Arizona Raiders (1965)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

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

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

By this time in his movie career, Audie Murphy finally outgrew his boyish good looks and actually managed to look the part of either an outlaw or a hero, which in this case he was both. A surprise for me was catching Buster Crabbe this far into his career and appearing well matured beyond his Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers days as a matinée idol.The story opens with a rather long fourth wall narration by an uncredited Booth Colman portraying a newspaper editor, setting the stage for a tale dealing with the last days of Quantrill's Raiders. Audie Murphy's character is Clint Stewart, who along with partner Willie Martin (Ben Cooper), are members of Quantrill's bunch and are captured during a Union assault and sentenced to twenty years hard time. Their release from a Texas prison is engineered by Captain Tom Andrews (Crabbe), who offers them eventual pardon if they cooperate in bringing the remainder of the gang to justice.I have to say, for an otherwise rather mundane western I was impressed by a couple of scenes, the first of which had a Quantrill renegade named Montana (George Keymas) pull the old Luca Brasi trick of putting a knife through the hand of a card playing opponent who beat him with a full house.The other occurred when Clint's identity as a Union undercover agent is about to be blown and his friend Willie tries to cover for him and is shot by Montana in the process, virtually committing suicide so the mission wouldn't be undermined. Of course, he was about half dead already after being beaten by the outlaws, so he might have figured it was for a worthy cause.Oh yeah, can't forget the cactus torture by the Yaqui's. Nice touch there as well.Over all a decent Audie Murphy Western for fans of the war hero and movie star, with excellent cinematography and location shooting for the Arizona backdrop. Brief intermittent scenes of Gloria Talbott as a Yaqui Indian should add to your viewing pleasure.

At film's beginning Booth Colman, as editor of the Ohio Gazette, wastes seven minutes narrating the ruthlessness of William Quantrill, infamously known gang leader and Confederate sympathizer who murdered the adult male population of Lawrence Kansas. Since the first few active minutes of the movie do center on the Civil War brigand, one wonders why the narration persists for so long. Anyway, with the War over (1865), the story begins to move along smoothly as the Quantrill band continues to operate.Union Captain Tom Andrews (Buster Crabbe) tracks down and corners Quantrill (Fred Graham) and his gang in an abandoned farmhouse/barn. Although some gang members escape, Quantrill is severely wounded and captured. He will eventually breathe his last in a Union hospital, and he will not be seen in the picture again. (By the way, Quantrill died in June 1865.) Meanwhile two gang members are captured, partially through the machinations of Montana Smith (George Keymas), a shady and disloyal gang member who escapes the Federal grasp. The two arrested ex-Confederate soldiers, Clint Stewart (Audie Murphy) and friend Willie Martin (Ben Cooper), served honorably for the Southern cause. But when they returned home at war's end they found that Carpetbaggers were in control. Since the two ex-troopers could not find work, they joined Quantrill's outfit. Though the sympathy of both Andrews and the presiding judge, the two receive lighter sentences than usual but still get 20 years hard labor in prison. Escaping from the Federal troops, both Montana and Brady (Michael Dante) have reformed the Quantrill gang and are running roughshod in Arizona, where the post-Civil War law is not strong. Enter Andrews again, as he has been hired by the territorial governor to head up the newly formed Arizona Rangers. Andrews' mission is to capture the gang and bring it to justice. As Andrews is impressed with Stewart and Martin's background he makes a risky bargain with them: unconditional pardons and positions as Arizona Rangers if they infiltrate the gang and bring about its destruction. To make the situation legitimate, Andrews arranges for a fake-prison escape. The two ex-Rebels can flee to Mexico, but better judgment prevails and they go to work against Montana and Brady, who by this time have taken control of a Yaqui Indian village.This rousing and colorful western features beautiful Arizona scenery. William Whitney directed a typical cowboy movie with some perky shoot-outs and ornery villains, especially Keymas' sadistic and vile Montana (By contrast, accomplice Brady is almost a church choir member). Fred Graham, who portrays Quantrill, was twice the age of the real outlaw, but his work here is sound. Murphy of course fits in well in a familiar role.There were high quality westerns made in 1965, like "Major Dundee," "The Sons of Katie Elder," and the comedy-western "Cat Ballou." But it was a watershed year for the genre as times were a-changin'. In 1966 Burt Kennedy would direct "Welcome to Hard Times" (released in 1967). Also, westerns from Europe were making their arrivals in the USA. These films would alter the western and blur the distinction between the good guys and the bad ones. They kept the guns of the good guy, but took away most of his moral code. Alas, they created the anti-hero, a major influence of those westerns made in the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. (See my review for the watershed western "Welcome to Hard Times" dated 23 Nov 2011.)

Despite an unnecessary prologue in which we are treated to a history of the life and career of William Quantrill, Arizona Raiders concerns us with the efforts of former Quantrill members Audie Murphy and Ben Cooper to capture a large band of former Quantrill men led by Michael Dante and George Keymas who are now operating in Arizona.The man who captured Murphy and Cooper is Buster Crabbe former Army captain and now in charge of the new Arizona Rangers. He's offering Murphy and Cooper a Dirty Dozen like mission, get them and there will be a pardon awaiting. What Crabbe doesn't know is that Murphy is both one unreconstructed rebel and he's got a younger brother in the Rangers already played by Ray Stricklyn. That fact cuts several ways before the film is over.Arizona Raiders is a decent enough western. Murphy was still going strong in doing these second feature B films. But it was certainly nothing you couldn't see on television where westerns ruled at that time on the small screen.

This movie is a remake of the 1951 movie "The Texas Rangers", same plot, same storyline, same lines. Only the locale and the actors are different. I take that back, this time it wasn't just a couple of men who were removed from prison, they were moved from state to state.Having said that, I did enjoy the movie. There were enough changes to make it interesting. Audie Murphy did a wonderful job in the lead role. The location was beautiful. The director did a good job in making this movie stand on it's own. If you liked the earlier movie, you will enjoy this remake. Audie Murphy fans should enjoy seeing him in this.