Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Fantastic!

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

After purchasing the DVD for $7.95 my expectation wasn't too high, but this western was just so enjoyable to watch, and hits you with intelligence you might not expect.When card shark Bill Elliott makes a deathbed promise to a murdered preacher he takes an oath to build a church. Before long he meets tomboy outlaw Marie Windsor who's a real hellcat and looking oh so good in her tomboy get-up --- if only she wasn't pulling out her gun every 5 seconds.......................

The writers and producers of "Hellfire" seem to have wanted to throw away the formulas and cliché's usually found in Westerns. They put an emphasis on character development to bring us vivid characters, performed very well by superior b-movie actors.This movie marked the beginning of my long-time infatuation with Marie Windsor. View it and your own Marie love affair will begin. She brings us a rare combination of strength and beauty and her performance is to be admired by both men and women. About 15 years before Jane Fonda saddled up, Marie gives us a precursor to Fonda's "Cat Ballou" but in a more serious acting style with less emphasis on comedy.Bill Elliott underplays as usual but his role calls for it, and this is probably his best film performance. His performance beautifully compliments the dynamic Windsor. Elliott is known for underplaying, but underplaying is not always a bad thing. Elliott proves that here.Elliott, Windsor and a restrained Forrest Tucker form an effective 3-way acting ensemble that is fascinating to watch, as aided by some great screen writing.In the 1940's or today you don't always need big names or budget to make a successful film. Just watch "Hellfire" straight through and let the characters and unusual plot twists grab your attention. You will be entertained.The color filming is good and all the supporting actors are first-rate. Look for the great Harry Woods in a small part- I wish he could have had a bigger role because every performance by Woods is essentially a screen acting clinic.

Card cheat Bill Elliott (Zeb) changes his ways and promises to build a church out in the Wild West after Minister H. B. Warner (brother Joseph) takes a bullet for him. The building of a church had been Warner's dream and Elliott gives his word to raise the money for it. However, he also commits to following God's path. Things get tricky when he comes across Marie Windsor (Doll) on the hunt for her sister. She has pretty much everyone after her and there is a reward out for her - dead or alive.A peculiarity of this film is the way in which it is coloured. I'm not sure how intentional it was but the colours are heavily biased towards blue-ish green and something rather peachy. I'm not sure whether this is due to the quality fading but it certainly is different. The story covers quite a lot of ground and I enjoyed the ride, despite some heavy over-preachy nonsense, particularly at the end. Shame about that, really. The ending is somewhat ambiguous - what happens next? The standout in the cast is Marie Windsor who plays her bad girl role very convincingly and has you rooting for her all the way. Go on Windsor! Shoot the holy guy. I'm fed up of his wholesome ways. The film is a buddy buddy movie at its core as we follow the relationship that develops between Elliott and Windsor as they seek their goals together. And it's not bad.

PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT read this review if you plan to see the movie!! Once again Marie Windsor's star shines brightly and makes one wonder why she never got "A" movie leading roles. Her co-star (despite his top billing, still the "co" star), Bill Elliott, is also excellent as a reformed gunslinger who becomes a very effective and persuasive advocate for following the Lord's Path after a preacher takes a bullet headed his way.Windsor; who it should be noted was sort of a cowgirl who grew up in Utah; plays "Doll Brown", a female outlaw who was mistreated and brutalized early in life. She is obsessed with finding her long lost younger sister and taking revenge on those who wronged her in the past. The movie starts with her gunning down a man who it is implied (but not overtly stated) sexually abused her as a teenager. The film is pretty raw for it's time. The places she searches for her sister are clearly brothels rather than the "dance halls" depicted in most old Westerns.Elliott takes her under his wing even though she at first resists his friendship and even threatens him. Their discussions and interactions are quite touching and uncommonly deep for a Western. The movie becomes somewhat disjointed and even a bit silly towards the end. But I certainly didn't mind seeing Windsor change from cowboy duds to a skimpy saloon girl outfit with what really looks like an embroidered Mound of Venus in the crotch area! Yippee Yi Yo Kayay!!! Just as the film seems to be lightening up, and Doll appears to be on the verge of changing for the better, Grim Reality returns and she is shot in the back by her victim's brothers while reading the Bible. The film closes with Elliott embracing Doll and continuing her Bible reading. Doll is still conscious at the fade out, but it is strongly suggested---especially since the reading is from the 23rd Psalm---that only her soul is saved. A harp and wings perhaps, but no Little House on the Prairie. Very sad. A truly superior, off beat movie that deserves much more recognition than it's gotten. Just like the star.