Hell Bent for Leather

Audie Murphy plays Clay Santell ,a horse dealer whose hospitality to a stranger who stumbles on foot and on the verge of collapse into his camp is to have his horse stolen by the man in question.Santell wounds his assailant who drops his lavishly embossed shotgun as he flees Santell's camp.The man is Travers ,a wanted outlaw .and the local townsfolk believe Santell is Travers,based on his having the gun .Corrupt Marshall Deckett (Stephen Mc Nally)takes him into custody ,knowing full well he is not Travers but hoping to pass him off as the outlaw ,and boost his reputation as the man who saw Travers hung.

Santell escapes ,taking with him a young woman ,Janet Gifford ,and Deckett and a posse set out in hot pursuit. Can Santell avoid capture and clear his name ?That is the central issue of this modest but brisk Western that benefits from some striking location shooting and some decent performances especially from McNally and that splendid character actor Robert Middleton .

Based on a novel by pulp Western maestro Ray Hogan this moves briskly and energetically and will appeal to most devotees of the genre.