the B western was already suffering from postwar production costs, and ticket prices in those years right before television. Many families, particularly those with small children, did not have the money for a babysitter and so spent the evenings at home listening to radio. The movie westerns did their best box office at the Saturday afternoon matinées when parents dropped off their children at the theater so they could go shopping. While Randolph Scott made many westerns, these two westerns, particularly Return of the Badmen, must have made an impression on producer Mel Brooks because he uses Randolph Scott's name as an in-joke in his 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles. The townspeople are reluctant to help their new sheriff, who happens to be black, combat the outlaw hoards which is coming to their town. One person speaks up in defense of the sheriff by saying "You would help Randolph Scott" whereupon the people reverently repeat Scott's name as they take off their hats and are bathed in a heavenly light which shines from above.

Randolph Scott against the ten worst killers of the untamed Western : The Youngers , the Daltons , Wild Bill Doolin, Wild Bill Yeager , Billy The Kid and Sundance Kid

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 16 August 2016]

This greatest frontier drama since ¨Cimarron¨ deals with a marshal (Randolph Scott) carries out peace and order at a town outside the law and all the notorious badmen who fought to keep it there . An epic thrill parade down banditry's halls of infamy , violence-filled heart of the wild west and being a sequel to ¨Badman's territory¨ (1946) . Concerning the worst killers of the untamed West and the Lady they called 'Cheyenne' (Anne Jeffreys) on a rampage of murder and terror in the blood-red days of frontier Oklahoma . There Vance (Randolph Scott) is appointed Marshall who must fight against a gang of outlaws led by a sadistic Sundance Kid (Robert Ryan) .

An epic saga of a land beyond the law starred by an all-Western-star cast , including cowboy actors , great personalities and many other things . An exciting and explosive exploitation for the great big action western of 1948 . The plot is plain and simple taking place when part of Oklahoma Territory becomes officially part of the U.S. , there a sheriff has to deal with such notorious outlaws as the James and Dalton boys in a territory outside of government control . Here appears a lot of of bandits ; see them all : the most wanted outlaws : Cole Younger , Jim Younger , Bob Dalton , Grat Dalton , Emmett Dalton , Billy The Kid , Arkansas Kid , Sundance .... This is a Frontier history written by Luci Ward in the violent deeds of the most famous outlaws of the 1880s and in the grit and guns of the couraged few who dared the crimson challenge . This ¨Return of the badmen¨ belongs to a trilogy formed by the original ¨Badman's territory¨ (1946) by Tim Whelan with Randolph Scott , Anne Richards , Steve Brodie and George ¨Gabby Hayes¨ and a third part titled ¨Best of the Badmen¨ (1951) by William Russell with Robert Ryan , Claire Trevor , Jack Buetel , Robert Preston , Bruce Cabot , Walter Brennan , all of them starred by notorious bandits of the wild west . Nice acting by Randolph Scott in his usual style as Vance Cordrell , a straight-shooting marshal is forced to deal with some of the most infamous outlaws of the Old West . And several known secondaries playing the known bandits , such as : Steve Brodie (Cole Younger) , Tom Keene (Jim Younger) , Robert Bray (John Younger) , Lex Barker (Emmett Dalton) , Walter Reed (Bob Dalton) , Robert Armstrong (Wild Bill Doolin) , among others . Tom Tyler would play Frank James in Badman's Territory (1946) and Best of the badmen (1951) as well as another film, here he plays fictional outlaw Wild Bill . And , of course , the comic relief for the veteran and usual George ¨Gabby¨ Hayes .

The motion picture well produced by Nat Holt was professionally directed by Ray Enright . Ray was a craftsman who directed lots of Westerns . His Western film debut was ¨River's end¨ (40) , following ¨Bad men in Missouri¨ (41) about the Youngers , ¨The spoilers¨ (42) with a star-system , as Marlene Dietrich , John Wayne and Scott , ¨Men of Texas¨(42) , ¨Sin Town¨(42) , and various starred by Randolph Scott as ¨Trail Street¨(47) , ¨Coroner Creek¨(48) , ¨Alburquerque¨(48) , and starred by Alexis Smith : ¨South of St. Louis¨(49) and ¨Montana¨ (50) with Alexis and Errol Flynn . His last Westerns were ¨Kansas raiders¨(50) and Flaming Feather¨(52) , until his retirement in 1953 .

