The Deadly Trackers is a standard Western with a mundane plot: A peace loving sheriff (well played by Richard Harris) in a small Texas town sees his wife and son killed by a gang of marauders who have robbed the local bank. He vows revenge and travels through Mexican territory- where he has no official jurisdiction- to hunt down and kill each gang member. It is a plot that though mildly entertaining has been done to death both before and since.
With a very good cast on hand, "The Deadly Trackers" should have been better. Perennial good guy Rod Taylor is cast against type as the sadistic leader of the gang. He does a good, credible job as does Al Lettieri, also in the unfamiliar good-guy role as a by-the-book Mexican lawman who clashes with the Harris character throughout the movie. While supporting villain Neville Brand (Choo Choo)gets good screen time, the same cannot be said for classic bad guy William Smith, who is given the role of a mentally challenged member of the gang and then unceremoniously killed within 20 minutes of the film. With his large canon of work in both film and TV, one can't help but wonder what Smith could have done with a more fleshed-out character.
Paul Benjamin, the most intelligent and well spoken member of this motley crew, inexplicably chooses to ride with these guys and be subjected to ridicule and frequent use of the "n" word. Why? His character does not mesh with the rest of these guys and it plays very flat.
The biggest problem lies in the ending. We are expected to believe that lawman Lettieri- a man who has insisted on taking the high road throughout the entire movie in bringing in a killer to face justice- would just shoot a lawman in the back as he rides out of town.
Not a bad movie for its time, but hardly the polished gem it could have been with a little more attention to detail and character development.
With a very good cast on hand, "The Deadly Trackers" should have been better. Perennial good guy Rod Taylor is cast against type as the sadistic leader of the gang. He does a good, credible job as does Al Lettieri, also in the unfamiliar good-guy role as a by-the-book Mexican lawman who clashes with the Harris character throughout the movie. While supporting villain Neville Brand (Choo Choo)gets good screen time, the same cannot be said for classic bad guy William Smith, who is given the role of a mentally challenged member of the gang and then unceremoniously killed within 20 minutes of the film. With his large canon of work in both film and TV, one can't help but wonder what Smith could have done with a more fleshed-out character.
Paul Benjamin, the most intelligent and well spoken member of this motley crew, inexplicably chooses to ride with these guys and be subjected to ridicule and frequent use of the "n" word. Why? His character does not mesh with the rest of these guys and it plays very flat.
The biggest problem lies in the ending. We are expected to believe that lawman Lettieri- a man who has insisted on taking the high road throughout the entire movie in bringing in a killer to face justice- would just shoot a lawman in the back as he rides out of town.
Not a bad movie for its time, but hardly the polished gem it could have been with a little more attention to detail and character development.