The Plunderers

Plot synopsis:
Unruly cowboys Rondo, Jeb, Mule and Davy ride into town. They can't pay for their drinks, so Sheriff McCauley jails them for a night. Then they refuse to pay clerk Ellie Walters at the general store, and take rooms at Kate Miller's hotel.
The rancher Sam Christy is asked for help. He is an American Civil War hero, but has lost an arm and is tired of fighting. When the cowboys beat up the saloon keeper and McCauley is killed by Jeb, however, Sam offers to do what he can.
He is ambushed by the cowboys at the ranch, beaten and his horses stolen. Ellie tends to him and they kiss. In town, Davy is upset by what's happening and wants the cowboys to leave. Ellie is attacked by Rondo, who then comes at Sam with a knife. Ellie shoots him. Sam then kills Mule in a fight and shoots the fleeing Jeb. He allows the remorseful Davy to leave town.

Tags: murder

Review:
Juvenile Delinquents!.
Juvenile delinquency was a very hot topic in the late fifties and early sixties.
The new scourge of civilization, rock and roll, had transformed the younger generation into rebels who wanted to cast off the repressive rules by which they were expected to conduct themselves.
The burgeoning post-war economy was removing the fear that had formed so much of the older generation's embracement of responsibility and the ever-quickening pace of materialistic progress was making any prospect of boredom anathema to the young.This certainly didn't go unnoticed by the establishment who were understandably alarmed by what appeared to be a rise in youthful disrespect and hedonism and the war of the generations was taken fairly seriously for a while.
Hollywood quickly realized that this was a very sexy and saleable topic for entertaining the masses and began churning out dramas of rebellious youth by the boatload.
By 1960 (the year this film was released) these rebellious youth movies were becoming pretty repetitive as far as contemporary settings went, so it was a darned good idea to take the issue and transfer it to a different time - the old west.It worked rather well, I think.
Westerns tend to be fairly simple story lines for the most part anyway, so bringing an aspect of modern juvenile delinquency into the western was novel enough to spice up both tired genres a little.
I watched it on the late show when I was on a baby-sitting gig and it made my night.
Held my interest all the way and I enjoyed repeated viewings of it over the next couple of years.It's well acted by all.
John Saxon has a great time playing the quietest but most dangerous gang member and Jeff Chandler gets to be a bad-tempered hero.
As a small and relatively simple movie with a social message geared to the time of its release it's not really an 8 now, but I think it deserves a little better rating than it has here so I've given an extra point or two to help raise the average and I don't think that's the wrong thing to do at all.
It's a decent piece of entertainment..
Captain Sam - A Phantom..
The Plunderers is directed by Joseph Pevney and written by Bob Barbash.
It stars Jeff Chandler, John Saxon, Dolores Hart, Marsha Hunt and Jay C.
Flippen.
Music is by Leonard Rosenman and cinematography by Eugene Polito.Trail City, and 4 delinquent cowboys ride into town with attitude and carefree abandon.
The Trail City residents - spineless, all except one man.
That man is Civil War veteran Captain Sam...War didn't just destroy his arm.The few critical appraisals and reviews that exist for The Plunderers are keen to associate the picture with other notable pictures released previously, which in this instance is something of a curse when they happen to be well revered classics.
The four young delinquents here are not dashing dandy types, the makers make every effort to put their failings as human beings up at the front of the portrayals.
These are young men, out of their depth, even spineless, but of course the town doesn't know this as they are too busy cowering in the shadows.The messages are obvious in the play, but Pevney doesn't use his sledgehammer to enforce those parts of the narrative.
It's perhaps no surprise how things pan out with Chandler's embittered war veteran, as he wrestles with both his conscience and his disability, but Pevney has a good knack for slow burning the atmosphere to bring rewards for film's finale.
Chandler, in his last Western, is suitably broody, Hunt and Hart are beauties to behold, while of the bad boys it's Saxon as a diabolical Mexican - with scary eyebrows - and the only one who is old enough to shave, who strikes the highest villain chords.Elsewhere there's a great musical score provided by double Academy Award Winner Rosenman, very much akin to something that the moody Twilight Zone episodes would use.
