Tonight's Movie: Bullet for a Badman (1964) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

BULLET FOR A BADMAN (1964) is part of the latest collection of Audie Murphy Westerns released by Kino Lorber.

This Volume V set also contains WALK THE PROUD LAND (1956) and SEVEN WAYS FROM SUNDOWN (1960).

I've not yet seen WALK THE PROUD LAND but am a fan of SEVEN WAYS FROM SUNDOWN, which I wrote about several years ago for Classic Movie Hub. Kino Lorber's new Blu-rays of each of these films will be reviewed here in the future.

For this review I'll be focused on BULLET FOR A BADMAN, which was a first-time watch for me. I'm pleased to say I quite enjoyed it. It may not be absolute "top tier" Audie Murphy, but it's very solid, on the higher end of his "mid-range" films. It's an entertaining, fast-moving 80 minutes.

The movie was written by Willard and Mary Willingham based on a novel by Marvin H. Albert. Murphy plays Logan Keliher, a retired Texas Ranger turned farmer.

Logan's wife Susan (Beverley Owen) was formerly the wife of Logan's old friend Sam (Darren McGavin), who sadly "went bad" and went to prison. Susan divorced Sam and eventually married Logan, who has raised her son Sammy (Kevin Tate) as his own.

Sam is now out of prison and robs a bank, committing murder along the way. He also plans to kill Logan and reclaim his wife and child...not that Susan is at all interested.

Logan sets out after Sam, along with a posse of mostly unscrupulous types. Once they catch up with Sam, the movie turns into the classic Western tale of several people in conflict finding themselves facing a much bigger enemy, in this case Apache Indians.

The story may be familiar but it's all done very well, including good scripting, a wide cast of familiar faces, and breathtaking location scenery, including at Zion National Park.

Murphy and McGavin have good chemistry; the films where Audie develops a rapport with a "badman" are some of my favorites. RIDE CLEAR OF DIABLO (1954) is a great example, along with SEVEN WAYS FROM SUNDOWN.

A part of me wished for a somewhat more charismatic actor as Sam, along the lines of Dan Duryea or Barry Sullivan, but McGavin is honestly pretty good in the role, if a less flashy actor than the other names mentioned. It's quite interesting tracing his gradual evolution from his murderous opening scene to his final moments. McGavin keeps the viewer watching closely to see what he'll do next.

Owen is slightly stiff as Susan, but I liked the depiction of her relationship with Logan. There are no secrets, no misinterpretations; they discuss problems openly and support each other.

In contrast to Owen there's lively Ruta Lee as Lottie, a woman who's made questionable life choices, including joining forces with Sam after her "man" is killed in the bank holdup. Ruta is a force of nature, and her performance brings quite a bit to the film and her rather interesting character.

There's a deep supporting cast including familiar faces like Skip Homeier, Ed Platt, Ray Teal, Alan Hale (Jr.), and George Tobias. It was rather moving seeing Tobias and Hale acting together, as Tobias worked with Hale Sr. in so many Warner Bros. films a couple decades before.

I especially liked Platt as a genuinely upright member of the posse who attempts to aid Logan as the group becomes unruly, considering letting Sam go and sharing the loot instead of bringing him to justice.

And right after the bank robbery, I smiled as I recognized the town sheriff -- good old Bob Steele! His role is quite small, but it's always wonderful to see him; an appearance by an actor like Steele connects the dots with films of the Westerm genre released decades before.

All in all this is a very enjoyable film and a great start for my viewing of the set.

BULLET FOR A BADMAN was directed by R.G. Springsteen and filmed in widescreen Eastmancolor by Joseph F. Biroc.

Kino Lorber's print is excellent, with strong sound quality. This long-awaited release is enjoyable in every way.

Extras consist of a commentary track by movie Westerns expert Toby Roan; the trailer, newly mastered in 2K; and a gallery of trailers for four other Audie Murphy films available from Kino Lorber.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection.

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