I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Directed by Raoul Walsh, based on the W.R. Burnett novel High Sierra, this remake of the 1941 film, with a screenplay co-written by Edmund H. North (Patton (1970)), was made into a slightly above average Western starring Joel McCrea. The cast also includes Virginia Mayo, Dorothy Malone, Henry Hull, James Mitchell, Morris Ankrum, and Ian Wolfe, among others.McCrea plays the outlaw with a price on his head that escapes from prison and vows to go straight. Unfortunately, his path leads him to his old partner (Basil Ruysdael), and his new gang (John Archer, Mitchell, and Harry Woods), who convinces him to try one last railroad heist to set him up for life. Shortly after his escape, McCrea's character had met another man (Hull) and his attractive daughter (a brunette Malone) who were heading west also, when he saves them from a stagecoach robbery. Hull's character was trying to get his daughter away from an impossible relationship while hoping to find success farming the barren landscape. McCrea's character is attracted to her, and hopes to return to his farming roots (and her) after his last score.Mayo plays (the title character?) Colorado Carson, a tough, attractive young woman from a harsh upbringing that finds herself among the gang. McCrea's character initially insists that Colorado will lead to nothing but trouble before he decides to protect her from the others. Wolfe plays the railroad employee who's the gang's inside track to the heist; he double crosses them by telling the Marshal (Ankrum; Monte Blue appears uncredited as another) of their plans, for the reward money on McCrea. Frank Puglia plays Brother Tomas, a monk (?) who happens to be in the deserted town that the gang calls their hideout.McCrea and Mayo outsmart the others during the heist, escaping with the loot while leaving them to be captured. They return to Ruysdael's to find he's been killed by Woods, who wounds McCrea before McCrea kills him. They then use Hull's place to hideout, temporarily, while Mayo removes the bullet from McCrea's shoulder. Malone almost gives them away when the Marshal et al arrive, but they're able to escape, again temporarily, before the Marshal corners McCrea, who'd left Mayo behind, at some cliff-side ruins. She arrives to inadvertently lure him to his death, having been tricked into it by the Marshal. She is shot dead as well and the two die holding hands.

This is as superb western by a director who knows his stuff. Raoul Walsh hasn't received the credit he deserves and this film is all but forgotten. It doesn't have any big stars or overacting, agreed, and perhaps people are looking for Oscar material rather than a great film. It's their loss. The film covers much territory (no pun intended) but certainly not too much and the many surprises work quite well. The characters' motives unravel as the film progresses, the way they should work. There aren't any easy answers here and the clichés are nowhere to be found, unlike so many by-the-numbers westerns. This is an action film from the beginning and keeps things going until the very end. It should be much better known.Curtis Stotlar

I have never really bothered with the Western genre in film. Just like country and western music (as typified by those solo recording artists who are all rubbish and that includes the trendier singers such as the depressingly monotone Johnny Cash) it has always left me cold. For some reason, I do like Dolly Parton, though. However, I just can't seem to get enough of them at the moment and I think it is because I have been picking good ones to watch. Well, my trend for seeking out quality Westerns will continue after seeing this film.The story is essentially as follows - Joel McCrea (Wes) is sprung from jail to pull one last train robbery for mastermind Basil Ruysdael (Dave). Joel holes up in a deserted town with his gang that consists of thuggish John Archer (Reno), slimy intellectual James Mitchell (Duke) and initially not wanted saloon girl Virginia Mayo (Colorado). They bide their time until it's time to steal some loot. But, there are plenty of double crosses to come.Comparisons have regularly been made to the film High Sierra (1941), of which this is a re-make set as a Western. An easy comparison - this film is clearly the better offering in terms of action and scenery. It also has a much more credible thread with love interest Dorothy Malone (Julie Ann) and her father Henry Hull (Fred) taking the roles of Joan Leslie and Henry Travis who added nothing but boring sentimentality in the original. Yawn. And there is no blasted dog written into the script for poor plot contrivances. There is an overall higher satisfaction level with this film.The cast do well with a special mention for the 2 lead females. Virginia Mayo and Dorothy Malone both do justice to their roles and may not seem as they first appear. They also appeared together in "Flaxy Martin" in that year but with a role reversal on that occasion. In this film, they have some scenes together that are fraught with tension and there are many other memorable moments. A case in point is a shot of two men hanging from a train - certainly didn't expect that! Quite disturbing. This film also has great dialogue and captivating scenery and it makes for entertaining viewing with a happy ending. Of sorts.

Director Raoul Walsh's classic gangster film High Sierra, made in 1941, consolidated Humphrey Bogart's rising star after his breakthrough film The Maltese Falcon. Bogart's laconic but romantic portrayal of Roy Earle brought a particular poignancy to his tragic, flawed antihero who tries to go straight but is caught up in "one last job". Ida Lupino's vulnerable Marie provides a strong match for his powerhouse performance.Walsh remade High Sierra in 1949 as a western photographed like his previous outing in the genre (Pursued) in a distinct noir mood and style. If anything, Colorado Territory tops High Sierra in cumulative impact: McCrea and Mayo bring an intense, dark romanticism wholly befitting their rush to doom and Walsh's treatment of the landscapes that both dwarf them and swallow them up is outstanding. This has my vote as one of the genre's top 20.