It also at times has the feel of the score Alan Silvestri would rustle up for Predator some 27 years later.
Polito's photography is crisp, where in conjunction with Pevney's camera angles and lighting techniques keeps the claustrophobia factor high in this one location setting.Crackerjack!
A dandy of a black and white Oater waiting to be discovered by more Western fans.
Some People Are Born Leaders.
As a player Jeff Chandler had several westerns to his credit most notably Broken Arrow where he got an Academy Award nomination.
His last film in the western genre is The Plunderers where he's cast as a crippled Civil War veteran who is forced to lead his town of Trail's End in taking a stand against four juvenile toughs.Some people are born leaders and like it or not in tough situations the job falls to them.
John Saxon, Dee Pollock, Ray Stricklyn and Roger Torrey all come to town and start essentially pushing people around.
They beat up bartender James Westerfield and later shoot down sheriff Jay C.
Flippen who is a tired old man who should have retired from that job long ago.
Flippen is symbolic himself of this post Civil War Texas town.Chandler is a former cavalry leader in the Civil War and he's like Lucas McCain in The Rifleman, the one in the town the people look up to in a moment of crisis.
He's as tired as any of the rest of them and just wishes they would ride away, but when that doesn't happen despite his physical limitations Chandler steps to the plate.There is a lot of criticism of The Plunderers with some saying this is just a modern juvenile delinquent story set in the west.
That maybe so, but what was Billy the Kid for instance if not a most murderous juvenile delinquent.
This film is a harbinger of the Young Guns films or the Lee Marvin classic, The Spikes Gang.
The only difference is that the punks aren't glamorized here.
I swear all that was needed was for Sal Mineo to be cast as one of the punks.The Plunderers was done for Allied Artists which we know was formerly Mongram Pictures.
Back in their day they did their share of B westerns and the sets were used most notably for The Cisco Kid movies.
The Plunderers is a great deal above the quality of those horse operas and it's one of Jeff Chandler's better latter day films..
Predictable but interesting western version of "The Wild One".
Better-than-usual western has interesting premise: Four young cowboy-hoodlums take over a sleepy town population 50.
The whole thing looks and feels like a Twilight Zone episode (black and white) without the fantasy.
Two gorgeous women, Delores Hart and Marsha Hunt; a fair performance from Jeff Chandler; and vivid portrayals by the relatively unknown youngsters including a promising one by John Saxon.
Sleazy early 60's B-Movie fun of the Juvenile Delinquent genre..
A classic black & white western.
The Plunderers are four youngsters who come to a peaceful little western town without any money.
Actually they're no gunfighters at all but enjoy staying there getting all for free and watching how they can get the people more and more frightened.
Onearmed Jeff Chandler wants to stay out of trouble but is increasingly convinced that something must be done to help the citizens against the troublemakers.
Lovely Dolores Hart is the daughter of the local store owner and the Mexican youngster Rondo, played by John Saxon, pays a lot of attention to her.
The dramatic final scenes include an unusual fight with knives.
This is a classic black-and-white western from 1960 highly recommended.
You can easily find resemblances to Brando's 1954 motorcycle movie "The Wild One"..
Noir western on a fear atmosphere of shadow of ruthelessness against the weakest in name of foolish revenge those didn't has nothing with,psychological plot where shown where can take a group of young men strong together,but didn't nothing if was alone.....B wersten which was the last one of Chander in this genre,the young actor Ray Stricklyn as Jeb gang's leader was nominatet by Golden Globe awards as best supporting actor.....look at the old drunk man who came together the gang,a interesting character and how he had behavoir changes aftewards!!Resume:First watch: 2018 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD-R / Rating: 7.
Excellent little known western.
I am surprised this isn't a better known western.
It's a moody and sparse western that follows 4 young men who turn up in a little town and take it over.
