Spikeopath Colorado Territory is directed by Raoul Walsh and adapted to screenplay by Edmund H. North and John Twist from the novel "High Sierra" written by W.R. Burnett. It stars Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, Dorothy Malone and Henry Hull. Music is by David Buttolph and cinematography by Sidney Hickox.Raoul Walsh remakes his own High Sierra from 1941 but supplants it into a western setting - with tremendous results. McCrea plays outlaw Wes McQueen who springs from prison and vows to go straight, but with a price on his head he is coerced into one last railroad robbery. If he can escape the law, he can make a go of it as a new man, with a new man, and comforted by a new found love of a good woman, Colorado Carson (Mayo). Can he escape the law and those who would sell him for money?A remake of a classic film noir, Colorado Territory is itself classic film noir. Whilst not reaching the dizzying star heights of Bogart's 41 version, this is a film of great strengths. Thematically it's noir gold dust, the great Walsh not pandering to anyone and ensuring the dark edges of Burnett's novel play out on screen, including the shattering finale. The photography is grade "A", both in chiaroscuro textures and sumptuous location framings. Cast can't be faulted either, McCrea a genuine horseman is firmly at home in a Western setting, Mayo and Malone positively light and sex up the screen, while classy performer Hull lends weighty support.High end Western staples are adhered to, with robbery actions, fights, stunts, villainous betrayals and back stabbers, these marry up to the noirish cement of a man unable to escape his fate, his past weighing heavy on his shoulders, there's a doom laden feel permeating the story.Rarely mentioned when talk turns to film noir Westerns, but it should be as it's one of the best. 9/10

dougdoepke Scenic remake of gangster classic High Sierra. This time, it's cowboy Joel McCrea hooking up with no-account henchmen to rob a train carrying valuables. Along the way, he meets up with attractive good girl Dorothy Malone who stands for family and a stable farm life, but will that be enough to reform his outlaw side. Then too, add good-bad girl Virginia Mayo, the gang's moll, who's as morally unstable as McCrea and we've got another interesting conflict. We want McCrea to reform since he acts honorably even when his henchmen don't. Then too, no one was better at conveying quiet dignity and manliness than actor McCrea. As a Western hero, he was a natural. So, in effect, he's playing subtly against type.The massive rock monoliths of Arizona furnish a riveting backdrop and are nicely filmed, even in b&w. They also work well for the final scene, which is rather eerie given the distances involved. Comparisons with the original are inevitable, and while this cowboy version doesn't manage the tragic poignancy of the original (mainly because Mayo lacks Lupino's soulful skills), it's still a good story, with well-staged action and lots to look at. And for a Western, that's a hard combination to beat.

RanchoTuVu Outlaw Wes McQueen (Joel McCrea) gets sprung from a Missouri jail on the day before he is to be transported to Leavenworth by his old gang who need him for a big train robbery somewhere out in the Colorado Territory. The characters couldn't be more different. McCrae plays the part of an outlaw struggling with his own moral scruples while his partners Duke (James Mitchell) and Reno (John Archer) compete to see who the meanest one is. The presence of Virginia Mayo in this group doesn't make a lot of sense, but her part increases as the film moves along. One of the film's best plot lines is the jealousy that comes to the surface of Reno's character as Mayo's Colorado Carson is clearly taken with the cool McQueen played by McCrae. On the other side of the law is a ruthless and relentless US Marshall played by Morris Ankrum who leads an impressively sized posse out to catch up with and either shoot or hang McQueen. The film zeroes in on treachery and deceit at every opportunity. Dorothy Malone's character is especially memorable.

MartinHafer HIGH SIERRA was an exceptional Bogart film and it helped to make him a bonafied star. However, like Hollywood tended to do in the 30s and 40s, they remade this film less than a decade later! However, considering how good HIGH SIERRA was, Colorado TERRITORY can't help but come up a bit short even if it is still a good film.Joel McCrea gets the unenviable task of repeating Bogie's role, though in this case the film is set in the Old West. The plot is basically the same and everyone associated with the film did a fine job--but I still am asking why bother remaking such a good film? It's worth seeing, but unless you are a huge Western or McCrea fan, it's skip-able.By the way, in an unusual move, director Raoul Walsh was at the helm of the original AND this re-make.