The Plunderers

The Plunderers

The Plunderers

The Plunderers

Watched this movie last night for the first time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. As one reviewer said, they sure don't make them like this anymore. The pace was good......the romances were given just the right amount of screen time (I'm a softie that way), along with the fisticuffs. I only have one nagging feeling about this film: the title it was given. Okay, I understand (I guess) that "The Plunderers" could be considered the white bad guys in cahoots with the Indian bad guys to wreak some havoc; but, for me, the title seems to not hit the mark of this film. It seems to me that there was not really the "feeling" of plundering being the main attraction here. As other reviewers point out, it's the friendly relationship between the good man lead and the bad man lead characters that is the thrust of this story. And that is something that sets this film apart from other standard westerns. As if the plundering were just a side event. Wish they could have come up with something more meaty for a title.

I watched a hi-def copy of this recently that looked quite good, although the Trucolor process gave it a very bluish look with muted reds and greens. There is a good balance of outdoor scenery with some soundstage work. It certainly doesn't lack for action but the plot doesn't make a lot of sense and just seems to be written to cram in a number of familiar western tropes such as a lynching, Indian attacks, sympathetic outlaw, cavalry rescue, and even the upstanding citizen colluding with the bad guys. For a B western it must have had a decent budget with fair number of actors, extras and various sets. The acting is adequate with a couple of notable western actors in Forrest Tucker and Rod Cameron but no real believable chemistry in the two romantic relationships and the outlaws aren't especially menacing as you'd expect. All in all, it passes the time but isn't particularly memorable.

I always found Rod Cameron a solid actor, and it was a shame he didn't star in bigger scaled B-westerns a la Randolph Scott throughout the 50's. He was an archetypical cowboy, tall and deadly, but with a twinkle in his eye. And this appeal is showcased in the Plunderers, an energetic film where he plays an undercover agent who befriends Forrest Tucker so he could capture Tucker and his gang of robbers pilfering from wagons. It's great entertainment, irrespective of the year it was made, and it's a buddy western punctuated with some romance, quick-witted dialogue, great saloon songs, and well-staged action scenes. It was good for 1948, and it's good for now.

At a lesser scale than DARK COMMAND, which I commented a few minutes ago. Not the same actors either, but at least this is an outdoor western, unlike so many other westerns from this company. Anyway, it is action packed, pense, rough, very entertaining. However don't expect any surprise on the story. Jo Kane was a western maker who worked entirely for Republic during his entire career, he knew his job, and was familiar with Rod Cameron and Forrest Tucker; they will work together several more times for Republic. But here, you can not avoid cabaret sequences, a trademark of westerns at Republic, but there are not too long, as it was for JUBILEE TRAIL, with river boats and cabaret scenes, too many for a western, if my memory is faithful. So, enjoy this western. One more thing, as in many Republic westerns, if you removed riding sequences, scenes where you watch cow boys on their horses thru sierras, plains, mesas, desert, valleys, if you removed those long scenes, you will remove one third of the film. This was a trick used by many film makers for western, to fill up the feature length. Ha ha ha.

"The Plunderers" of the title is a gang of outlaws headed up by Whit Lacey (Forrest Tucker) who are committing robberies. Apparently, the gang is receiving inside information from within the town to help them set up their capers. Army Major John Drum (Rod Cameron)and Sheriff Sam Borden (George Cleveland) set up a plan where Drum will hopefully infiltrate the gang and thus lead to their eventual capture. Drum becomes friendly with Lacey to the point of "marrying" his girl friend Julie Ann (Adrian Booth) to aid in Lacey and Julie Ann's eventual escape. Drum while playing along with the masquerade, becomes smitten with saloon singer Lin Connor (Ilona Massey). Following Lacey's capture, he is taken to the army fort to be hanged. But just as justice is about to be served, an Indian attack occurs. Republic Pictures was noted as a major producer of westerns. This was one of their better ones shot in Trucolor and with an apparent higher budget than usual. The story is filled with a few little surprises to keep the viewer's interest. The Indian attack is one of the better staged such attacks making use of the studio's crack team of stunt men. As for the cast, Ilona Massey with her thick European accent is totally out of place here. It seems studio head Herbert J. Yates had a thing for European actresses. He would later marry a similarly accented Vera Hruba Ralston. Rod Cameron makes a fine upstanding hero, Forrest Tucker has you rooting for him as Lacey, Grant Withers plays against type as the dumb Deputy. Paul Fix is Tucker's henchman Calico, Francis (brother of John) Ford plays storekeeper Barnaby and Taylor Holmes upstanding citizen Martin. Other familiar faces (to "B" western fans) appearing are Hank Bell, Wheaton Chambers, Bud Osborne, Franklyn Farnum, John Hart, Clayton Moore (both of whom played The Lone Ranger) and 30s star Rex Lease. Not to be confused with the 1960 film of the same name.

A tight script, decent dialogue, and good supporting cast, separate this one from the routine shoot 'em ups. Sort of a "buddy movie" with Cameron, the lawman and Tucker the outlaw, forced to set aside differences to avoid a sioux massacre. Fix, as one of the bad guys, delivers cynical wit throughout. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.