Everything That Dies, Some Day Comes Back

Having said that I would never watch another Randolph Scott Western, after being thoroughly underwhelmed by 'Ride Lonesome', here I am again. And I am pleased to say that this outing, directed again by Budd Boetticher, was much more to my taste.  It has a straightforward and compelling narrative (based on an Elmore Leonard short story) which plays to Scott's strengths as an actor. After some deceptively quiet scenes the bad guys (Richard Boone plus a couple of young guns) make their entrance, trying to rob a stagecoach.  Unfortunately they've held up one carrying no money, but on the plus side one of the passengers is a newly wed, Mrs Mims (Maureen O'Sullivan) whose father is very wealthy. So naturally she becomes a hostage, whilst her husband is sent off to communicate the ransom demand.  Scott happened to be on the stage coach and for some reason which is never satisfactorily explained he is not immediately killed. He knows that once the ransom is paid, he and Mrs...

Apparently Randolph Scott appeared in over 60 Westerns, but this is the first I've seen, and (spoiler alert) it's probably going to be the last. Scott plays Ben, a bounty hunter who is trying to deliver a young murderer, Billy, to Santa Cruz, despite various obstacles which he has to overcome. Firstly there's some pesky Native Americans (or to be more specific Mescalores) who are apt to pop up at any time.  For a film made in 1959 the portrayal of Native Americans here is not very progressive.   Then there's a guy called Sam.  Although they are now on opposite sides of the law, he and Ben know each other from way back and there's a mutual respect bordering on friendship between them.   Sam and his sidekick Whit (James Coburn in his debut performance) are tagging along because Sam would desperately like to be the one to bring Billy into Santa Cruz.  This would be n ot so much for the money as for the amnesty he would receive that would wipe out his outl...