EssenceStory Well Deserved Praise

Borserie it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Stephan Hammond It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

bsmith5552 "The Savage Horde" of the title refers to a gang of cattlemen trying to run the "nesters" off of their grazing land. A tried and true plot to be sure, but it makes for an entertaining 90 minutes under the capable direction of Republic's busiest director Joe Kane.In the prologue, we learn that notorious gunman "Ringo" (William Elliott) is on the run with his brother Lt. Mike Baker (Jim Davis) in hot pursuit. When Ringo accidentally wounds his brother, he decides to hang up his gun and move on using his real name of John Baker.Baker rides into the middle of a conflict between rancher Proctor (Grant Withers) and his gang and nester Glenn Larrabee (Noah Berry Jr.). After settling a dispute, Baker rides into town where he meets Livvy Weston (Adrian Booth) a former flame. Baker learns that Proctor hopes to marry her. In spite of his own reluctance to become involved in both situations, he ultimately does.The various raids, conflicts etc. are expertly staged by Kane who was a master of this genre. Republic also assembled a cast of seasoned veterans for the various parts. Proctor's gang is an example. First we have Bob Steele as Dancer the sadistic trigger happy gunman, Roy Barcroft as Fergus and Marshal Reed as Polk. Steele had been a star of his own series for many years but at this stage of his career was playing mostly villains. His portrayal of Dancer almost steals the picture. Barcroft on the other hand, appeared as a bad guy in just about every Republic western made in the forties and early fifties. Marshal Reed although never achieving great success had been around since the early forties playing villains for many of the so-called Poverty Row studios.Also in the cast or veterans Douglas Dumbrille as Col. Price, Will Wright as Judge Cole (whose side is he on?), Earle Hodgins as a fast talking salesman (what else?), Hal Taliaferro as Sgt. Jeffries, Lloyd Ingraham as Sam Jeffries, a nester and Charlie Stevens, George Cheseboro, Kermit Maynard and Bud Osborne in minor roles.Great action, lots of shooting, showdowns and fights.

dougdoepke Superior Republic oater despite a title that suggests Ghengis Khan. Good screenplay, excellent cast, and occasionally good locations, lift this production beyond the routine. Most of all, there's the unsung Bill Elliot in the lead. He wasn't handsome and couldn't sing, but he was a good convincing actor who could make you believe his character was real. And best of all, no one, including Duke Wayne, was better at being plain ornery. Elliot's voice always had an edge to it that conveyed real authority. Unlike most cowboy heroes, he could have played the black hat as easily as the white one.I like the way the screenplay makes the characters more complex than usual. In fact, notice how bad guy Grant Withers wins almost every argument with Elliott, the other ranchers and the judge. He's shrewd, knows the law and people, and is nicely underplayed by Withers. Too bad, steely-eyed Bob Steele never got the big break his talent deserved. Probably it was because of his bantam size; nonetheless, he's almost scary as the hired gunsel. Adding his usual colorful character is that unmistakable motor-mouth Earle Hodgins as the gun huckster. Did Hollywood ever have a faster talker or a bigger snake oil salesman. Even the ladies are a cut above the cowgirl average. Booth comes across as the kind of gal any guy would like to hitch up with. Include in the mix, professional weasel Will Wright and professional nice guy Noah Beery Jr., and the movie amounts to an Oscar night among B-movie all-stars. Joe Kane puts it all together, though a couple of seams do show-- how did Elliott get away from army custody and show up suddenly in town. Was that me, my video copy, or a lapse in the editing. Anyway he arrives just in time with a cut face and no explanation of how he got away. But that's okay. The effortless barn dance more than makes up for a possible editing lapse. So, if you've got a spare 90 minutes, give this classic 1940's face-off between a big land baron and the little guys a try.

krorie "The Savage Horde," a somewhat generic title unless the viewer considers Wade Proctor (Grant Withers) and his henchmen to be a horde, is a top notch Wild Bill Elliott oater with some of the best acting to be seen in a B western. The Standout performance from a fine cast belongs to former cowboy star Bob Steele as Dancer, proctor's aloof paid gunman who gets pleasure from shooting men down in cold blood. He reminds one of a similar character, Jack Wilson (Jack Palance), in the classic "Shane" a few years later. Keeping up with the likes of Noah Beery Jr., Douglass Dumbrille, Roy Barcroft, and Jim Davis is country western songwriter and balladeer Stuart Hamblen who wrote such standards as "It Is No Secret" and "This Ole House." He plays a clownish role with a tragic twist at the end. Lorna Gray and Barbra Fuller do well portraying frontier women in a man's world.The cast consists of a gallery of Republic support players with faces easy to recognize, though the names such as Bud Osborne, George Chesebro, Marshall Reed, and Wally Wales, aka Hal Taliaferro, may not register at first. Former cowboy star Kermit Maynard, brother to the famous Ken Maynard, plays one of the ranchers. He was also a noted stuntman by this time. Character actor Earle Hodgins, noted for his medicine show con artist pitch, has a small but telling role. He is not as obnoxious as usual, actually turning in a fairly restrained performance.The story is a familiar one about two brothers, one good (Lt. Mike Baker played by Davis) and one bad (John Baker, aka Ringo, played by Wild Bill Elliott). This time the "bad" one with a price on his head killed in self-defense but only his brother, the cavalry officer who has been assigned to track him down, believes his story. Ringo is determined to see an old flame to try to rekindle their romance and in the process gets caught in the middle of a range feud between cattlemen and homesteaders. The familiar plot has a few novel winds and turns before the final shootout involving plenty of action directed by B western master Joseph Kane. It is a Republic film so expect to watch the best stunt work around. The crisp black and white photography rests easy on the eyes and adds to the overall effect of the picture.

bux Well above average western from Republic Studios. Elliott is 'Ringo', on the run and Davis is his brother, in charge of a cavalry command chasing him. Ringo stops to visit old girl friend, and becomes embroiled in a range war. Withers portrayal of a psychopathic mogul is convincing. Great supporting cast-Noah Beery Noah Jr. is the 'Kid' and Hamblin provides some enjoyable tunes along the way. Supposedly the title "Savage Horde" was a tribute, by director Kane, to actor Grant Withers, who appeared in "the Fighting Marines", a serial, containing a chapter titled "The Savage Horde." Unexpected climax can leave you wondering. A good western.