Ervin Plummer-played by the estimable George Macready ,who like his good friend Vincent Price was a man of culture and erudition who specialised in bad guy roles-is a grasping avaricious businessman with a hunger for gold .He evokes an archaic and little used law ,the Apex Rule ,which says that if a mineral vein runs through his land the landowner is entitled to claim all the rights to ownership of the mineral from the owner of the land containing the head of the vein .The Right has rarely been exercised and might well fail in court but to ensure a better chance of success Plummer arranges the death of Warren ,his major target ,and for his family to be served with a crippling tax bill.To make absolutely sure he engages the services of the ruthless killer Shotgun Kelly ( George Keymas) to remove any residual opposition .Kelly ,a bad loser at dice , tries to ambush and Tim Mallory (Skip Homeir) who had defeated him in a fair game but is himself killed .Mallory is mistaken for Kelly by Plummer and his gang ,and having fallen in love with the enticing Fay Warren (Kristin Miller)sets out to thwart Plummer's plans .
The movie has some good performances ,notably from Macready ,and Jack Elam as his henchman Slats while Wallace Ford as a scheming lawyer also make an impression .Homeir ,an under-rated actor is good as the hero .
The pace is brisk and the action efficiently handled .The only major drawback is the cheap looking colour process which makes the picture look faded and dull .An okay time filler if you like the genre
The movie has some good performances ,notably from Macready ,and Jack Elam as his henchman Slats while Wallace Ford as a scheming lawyer also make an impression .Homeir ,an under-rated actor is good as the hero .
The pace is brisk and the action efficiently handled .The only major drawback is the cheap looking colour process which makes the picture look faded and dull .An okay time filler if you like the genre