Badlands of Montana

Wanting to follow in his late father's footsteps, eager reformer Steve Brewster runs for mayor of a small Montana town but is forced to flee and join a gang of notorious outlaws after he's provoked into killing two corrupt officials in self-defense. Gang leader Hammer takes Steve in, and Steve falls for his daughter, Susan, but his loyalties are divided when he's appointed marshal of his hometown.

And just when I thought that Badlands of Montana, a 1957 B-western, would be just average I got a pleasant surprise and I found it interesting, especially how the town folk of Cascade treats the hero - a candidate for Mayorship - with malice and sheer hatred ( even the whipping he gets is intense and the man who commanded the whipping takes a thrill out of it), and the plot is quite involving and there's a sense of clarity to the story. It's well-acted by all, but Emile Meyer steals the scene as a thoughtful outlaw leader. A big contrast to the hothead gang member played by Keith Larsen. As for Rex Reason, he does great as a leading man and has matinee like credentials -pity he didn't make it big. Marcia Dean is sultry as the villainess. Beverley Garland emoted well. Liked how the plot twisted away from "innocent man turns into an outlaw" story and into a "lawman" story.