Classic Western Film

[whpratt1 · 6/10 · 17 July 2007]

Figured this film was going to be your typical Western film and very soon I found out this was a great 1948 Classic Western with Randolph Scott, (Marshall Vance Cordell) who is about to retire and marry a woman he loves who also has a child from a previous marriage. However, their plans had to be canceled because their town of Paxton Oklahoma was invaded by a gang of famous outlaws called the Dalton Gang, Sundance Kid, Billy the Kid and Wild Bill Doolin. There was also a young gal named Cheyenne, (Anne Jeffreys) who was a female outlaw with this gang and added a different interest to this Western Story. Marshall Cordell became involved with Cheyenne and she falls in love with him and also the gal he intends to marry which adds some romance to this shoot E'M kill E'm Film

Notable Cast and RKO Style Make this an Above Average Western

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 7 July 2016]

Name Dropper of a Western including...Billy the Kid...The Daltons...The Sundance Kid...and The Youngers.

All of this Means absolutely Nothing in terms of Story or Plot. The Names are there for Sizzle and to make the Movie seem more Important than it is.

None of this was Necessary because this RKO Western is Above Average with Randolph Scott (the good guy), Robert Ryan (the baddest of the Badmen), Anne Jefferies as a Pistol Packin Mama (Cheyenne), and a Gang of Familiar Faces that add some Spice to this sometimes Brutal Oater.

The Cinematography is in Sharp Black and White with some Attention to Atmosphere, Cheyenne's Tomboy Violence, a Psychotic Sundance Kid, and if it's to Your Liking, Gabby Hayes as a Motormouth Banker for Comedy Relief, all make this a Notch Above Standard Stuff.

Anne Jefferies and Jacqueline White spar for Randolph Scott's attention and Robert Armstrong gives one of His Better non "King Kong" (1933) Outings.

Overall, it's Darker than most Westerns of its Time, thanks to that RKO Noir-ish Style and Wide Open Casting makes this Worth a Watch even for Non-Western Fans.

Former Ranger becomes new territory marshall

[helpless_dancer · 6/10 · 10 March 2000]

When a ruthless gang of bank and train robbers begin terrorizing a fledgling Oklahoma countryside, a new marshall is appointed to bring them to justice. It is no easy task because the bandits consist of the infamous Doolins, Daltons, and Youngers. Particularly troublesome is the psychotic Sundance Kid, an ornery lowdown skunk if ever there was one. Just an average western with a lot of old familiar faces.

Standard plot imaginatively filmed.

[tynesider · 5/10 · 16 April 2008]

Legendary western outlaws by the score (almost), are faced down by lawman Vance (Randolph Scott) in this routine picture from Ray Enright. Two heroines, one a reformed bad girl, Cheyenne, (Anne Jeffreys)who becomes a telegraphist for part of the film, (now that's a new one); the other heroine reluctant banker John Pettit's (Gabby Hayes) widowed daughter Madge (Jacqueline White). These ladies fight for the attentions of Scott though Madge is already engaged to him.

The eponymous bad men cause problems for banks in the usual fashion and number some old favourites among their ranks (the Youngers, the Daltons, Billy The Kid, Wild Bill Doolin and the Sundance Kid (Robert Ryan). Ryan is portrayed as a really nasty piece of work, he shoots men in cold blood and seems more interested in killing than robbing.

The shoot out in the ghost town where the outlaws have organised a dance (another first?) is nicely done and the black and white photography makes it work.

Liked also, old reliable Gabby Hayes' scene with Randolph Scott in which he warns of the futility of shaving "you realise you lose four full days out o' your life every year - just hackin' your whiskers off?" The two female leads are attractive, with contrasting personalities, White is demure but with a steely resolve, while Jeffreys is vivacious, stubborn, plays tough but has a soft feminine centre. They are both central to the plot and not just pretty faces.

The Doolin (Robert Armstrong) character is interesting too, a hard but pragmatic outlaw who is just about able to keep Sundance under control.

All in all a fair B Western with some nice touches.

More than another "middling Western"

[carver · 8/10 · 19 November 2005]

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.

Return of the Bad Men review

[JoeytheBrit · 7/10 · 29 April 2020]

Dependable Randolph Scott climbs up onto his saddle once more to play a former Texas Ranger who becomes the Sheriff of a town that's about to find itself at the epicentre of a rash of bank robberies carried out by a variety of real-life outlaws. He takes the job in order to nab a surly, brooding Sundance Kid (Robert Ryan) who is a million miles from the easy-going anti-hero played by Robert Redford twenty-odd years later. Ray Enright keeps the story moving at a breakneck pace and keeps it entertaining from first reel to last. Recommended.

