Gunmen from Laredo

John Chard4/10

Mar 11, 2014

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And the devil wind will come. Gunmen from Laredo is directed by Wallace MacDonald and written by Clark E. Reynolds. It stars Robert Knapp, Jana Davi, Walter Coy, Paul Birch and Don C. Harvey. Out to avenge the murder of his wife and friend, Gil Reardon (Knapp) hurries into Laredo to confront the culprits. Forced to draw on one of the thugs, Gil is set up for murder and sent to prison. Escaping, he meets up with a Mescalero woman who aids him on is journey through the wilderness. If they can survive the terrain and Indian attacks? Then Gil is heading back to Laredo to clear his name and get his revenge. Straight from the bottom rung of the “B” Western ladder, is this Columbia offering filmed in Columbia Color no less! It’s a poor effort, a basic case of film makers stringing a number of scenes together to pad out a movie. The acting is poor, the set design around the town of Laredo is hardly convincing, while the location photography around Bronson Canyon is decidedly flat. However, I find myself in the unusual situation of having watched a bad Western yet feel the need to grudgingly admire it! MacDonald and Reynolds cram all they can into their picture. Shoot-outs, prison escape, chases, fist fights, sandstorm and a smouldering romance in waiting. The choreography isn’t up to much, mind, but the sheer gusto and willingness to entertain is to be applauded. It’s the sort of Oater that Dad can plonk the kids in front of the TV and know they will have fun and be occupied, while he sits in his armchair relaxing with a glass of wine. 4/10