The Sundowners

Exciting family drama about two brothers: The Sundowners - Classic Western - Brother is pitted against brother in this tale of feuding ranchers in the Old West.

The Sundowners (1950)
Director: George Templeton
Writer: Alan Le May (History as a serial novel von Collier’s as “Thunder in the Dust”)
Stars: Robert Preston, Robert Sterling, Chill Wills
Genre: Western
Country: USA
Language: English
Also Known As: Die großen Helden des US-Westerns
Filming Location: Amarillo, Texas, USA

Storyline:
A tale of a range war in the Texas Panhandle, in which the “bad” brother villain fights for what is right … and in whose name he commits murder, while the “good” brother hero sanctions the rusting of wholesale cattle, and in the end reluctantly comes to the realization that he may not be doing the right thing. Written by Les Adams on IMDb.com

Reviews:
Released in 1950 and directed by George Templeton, “The Sundowners” is a western set in the Texas Panhandle, where honest rancher Tom Cloud (Robert Sterling) and his teenage brother (John Drew Barrymore) have trouble with shady sheriff Elmer Gall (Don Haggerty) and some rustlers. However, when supposed outlaw Kid Wichita (Robert Preston) returns to town, he begins to clean up the area, drawing the ire of the sheriff and the rustlers. Chill Wills plays a friendly neighbor, while John Litel stars as the sheriff’s father, who (apparently) knows nothing of his son’s questionable activities.

Although “The Sundowners” is a bit of an obscure western, it is one of my favorites for its interesting characters, compelling writing, and palpable realism. As for the latter, the film was actually shot in the Texas Panhandle, not Arizona or Southern California like too many old westerns.

Someone criticized the film on the grounds that it “had a hard time figuring out who was good and who was bad,” which illustrates another element of realism: the characters have shades of gray and are not consistently black or white. Even the main protagonist, Tom Cloud, who embodies wisdom and goodness, shows a careless side that I won’t reveal. Of course, the people involved in the cattle rustling ring are definitely shady, albeit secretly. The ringleader’s father, however, is not corrupt and did not know what his son was doing, though he may have suspected and turned a blind eye.

Kid Wichita, on the other hand, is somewhere between black and white, mainly because of his dubious past and the suspicious way Tom views his return. Wichita amusingly says a few times, “From Amarillo to Gee Whit, no one has proved anything to me - except twice,” implying that he has committed at least two actual crimes in the past and apparently more.

In the actual events of the film, however, I did not see Wichita do anything wrong. He is merely helping to rid the county of a cattle rustling ring. There are several references to Wichita murdering someone, but he actually caught the person in the act of scheming and didn’t shoot until the guy reached for his gun. That’s not murder, that’s self-defense. The same thing happens in another situation. Personally, I was all for Wichita cleaning up the county of the riffraff. Maybe Wichita deserves death for his past sins, but not for what he does in this movie.

RATING: A - Written by Wuchakk on IMDb.com.

Also Known As:
(original title): The Sundowners
Australia: The Sundowners
Austria: Zweikampf vor Sonnenuntergang
Belgium (French title): Duel au Texas
Belgium (Flemish title): Duel in Texas
Brazil: Os Madrugadores
Canada (English title): The Sundowners
Denmark: Torden over Texas
Finland: Yön ratsastajat
France: Les cavaliers du crépuscule
Germany (DVD box title): Die großen Helden des US-Westerns
Greece (transliterated title): Epidromeis tis nyhtas
Hungary: Éjszakai lovasok
Ireland (English title): Thunder in the Dust
Italy: La frusta di fuoco
Mexico: La sangre llama
New Zealand (English title): The Sundowners
Norway: Nattens hevnere
Portugal: O Último Duelo
Romania: Cei de la apusul soarelui
Serbia: U smiraj dana
Spain: El cuatrero errante
Sweden: Kid den laglöse
UK: Thunder in the Dust
USA: The Sundowners
West Germany: Zweikampf bei Sonnenuntergang

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