Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24058 in VHS
• Released on: 1999-05-04
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 85 minutes

Customer Reviews

buy the mgm western legends version
A western version of the asphalt jungle. Ladd and Borgnine are very good. Borgnine in a sympathetic role as a good hearted rancher. Well played supporting roles by Katy Jurado, Neimiah Persoff, and the villianous Kent Smith.

Poetic Justice
This is a fast-paced, enjoyable and unusual Western. It has to be fast-paced because Ladd (the Dutchman, apparently not THE Dutchman?) has about 24 hours to pull off his sweet sting operation. The sting is to steal a small fortune in gold from the varmints that sent him to prison and swindled from him his rightful claim (and also Ernest Borgnine's ranch). Both our leads are getting out of Yuma prison after a long stretch on trumped up charges and have different views on starting their lives over. Surprisingly, the more volatile Borgnine wants little trouble and is resigned to his fate. Ladd,on the other hand, has carefully laid plans on how he will get even. They hook up with dynamite man who among the trio seems to come out worst in the deal, but since his young wife looks like Natalie Wood, I figure he's got enough on his hands as it is. In the end, Borgnine's character has fleshed out and stolen the show-and one's heart. However, Alan Ladd displays a little ace up the sleeve of his own in the last scene. The Badlanders holds up with plenty of tension, unexpected tenderness, and a dash of poetic justice.

FROM W.R. BURNETT: THE BADLANDERS.


This is a very enjoyable and entertaining movie set in the gold mining west, but to my knowledge it has yet to be released to DVD. Four o'clock western theatre on TNT used to show it frequently in the mid 1990s, and more recently, this month (September, 2008) in fact, ENCORE westerns is showing it several times.

The script comes from the writings of W. R. Burnett a writer of great and varied talent. His works include, among others, ADOBE WALLS, and BITTERGROUND, with ADOBE WALLS used for the filming of the 1953 movie ARROWHEAD staring Charlton Heston, Brian Keith, Mary Sinclair, and Milburn Stone. Some of W.R. Burnett's non-western writings include LITTLE CAESAR, HIGH SIERRA, and THE ASPHALT JUNGLE. Mr. Burnett was born in Springfield, Ohio, only a few miles from my home town in Ohio. Having both ADOBE WALLS and BITTERGROUND on hand in my home library, I can personally attest to his enormous talent in solid western writing.

Filmed in Arizona at the Old Tucson location where so many westerns have been filmed, the bridge among other elements is a dead giveaway, finds the scenic color of this 1958 film still very fresh, while the movie begins in letter box fashion, it unfortunately becomes a full screen feature, unfortunately because letter box would have added great dimension to this film.

With a cast of Ladd, Borgnine, and Jurado, with Katy later marrying Ernest in 1959, how can a lover of westerns go wrong? And speaking of 'love', no doubt the scenes between Borgnine and Jurado were heart felt ones going beyond the fine acting each demonstrated. While Alan Ladd displays his usual fine acting talents as well.

Until it is released on DVD, if ever, catch it this month on ENCORE westerns as it may be your only chance. The BADLANDERS was produced and filmed back when Hollywood still knew how to put together a fine western movie.

Semper Fi.