Return of the outlaws

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 1 September 2017]

Return of the Badmen is a crazy but a fun B western. It is a bit clichéd as Randolph Scott plays Vance Cordell a retired Texas Ranger hoping to settle down in Oklahoma which is just ripe for a land rush.

The very best of outlaws are planning to just exactly that, a land grab as they converge to cause havoc. Led by the mean Sundance Kid (Robert Ryan) a world away from Robert Redford's portrayal. The outlaws also include Billy the Kid, the Younger Brothers, the Daltons, Wild Bill Yeager, Wild Bill Doolin. Vance manages to get one of the female outlaws to mend her ways and it also leads him to fight off two female admirers.

Vance becomes a Marshall in order to take down the brutish Sundance Kid with a one on one fist fight.

A likable, undemanding western.

Sparks fly with the bad girl

[HotToastyRag · 6/10 · 25 July 2021]

In Return of the Bad Men, the Wild West is besieged with all the known bad guys. Robert Ryan, who looks very young, plays the Sundance Kid. There's no Butch Cassidy in this movie, but there are the Doolins and the Daltons, all working together in the same bankrobbing gang. If you don't like seeing Robert playing really mean bad guys, you might want to skip this one. He made many other movies where his character (villain or hero) has layers, but this isn't one of them.

Randolph Scott, as you might guess, doesn't play a bad guy. He plays the lone sheriff who has to fight against them all. He's dating Jacqueline White, daughter of banker Gabby Hayes. Gabby is hilarious, easily the best part of the movie. Everything out of his mouth is funny, and his ragged appearance and warm demeaner contrast each other splendidly.

There are many references to other westerns Randolph Scott was in: The Doolins of Oklahoma, Belle Starr, When the Daltons Rode, and Riding Shotgun, which can give you a little chuckle when those characters are mentioned in the script. Even though they're very mean, the robbers are also quite smart. The film shows a couple of their heists, and you can't help but admire the planning. Anne Jeffreys, playing the lone woman in the gang, has an added advantage of her gender. No one expects a female bank robber. And even though Randolph Scott is engaged to someone else, the sparks sure fly whenever he speaks to Anne. Their chemistry is sizzling enough to make you wonder about a relationship offscreen. Randolph Scott was renowned for not having passionate love interests in his movies, so this one is definitely an exception to the rule.

An Above-Average, Randolph Scott B-Western

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 29 September 2013]

Randolph Scott plays a retired Texas Ranger who tangles with the notorious Sundance Kid in director Ray Enright's "Return of the Bad Men," set during the Oklahoma land rush of 1889. This fanciful 1948 western features some of the most notorious outlaws riding together in the same gang. Mind you, some of these ruffians never met each other, primarily Billy the Kid and Sundance. In fact, not that accuracy concerned scenarists Charles O'Neal, Jack Natteford, and Luci Ward, Sheriff Pat Garrett gunned down Billy the Kid in 1881. Scott plays his usual virtuous hero, while Robert Ryan is cast as Sundance. One character comments about Sundance as a friend: "He's a good man as long as you keep him in front of you." Ryan's Sundance murders men in cold blood and strangles a defenseless woman. This oater boasts better-than-average production values. Look at the number of U.S. Army troopers as well as the townspeople who throng the streets. "Mighty Joe Young" lenser John Roy Hunt's black & white cinematography is good. The screenplay lacks quotable dialogue and colorful incidents. Gabby Hayes provides comic relief but not as Scott's sidekick. Indeed, he plays a banker! Apart from Ryan's depraved outlaw, "Return of the Bad Men" qualifies as a predictable, standard-issue, horse opera with plenty of six-gun shoot-outs.

After its introductory credits, this above-average RKO Radio Picture opens with a preface while villains are shown riding hard behind it. "These outlaws, famed in the history of the west, are riding to new riches and plunder—the Oklahoma of 1889. A whole new territory was about to spring up overnight. Ranchers, cattlemen, even whole towns—their land bought by the government—had been given thirty days to move else where. Land hungry pioneers were gathering for the race for free land. And behind them, waiting and ready for this rich prey, came the outlaws.

