Released from the Yuma Prison in 1898, ex-killer John McBain wants to go straight while ex-robber Peter Van Hoek seeks revenge but their destinies eventually converge in the mining town of P... Read allReleased from the Yuma Prison in 1898, ex-killer John McBain wants to go straight while ex-robber Peter Van Hoek seeks revenge but their destinies eventually converge in the mining town of Prescott.Released from the Yuma Prison in 1898, ex-killer John McBain wants to go straight while ex-robber Peter Van Hoek seeks revenge but their destinies eventually converge in the mining town of Prescott.
- Lee
- (as John Day)
- Diane
- (scenes deleted)
- Dorothy Lounsberry
- (scenes deleted)
- Bartender
- (uncredited)
- Mine Foreman
- (uncredited)
- Jeff
- (uncredited)
- Prison Board Member
- (uncredited)
- Prison Board Member
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaErnest Borgnine met his future wife Katy Jurado while working on this film. A reporter saw the two laughing over lunch one day and started a rumor that the two were involved romantically, which Borgnine insisted for the rest of his life was not true. The story persisted, though, and Borgnine's wife ended up divorcing him because of it. Ironically, he and Jurado grew closer and closer because of this trouble, and ended up marrying in 1959 and would remain so until 1963.
- GoofsAt the time setting of this film, gold was fixed at a price of $20.67 per ounce. $100,000 of gold would then equate to over 302 pounds of the pure metal. But, they are stealing gold-bearing ore. The richest known hard rock gold deposits yield 1.5 ounces per ton of ore. So, they would have to steal thousands of tons of ore, not just the few sacks shown in this film.
- Quotes
Cyril Lounsbery: How much would you love me if I wasn't rich?
Ada Winton: Not as much.
Cyril Lounsbery: I didn't think so.
Ada Winton: How much would you love me if I weren't pretty?
Cyril Lounsbery: Well, that's a different cup of tea.
Ada Winton: No it isn't. A man being rich is exactly like girl being pretty. So there!
- Crazy creditsOpening credits: Arizona Territorial Prison 1898
- ConnectionsVersion of The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
First, this is probably Alan Ladd's last quality production. The photography and locations are all very good, and the cast is solid. Compare those aspects with Ladd's subsequent films, such as "Man in the Net" and "Guns of the Timberland." Those two are definitely disappointing, not up to the standards of a star who excelled in films such as "This Gun for Hire," "The Blue Dahlia," and "Shane".
Second, the ending undermines the film's impact. Viewers who have seen "The Asphalt Jungle" will attest to the fact that the very grim conclusion of that classic seems inevitable and fitting. In the case of "The Badlanders," I suspect that Ladd himself rejected any such ending (if in fact such had been contemplated).
(By the way, the same can be said for an earlier Ladd film. "Thunder in the East" also has a happy ending that virtually defines the term deus ex machina. Had the principles all been killed in that one, it would have had a tragic quality that would have made it much better.)
"The Badlanders" is a good film (though not a great one) despite the above criticism. Had it appeared right after "Shane," it might have been a major hit. Unfortunately, by 1958 Alan Ladd's personal decline was all too evident. Perhaps it was too late for a Ladd film, even a good one, to break through.
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,436,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $4,006
- Runtime1 hour 25 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1