Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Michael O'Keefe Cowboy hero Wild Bill Elliott in his last movie for Republic Pictures. A stalwart of the genre, Elliott plays Shadrach Jones, a Texas State Policeman who gives up his badge to hunt down the man that shot his brother in the back, while robbing him of money set aside to purchase an Arizona ranch. Shad believes that the man he is looking for will be working on a cattle drive for Cap Mackellar(Walter Brennan). Jones takes on the job as trail boss with intent of finding the guilty man. Revenge or retribution? Justice or payback? Actually a B Western with a top notch cast making THE SHOWDOWN a must see. The cast also includes: Marie Windsor, Harry Morgan, William Ching, Jim Davis, Leif Erickson and Rhys Williams.

gleetroy Artistic Western? That one reviewer must have been hitting the Hoppy Juice a bit too often. I guess he thinks any Western that's not a clash over water rights is "artistic." This piece of junk was obvious from the start (Surprise? You thought the girl did it?)Also "the cast was excellent , including Elliot?" He was stiffer than the oak tress in the background. I guess I can't take too much "Art" in my Westerns. Give me "Stagecoach" anytime.The Showdown. Bill Elliot. Was old Elliot Wooden School of Acting Guru a regular Republic leading man? Why was Walter Brennan playing that type of character at that point in his career?

dougdoepke Too bad budget-cutting Republic pictures spent all their money on the script and cast of this surprising little sleeper. It left them none for badly needed location shots, or failing that, at least to improve on some of the poorly done process shots. Note the number of times the horsemen stand statically in front of a backscreen projection instead of riding across a natural scene These cost-cutters count here, because otherwise this is an unnoticed little gem not usually expected from the likes of Saturday-matinée Republic. The script is excellent with a number of surprises, and holds interest throughout. The main cast (Elliot, Brennan, Windsor), along with supporting players (Morgan, Williams, Ching) are as good as could be expected from the major studios. Only Nacho Galindo's buffoonish comic-relief suggests Republic's usual fare. Actually, this is a noir Western produced at a time when film noir dominated many urban crime dramas. The atmosphere here, especially the stormy opening scene, reminds me of the fine Bob Mitchum Western, Blood on the Moon, which also made good use of brooding night-time sets. Then too, Elliot's revenge-obsessed "bad good-guy" strikingly anticipates Randolph Scott"s running character in Budd Boetticher's cult Westerns of the late 1950's. Anyway, this is a surprisingly good little drama, despite the shortcomings.

westerner357 Once in awhile Republic Studios would release a little gem among all the mediocre B oaters that they put out, and this happens to be one of 'em. William Elliott plays a Texas Ranger named Shadrack Jones who is trying to find out about the circumstances surrounding the brother's death. When he learns that his brother was shot in the back, he's so blinded by hate and revenge that he becomes ruthless and cruel. Even to the point of being rude to one of my favorite 50s scream queens, Marie Windsor. But Jones justifies his actions in order to get some answers about his brother who had stayed in Windsor's hotel, the night he was murdered.The graveyard scene in the beginning where Jones is digging up his brother's freshly dug grave while Cap McKellar (Walter Brennan) and Rod Main (Henry Morgan) just happen to drop by, is excellent. Jones gives Rod a warning that he'll never forget. See, he believes someone in McKellar 's Circle-K outfit is responsible for what happened.McKellar is about to take the Circle-K on a cattle drive to Montana and sell his beef to the army. He's so impressed with Jones that he hires him on as trail boss after Jones is forced to shoot his regular foreman, Big Mart (Leif Erickson) in an excellent gun duel in the saloon. Windsor goes along after selling her saloon for 1/3 of the cattle, which makes Jones even more hostile because he doesn't want a woman going along on the cattle drive. Of course all the other trail hands would love to put a bullet in Jones' back because he misjudges everyone that's around him. We even get to a point where the viewer doesn't know whether Jones is the good guy or not. That's how distasteful he gets. He treats them all mean and sadistic, showing little compassion and mercy. Jones suspects everyone including Marie Windsor, but events will occur that'll prove him wrong.First, Rod Main gets shot during an attempted gun duel with Jones by someone else. Then he suspects Bill has a derringer hidden in his boot and punches and humiliates him in front of everyone else until he finds out Bill's wearing a leg brace. Bill doesn't let anyone know about it because he's ashamed of being seen as a 'cripple'.The ending is a real shocker. It's one that comes from out of nowhere, where the real culprit meets divine retribution without Jones having to do anything. You'll have to see the film to find out what I'm talking about because I ain't telling. (heh..)It's a film that makes you wonder what's gonna happen next and I wholeheartedly recommend it.7 out of 10