Reviews
John Chard

John Chard

August 28, 2017
7.0
Would it have made a difference knowing what I really am? This is the true story of the Reno brothers....Clint, a respected farmer, and Frank, Simeon, John, and Bill...who were the first train robbers in American history. Looting, burning and killing, this infamous clan rode through the middle border states setting the pattern for the great outlaw bands which were to follow: the James boys, the Daltons and the Youngers. The Year 1866, the place is Southern Indiana. Well not quite Indiana exactly as the film was shot on location at Columbia State Historic Park, and apparently some Western purists see this as a blip on the movies Western worth! (hmm) I don't conspire to that at all since what I want from a B Western such as this is a lush Western feel, with identifiable good and bad guys. I feel that director Tim Whelan achieves the latter and his cinematographer Ray Rennahan achieves the former. Rage At Dawn does have a sense of seen it all before about it, but that's not in detriment to it because it's possibly a picture that has been copied more than it has copied from others before it. It's nice to have a real solid Western using a proper and reliable story to work from. While using top professional actors like Forrest Tucker and J. Carrol Naish to be bad fellas obviously helps the piece; as does having the genre legend that is Randolph Scott as your ebullient good guy. Scott fans who haven't seen the picture should be advised, tho, that he isn't actually in the film for the first third. But as always he's worth the wait and it's clever of Whelan to keep us waiting whilst fully forming the Reno legend. With some nicely staged set pieces (the train scenes are well worth our time) and a fabulously dark turn of events in the finale that goes against the grain (shadow play supreme at work), this becomes a genre film well worth taking a peek at. 7/10 Footnote: DVD/Public Domain prints of the film are low on quality and do not do justice to the location and costuming. The best print I have seen of this film was on Commercial British TV. Caution is advised on where you source the film from.

Recommendation Movies

6.5
Western
View
6.5
The Last Wagon
The Last Wagon1956
5.9
Romance
View
5.9
To the Last Man
To the Last Man1933
5.5
Western
View
5.5
New Frontier
New Frontier1939
6.5
Comedy
View
6.5
Cocoon: The Return
Cocoon: The Return1988
6.4
Western
View
6.4
Bonanza: The Return
Bonanza: The Return1993
6.5
Horror
View
6.5
Return of the Tooth Fairy
Return of the Tooth Fairy2020
5.8
Mystery
View
5.8
Return to Sleepaway Camp
Return to Sleepaway Camp2008
6.1
Horror
View
6.1
The Return
The Return2006
7.1
Horror
View
7.1
The Return of the Living Dead
The Return of the Living Dead1985
5.9
Action
View
5.9
Universal Soldier: The Return
Universal Soldier: The Return1999
6.4
Drama
View
6.4
Return to Paradise
Return to Paradise1998
6.1
Drama
View
6.1
Return with Honor
Return with Honor2006
6.8
Comedy
View
6.8
The Return of the Pink Panther
The Return of the Pink Panther1975
6.5
Documentary
View
6.5
Return to Space
Return to Space2022
6.1
Thriller
View
6.1
Stalked by My Doctor: The Return
Stalked by My Doctor: The Return2016
5.7
Action
View
5.7
Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth
Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth1991
7.4
Drama
View
7.4
The Return
The Return2003
7.1
Science Fiction
View
7.1
Re-Animator
Re-Animator1985
6
Horror
View
6
A Return to Salem's Lot
A Return to Salem's Lot1987
6.6
Adventure
View
6.6
River of No Return
River of No Return1954
© 2024 MoovieTime. All rights reserved.Made with Nuxt