Hell Bent for Leather (1960)

Hell Bent for Leather (Dir: George Sherman, 1960).

The Audie Murphy western wagon trundled on with Hell Bent For Leather. Yet, on this occasion the end product is a mite gritter than one would usually expect from a Murphy movie. 

Wandering into homestead Sutterville after having his horse stolen, cattle man Clay Santell (Murphy) is mistaken by the townsfolk for a murderer known as Travers (Jan Merlin). He is pursued by a corrupt Marshall (Stephen McNally) who knows of his innocence but wants the glory of caching 'the killer'. Santell goes on the lam, taking with him hostage Janet Gifford (Felicia Farr), herself a town outcast due to the actions of her late father.  

A psychological western with just a hint of film noir, Hell Bent for Leather might be better considered a 'wrong man' thriller in western apparel than an actual western. Those familiar with post-War noir thrillers will recognise the set-up from countless other movies. Yet, while the premise may not be original, it is executed here with skill. 

Director George Sherman and writer Christopher Knopf deliver a tight suspense with genuine intrigue and enough twists to keep the audience guessing until the final reel. Shot in Eastman Color and Cinemascope, the movie looks terrific! The rugged Alabama Mountains, California locations are beautifully captured  by cinematographer Clifford Stine and provide a unusual backdrop for this moodily atmospheric piece.  

Murphy gives arguably his best performance as the wrongly accused man, as does model turned actress Felicia Farr. As the hostage whose feeling towards her kidnapper turn from antipathy to sympathy, Farr demonstrates how talented a performer she was. Sadly underappreciated by Hollywood, in retrospect Hell Bent for Leather should have consolidated her a status as a leading lady; instead she worked almost exclusively in television in coming years. Stand out in the supporting cast is Stephen McNally; his wildly charismatic turn as bad'un Marshall Deckett is the embodiment of crazed malevolence! Shot by Stine with an array of off-kilter camera angles, it is a delicious helping of the best kind of ham!

My expectations were low for what i expected would be a run-of-the mill B-western. How wrong I was! A short movie, a little over 80 minutes, it was almost certainly destined to play as a double feature. Yet Hell Bent for Leather stands on its own as an exciting fast-moving western/thriller and probably Murphy’s best movie.