Outlaw mastermind Wild Bill Doolin (Robert Armstrong of "King Kong") has assembled a name-dropping gang of desperadoes, among whom are the Younger Brothers (Steve Brodie, Richard Powers, Robert Bray), the Daltons (Lex Barker, Walter Reed, Michael Harvey) and Billy the Kid (Dean White) to rob the bank of Braxton. Doolin's niece Cheyenne (Anne Jeffreys of "Riffraff") delivers the news, and Sundance (Robert Ryan) and she abrade each other during their initial encounter. According to Cheyenne, everybody is leaving Braxton for the town of Gutherie. One of the residents, Vance Cordell, is in the middle of auctioning off his ranch. He plans to marry Madge Allen (Jacqueline White) after they clear out of the territory and move to California. Not only is Madge a widow, but also she has a son, Johnny (Gary Gray), who plays an integral part in the narrative. Madge works as a clerk at the local bank for her father. The bad men masquerade as cattlemen and convene a meeting with Bank President John Petti (George "Gabby" Hayes) in his office. Meantime, after Cheyenne relieves the local telegrapher of a warning message sent to Petti, she clobbers him and leaves him unconscious in a closet. George Mason (Warren Johson) keeps Petti and Madge at gunpoint while his accomplices rob the bank. Johnny walks past the window to Petti's office and notices Mason. The kid sounds the alarm and the townspeople converge on the bank. One of the outlaws, Mason, is gunned down in the street and Cheyenne catches a bullet but manages to getaway.

Cordell has just left his ranch when he spots Cheyenne. He patches her up with the help of Grey Eagle (Charles Stevens of "Miguel Strogoff") and Dr. Greene (John Hamilton), and then lets her turn herself into the authorities. Sundance and his cronies ride into the ranch searching for Cheyenne. Sundance guns down the unarmed Grey Eagle. The outlaws catch up with Cordell, and Billy the Kid slips a lasso over him and drops him from the saddle. Sundance clubs Cordell over the head, frees Cheyenne, but Billy the Kid decides to leave them. He doesn't like Sundance's method of operation. Cheyenne rides along with Sundance and then double-crosses Sundance and Cole Younger. She decides to surrender to law. Before she turns herself in, Cheyenne takes the saddle bags of loot back to town. Secretly, she is fond of Cordell. Cordell accompanies Cheyenne into Braxton and she surrenders herself to affable Judge Harper (Jason Robards, Sr.). Cordell hands the bonds over to Petti. Cordell puts Madge and Johnny on the train for Gutherie and rides for Petti so he can get a good location in the the town of Guthrie. Enright stages the historic land rush without much fanfare.

Before the U.S. Army exits Guthrie, Colonel Markham (Kenneth MacDonald) appoints a very reluctant Cordell as temporary U.S. Marshal. While Markham is trying to persuade our protagonist to pin on the badge, the stagecoach that the Sundance Kid and his cronies robbed trundles into Guthrie. When he learns the Sundance Kid shot one of the passengers on the coach, Vance changes his mind and accepts the badge. The big surprise occurs when Judge Harper shows up in Guthrie with Cheyenne. He wants to parole Doolin's niece into Cordell's custody as a telegrapher. Meantime, Doolin's gang has embarked on a lawless rampage. They are robbing banks and holding-up trains. Cordell has no luck catching them. Audaciously, Doolin and his gang have holed up in Braxton. Petti's friend Muley Wilson (William Baldwyn) tells him about seeing ghosts in Braxton. Petti mentions Muley's story to Vance. Cordell has Cheyenne, who calls herself Jeanne now, wire for more deputies. Cordell attacks Doolin and company and traps them in the Braxton saloon. Doolin torches a hay wagon and shoves it into the street to create a diversion so his men can flee. Nevertheless, Doolin is arrested. Eventually, Cordell and Sundance have a knock down, drag-out fistfight that Cordell wins

The cast is solid, and Enright reins "Return of the Bad Men" in at a lean 90 minutes.

Another solid Scott western

[pmtelefon · 7/10 · 26 March 2021]

If Randolph Scott were a baseball player, he wouldn't be known for his home run hitting power. He would be known as a solid line drive hitter. He would definitely hit for a high batting average. "Return of the Bad Men" is another example of Scott hitting a double down the line. This movie has a nice cast and the B&W photography is terrific. "Return of the Bad Men" is not one of Randolph Scott's best movies but it still a pretty good one.

Good Idea Gone Bad

[GManfred · 13 August 2010]

Make a Western with the iconic Randolph Scott, throw in some veteran cowboys like Gabby Hayes, Steve Brodie, Robert Ryan, Tom Tyler, Tom Keene and sprinkle in the likes of Jason Robards,Sr., Robert Armstrong and Anne Jeffreys, and how can you go wrong?

