Spikeopath Denver and Rio Grande is directed by Byron Haskin and written by Frank Gruber. It stars Edmond O'Brien, Sterling Hayden, Dean Jagger, Kasey Rogers, Lyle Bettger and J. Carol Naish. Music is by Paul Sawtell and Technicolor cinematography by Ray Rennahan.Two railroad companies battle for the right of way through Royal Gorge - with murderous results...In truth it's without doubt that the scenery on offer here, and if you happen to have any kink for olde steam trains, are what puts this in the above average department. Plot is based around real instances during the advancements of the Denver and Rio Grande railway. It plays out for entertainment purposes as baddies against goodies and as a notable observation of what some will do to get their way. There's strands involving wrongful accusations, simmering passions and a whole host of train sequences snaking through gorgeous locations. There's even some amazing train carnage, which is thrilling and more potent as it's not model work on show. Cast are fine and turning in perfs that we accept as viable for our enjoyment - with a pat on the back for Zasu Pitts and Paul Fix who are playing out a cute and funny mature courtship in the making - and all other tech contributions are safe and appealing enough.Opening with a voice over narration set to scenes of the then modern D&RG railway, before whisking us back to its formative years, this is a nice nostalgia piece that overcomes its plotting failings courtesy of big heart and ocular delights. 7/10

vincentlynch-moonoi It's always good when a movie is filmed on location, as this is. Well, wait a minute. It's sort of filmed on location. The real incidents on which this film is based took place on the eastern edge of the Rockies, on the Royal Gorge Route of the railway. This was filmed mostly near Durango, on the western side of Colorado's Rockies. Okay, not bad, just about 220 miles off, but if you know Colorado, it makes a difference. The Royal Gorge area is relatively arid, while the Durango area is not arid, so the look is all wrong.Nevertheless, this is a pretty good fictionalized story about a real incident in Colorado railroad history. Incidentally, you can still ride part of the Royal Gorge Route out of Canon City, Colorado, and it's a swell journey about an authentic train.This was a Paramount flick, and a rather big budget production from a company that didn't typically make very many Westerns. It isn't the smoothest production you'll ever watch, but it's still an above average Western. And, the train collision is very well done and looks very real...not sure how they did it.The male star is Edmond O'Brien. O'Brien was usually a supporting actor, but occasionally showed up in a leading role. I always liked him, but he probably missed the A list simply because he was a bit chunky. Sterling Hayden was the lead bad guy, and does fairly well here. I always liked Dean Jagger, who plays General Palmer, the railroad owner here, but this is not one of his better portrayals. Kasey Rogers is the chief female actor here, a decidedly B list actress, but she does fairly well as a woman torn between revenge and loyalty. Lyle Bettger plays the real heavy here, and I have to say, after watching him a couple of years ago during the same year in "The Greatest Show On Earth", he was a bit of a cornball as an all too bad villain -- overacting in both roles, to the point of being the caricature of villainy. J. Carrol Naish was a good character actor, and does nicely here as the engineer (as in construction) of the railway. Zasu Pitts and Paul Fix are along for a few laughs as a rather dowdy romantic couple.I can't make up my mind whether this film is a very, very good B Western, or a so-so A Western. But if you like Westerns at all, this one -- based on real history -- is well worth watching at least once.

helpless_dancer Two railroad construction crews go head to head in getting a new line through to the west. One crew is filled with dirty rotten scalawags who stop at nothing to fulfill their duty. The other group are square shooters who just want to do an honest days work for an honest days pay. They meet for the final showdown in an explosive ending. Good western filmed in beautiful mountain country.

Marta Pretty standard 50's action-western with a railroading theme. Edmund O'Brien's team of men are trying to build a rail line through the mountains, and dirty-dealing Sterling Hayden's men are trying to build their line first by sabotaging the other group. Lots of trains and mountain scenery, and not much else.Landslides, robberies and shootings abound, but despite the action the poor actors can't do much with the dead-end script. Dean Jagger is always good, and Paul Fix and Zasu Pitts are the comic relief as the broadly Irish train engineer and the camp cook who keeps trying to get Fix to propose to her. If you like trains and beautiful scenery, this is a decent movie.