vincentlynch-moonoi As the line in the song goes, "Whatever happened to Randolph Scott?" I really admired Scott in his pre-Western days. And, although I (along with the rest of America) grew very tired of Westerns by the end of the 1950s, I always looked to Randolph Scott Westerns as being pretty good for the genre. Here, however, I have to agree with a handful of our other reviewers who find this film a confusing mess! Let's see, some sheriffs are good guys, some are bad guys; some outlaws are good outlaws, others are bad outlaws; and some good sheriffs hang out with outlaws. That about sums this movie up. Oh, and I almost forgot that practically every real outlaw ever mentioned in cowboy movies is in this film...even though there is no historical evidence they were together in the period of lawlessness in what became the Oklahoma panhandle.So, is there any reason to watch this confusing mess? Well, yes. Gabby Hayes, certainly the best cowboy sidekick in the business, is prominent in the film...although not exactly as a sidekick, but rather as one of the orneriest of the bunch who seems to be treading a fine line between the good guys and the bad guys. And, it's still nice to watch Randolph Scott, even if the plot is shaky. And, one of my favorite character actors -- Ray Collins -- is along, although I don't see this as one of his better roles.There are lots better Westerns out there...and lots worse. This film is in that middle ground -- not memorable, but "decent" (at least in terms of keeping your interest). But this is FAR from "Rio Bravo" or "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence".

LeonLouisRicci There are so Many Names of Outlaws and Such in this Murky Story of Bandits and Marshalls that in the End it is just One Big...Ho-Hum. This Western from RKO has a Good Look about it but what it's About is Anybody's Guess.Randolph Scott is OK but is Not the Stoic, Sombre Presence that He Assumed in the Budd Boetticher Classics. Here He is just Randolph Scott, Tall and Unwavering. The Cast has some Familiar Faces and some Not So Familiar to Casual Moviegoers.Gabby Hayes is just a Heartbeat from Irritating and is Most Effective with a Double Take Glance than with that Grovely, Grating Galoot of a Voice that is So Recognizable. He has Much to Do in this Mediocre Western and is as Good as Anybody here.There is a Boring Horse Race Among other Boring Things in this Long Story that is Never Woven Together Adequately. Lawrence Tierney is Wasted as Jesse James as is just about Everyone Else. The Movie Needs more Edge and more Grit, because as it Stands it is a Plate Full of Campfire Comfort that Almost Works but Ultimately is Nothing More than Name Dropping.

Spikeopath Badman's Territory is directed by Tim Whelan and written by Jack Natteford and Luci Ward. It stars Randolph Scott, George Hayes, Ann Richards, Ray Collins, James Warren, Morgan Conway, Virginia Sale and John Halloran. Music is by Roy Webb and cinematography by Robert de Grasse.The area known as Badman's Territory is a sort of no mans land not yet governed by statehood. No law resides there, the citizens themselves run the area, so as it stands it has become a safe haven for the outlaws and ragamuffins of the West. Into the Badman's Territorial town of Quinto comes lawman Mark Rowley (Scott), who after trailing his injured deputy brother into the area, finds a town bursting at the seams with political intrigue.A lively Oater out of RKO, Badman's Territory is only really guilty of cramming too much onto its plate of beans. The town of Quinto is home to some of the Wild West's most notable criminals, such as The James and Dalton Gangs et al, it's also home to many shifty politician types, Indians (as it's their land), business men, a leading lady of the press (Richards) and of course Randolph Scott and his bro played by James Warren. The writers take these character threads and try and weave them all together into a cohesive whole, thus we get an outlaw backdrop that never really materialises, a power of the press motif that apparently needed a romantic angle to push it along, and the looming annexation of the area into the Union provides the heartbeat of the story but comes off as a complex narrative piece since so much is going on. While director Whelan is required to insert a horse race, a square dance and the obligatory shoot-out to ensure nobody is bogged down by the ever present politico chatter.Scott is as always splendid in this environment, a natural, while Richards does fine work with a pleasingly strong female lead role. "Gabby" Hayes provides the lively comic relief and Conway is suitably oily as crooked lawman William Hampton. However, again because there is so much going on, supporting actors like Lawrence Tierney and Steve Brodie (Jessie James and Bob Dalton respectively) barely get time to impact on proceedings. Which since this is called Badman's Territory is a bit of a bum steer. But in spite of the too many cooks spoiling the broth theme at work, it's watchable stuff and definitely one for Randolph Scott fans to seek out. 6/10

bkoganbing Badman's Territory is a unique Randolph Scott film in that it has as its chief villain, a bloodthirsty United States Marshal in the person of Morgan Conway. Other than playing Dick Tracy this might be Mr. Conway's finest moment on screen.Randolph Scott is a local sheriff who's aiding Conway in pursuit of the James gang. When they get away, each blames the other, but Conway shoots Scott's brother James Warren who then is taken by the James gang to the Oklahoma panhandle, better known as the Badman's Territory. It's that because it is unorganized with no established law and therefore a haven for the famous outlaws of the west.They do flock there, everyone, the James gang, the Dalton gang, Belle Starr and Sam Bass. In real life none of these characters ever met, but this is Hollywood. Randy goes into the territory and finds all kinds of adventure and a little romance with Ann Richards.Conway's portrayal anticipates what Kirk Douglas did on screen many years later in his acclaimed western Posse. Conway's a bloodthirsty man who's got big ambitions for that strip of territory. Some of his actions indicate a man on horseback and in the post World War II era that would have struck a resonating tone with the movie going public.Of course it's outlaw Bruce Dern that brings Douglas down in Posse and in 1946 you had to have an honest sheriff in Randolph Scott do the deed. Still with Code restrictions in place, Badman's Territory is a good Randolph Scott western. And I'm sure made a few dollars for RKO back in the day.