Well, it ain't easy, but the bunch responsible for this dull affair did it. Apparently they bit off more than they could chew as far as the plot is concerned - there is some love interest, a little comic relief, some character study, loads of superfluous dialogue and many sidetrack plots. But the whole rationale for producing a western is the intrinsic action, which has been almost completely forgotten in this all-star potboiler. There is a good fistfight and a stagey-looking shootout towards the end but it takes too long to get there.

Not really worth a look, but it's interesting to reflect on what could have been.

The Genesis of "High Noon"

[theognis-80821 · 7/10 · 26 October 2023]

All the baddest of the bad men appear in this oater from The Sundance Kid (Robert Ryan) to Cole Younger (Steve Brodie) to Billy the Kid (Dean White). Only one man can deal with this passel of hombres: that would be reluctant Marshal Vance Cordell, played by square-jawed hero Randolph Scott. He's the one man in the wild west who could say about a cup of coffee (not whisky), "Mmm, that hits the spot!" Many visual and plot cliches that reappear in arguably the greatest western of all, "High Noon" (1952) are used here: the trapped good guy looking out through the broken window, the burning hay used to smoke him out, the admiring youngster (Gary Gray), the duel between leading ladies, Jacqueline White in the lady-like Grace Kelly role and Anne Jeffreys as "Cheyenne" in the ethnically dubious, hot-blooded rival part, later given to Katy Jurado. Like Lon Chaney Jr., we get a loyal sidekick in Gabby Hayes. This movie moves along well, but, of course, it does not carry the thematic depth and superb skill sets of the later film, but as the second feature, it's fine.

it's fine

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 28 October 2023]

In 1889 Oklahoma, there is the race for free land as former Indian lands are given to settlers. The bandits are close behind. Rancher Vance Cordell (Randolph Scott) reluctantly agrees to be a federal marshal as the wave of infamous bandits invades the territory. Among them is the Sundance Kid (Robert Ryan).

The big action scene is the land rush although that must have been footage from another movie. This movie does not have the budget or the scope to do that. This is almost a B-western except it does have good actors and a franchise name. It has pulled in all the big banditry names. I also like Cheyenne. The story is rather straight. The movie is not doing anything shocking or that interesting. It's fine.

too cliché-ridden to rise above mediocrity...

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 20 March 2010]

I love Randolph Scott films and have seen more than most people on the planet. However, while many of his films are bona fide classics, I am not some Kool-Aid drinker who believes every film he made is a work of pure genius. Yes, the Budd Boetticher and Sam Peckinpah films he made late is his career were amazingly entertaining and wonderful films, his films of the 1940s and early 50s were a mixed lot--some excellent and many like "Return of the Bad Men"--filled with clichés. Now I can't blame all the problems on Scott--he was, as usual, the consummate professional and his performance was his typical graceful job. But the script, sadly, wasn't much better than your average Gene Autry film--formulaic and a bit silly here and there.

The film begins with Scott selling off his cattle and preparing to marry a blonde and move to California. However, the coming of some bandits put a crimp on this. Mostly, and this is so dumb, because he takes time out of his busy life to convince a FEMALE member of the bandits (?!!??) to give herself up and lead a life of virtue...SO SHE DOES!!! Were the writers on drugs?! A female member of the Sundance Kid's gang?! A bandit going straight because the virtuous hero asks her to?!?! What?!?!? Later, instead of getting married and moving, Scott accompanies the town as it picks up and moves a few miles away during the Oklahoma land boom. I have absolutely no idea why they did this....bored I guess. And, in this new town, Scott cannot leave because with all the new settlers they need law and order and he agrees to be the new Marshall--even though the plucky blonde widow wants him to live a simpler life since her first husband was a lawman...and he was killed (gosh!).

Into this perennial waiting to get married come two problems. First, the reformed female bandit comes to town to be paroled to Scott (hmmm, that couldn't cause any problems). Second, now in addition to the tiny Sundance gang, lots of other famous bad guys come into the film. Yes, this one, at one point or another, has Sundance, the Daltons, Billy the Kid and 1001 other famous scum-bags all getting together to terrorize Oklahoma. It is patently ridiculous (since none of this ever happened)---and the sort of thing that drives history teachers (like myself) go crazy! By the end of the film, thanks to Scott, the gangs mostly disband. And, in a final showdown, it's just Scott versus the evil Sundance (Robert Ryan). Now, after a brief shoot-out, Scott manages to get the advantage on Sundance--holding him at gunpoint. So what does any cliché-driven film do now?! Yep...Scott throws down his guns and they punch it out, man-to-man!!! If it were me, I would have just shot Sundance in the face--after all, he murdered one of your friends and terrorized the territory!! Yep...shoot 'em in the face...none of this shooting him in his trigger hand or leg!!

So why, if the film is so clichéd and inaccurate, do I still give it a 5? Well, as I said above, Scott is very good. Also, unlike too many of his westerns of the period, the stunt work is good--and you can't easily tell the stunt men are doing most of the dangerous stuff, as it's integrated well. Also, finally, it has Gabby Hayes. As usual, he's fun to watch and is a wonderful "old western coot"--also a cliché, but a fun one!

I just love a good old fashion western and this certainly is a classic

[Ed-Shullivan · 8/10 · 19 March 2018]

Good guy hero Vance who rides tall in the saddle (once again) Randolph Scott

Bad guy villain dressed all in black willing to shoot defenceless men is Robert Ryan

Two strong, beautiful women Anne Jeffreys and Jacqueline White vying for the love of our hero Vance (Randolph Scott)

And what western is not complete without George "Gabby" Hayes?

Trains, banks, cattle, bank robbers, posse's, comedy, romance, shoot 'em ups, bar room fights, Billy the Kid, the three (3) Younger brothers, the three (3) Dalton brothers, Wild Bill Doolin, Wild Bill Yeager, and the Arkansas Kid all partaking in the robberies, shoot 'em ups, and posse chases.

Ahhhh, what a relaxing way to end your day. A classic western no holds bar none . I give this western starring Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, Anne Jeffreys and the most beautiful Jacqueline White an 8 out of 10 rating.

Stereotypical to the max, but...

[samhill5215 · 5/10 · 17 April 2013]

Everything about this movie cries foul. Every western stereotype is thrown in along with the kitchen sink and just about every western outlaw. There is not much that is original, from the love interests, to the protagonists rivalry, to the unfortunate comic relief provided by Gaby Hayes' facial contortions. On the other hand once you get past that and accept the fact that this is not cinematic history it's actually kind of fun. Randolph Scott is magnificent in his perfection of the righteous western hero. Robert Ryan is at his most extreme surliness - he is evil incarnate, an inveterate liar all too ready and willing to jump at any chance to advance his lot at the expense of friend and foe alike. Anne Jeffreys and Jacqueline White are at their most gorgeous. The scenes where they let their hair down and look to make themselves even more beautiful (as if that was possible) are worth the price of admission. And lets not forget such veterans as Robert Armstrong and Jason Robards Sr. Its always good to see them in their later careers. I guess anyone who has read some of my other reviews will know I'm a sucker for bad movies.

Standard "B" western

[jetan · 5/10 · 19 July 2000]

Pretty fair horse opera set during Oklahoma land rush. Features Randolph Scott along with just about every "B" star in business such as Anne Jeffries (Tess Trueheart), Tom Tyler (Captain Marvel) and Lex Barker (Tarzan). Outlaws, calvary, bandit queens, the works. Scott does his usual Oscar-caliber imitation of a cigar store Indian.

Great Movie

[casper16321 · 10/10 · 10 April 2013]

Although not all are truths here I am not sure that Sundance or Billy ever came to Guthrie, OK But Bill Doolin is buried at the Guthrie, OK. cemetery. Summit View Cemetery and it is a summit view of the Cimarron River to the north. the territorial prison that is mentioned is still here but it was built in 1892 go to www.tourguthrie.com or www.facebook.com/tourguthrie for more on Guthrie OK.Which was created in one day. because of the 1889 Land Run Guthrie went from a population of zero to well over 12,000 that day. April 21, 1889 the time was set for 12noon for the canons to sound and at least 50,000 settlers were at the north starting point of what was Oklahoma Territory. In fact Oklahoma Territory was basically what is the center 7 counties of Oklahoma today. these were all surrounded by Indian Territories in 1889, and the center was not settled by anyone at all it was vacant. There was not even a railroad until 1887 when the railroad connected the state of Kansas to Texas at the south Canadian River just north of Purcell, OK. There is no town like Guthrie, OK. anywhere in the world the way it was settled... many movies were made about the Land Run... and Hollywood comes every year almost to make a movie because of its buildings and surroundings !