It's an interesting story as I imagine that there were quite a few towns with aging populations that were vulnerable to being taken over by gangs looking for an easy life.
The acting is generally good although I was particularly taken with the lead actor Jeff Chandler who seemed a little stiff (he sadly died a year or two after this film).
The gang are pretty good portraying a quiet menace.
Only one went on to have a long movie career, John Saxon as Rondo.
The back up cast are all solid and the stunning Dolores Hart adds some welcome glamour.
Although this isn't an action packed film thanks to a nice script it manages to hold your attention throughout.
There is a great air of tension built up as the gang terrorize the town.
The ending is maybe a little predictable but still nicely done.The Plunderers is worth catching for lovers of the western genre..
Trouble comes to town..
Four young hoodlums ride into a tiny town of 50 and the terror begins.
The townsfolk are too old to really fight back and their only hope is for a man(Jeff Chandler)with only one useful arm to take them on.
Predictable, but interesting.
Chandler is supported by: John Saxon, Dolores Hart, J.C. Flippen, Marsha Hunt and Ray Stricklyn.NOTE: Hart gave Elvis his first screen kiss in LOVING YOU(1957).
Hart entered a convent in Connecticut in 1963..
Terrific Movie became "The Incident" from Western Town to NYC Subway car.
I liked the Plunderers.A group of PUNKS ride into town and show the Cowardice Citizens a thing or two.
This is NOT an unusual occurrence in life.trying to mind his own business is the One-Armed Civil War hero played by Jeff Chandler.He's lives in this town that has disgraced and ostracized him,when the line is drawn,he comes to his heroics.
Interesting piece,that later became "The Incident" a 1967 movie on the NYC Subway with this time only 2 Punks showing the cowardice of the Subway riders.
Naturally the Town Re-makes the Chandler character their hero "Again" and he rides out AGAIN.
Not a lot of people are aware of this little gem.
I have a thing for Low Budget westerns that take place in more or less 1 location,which brings even MORE excitement..
There is an underlying tension running through this movie from the first frame.
Relationship tension between the residents, tension between the group of strangers and tension between the strangers and residents.
I'd have liked to of seen 5 minutes at the beginning of the movie showing what the 4 strangers had been up to prior to them arriving at the town, it was briefly mentioned in the text but not in sufficient detail for me and I couldn't help wondering why they were sticking around as only 2 people in the entire town seemed to be under the age of 50.
Jeff Chandler as the hero with only one working arm smoldered his way through the movie and although very watchable, never seemed to get out of second gear.
Some nice use of angles by the director and a couple of very effective lighting shots particularly one with a swinging lamp in the bedroom.
It was 75 minutes of waiting for the inevitable showdown but was still extremely watchable..
"Bad Day at Black Rock" Meets "The Wild One".
"Away All Boats" director Joseph Pevney's "The Plunders" looks like a cross-between of "Bad Day at Black Rock" and "The Wild One." Basically, leading man Jeff Chandler is cast as Sam Christy, a former Civil War officer who has lost the use of his left arm.
The loss of that limb--he still retains the entire arm--serves as a metaphor for his loss of courage.
Like the one-armed Spencer Tracy hero in "Bad Day at Black Rock," Sam is sullen and filled with self-pity.
He lives alone on a ranch with nobody to take care of him and his relationship with a hotel owner has gone sour.
Four young cowpokes ride into the meager town of Trail City.
They resemble the juvenile delinquent characters on motorcycles in "The Wild One." In fact, the opening narration sounds like the cautionary words in the Marlon Brando epic because the narrator contends that it could happen to any town.
These punchers are fresh out of Dodge City where they blew their wad in no time and don't have two-bits between them.
Tired and ornery, they see Trail City as a place to square accounts for the raw treatment that they received in Dodge City.
They start out by refusing to pay for a bottle of whiskey at the local saloon and the town sheriff hauls them into the hoosegow.
They spent the night in jail and agree to leave peaceably until they get out.
Initially, they take $73 worth of clothes from a mercantile store and follow that up by getting a free room in the hotel.
Nobody has enough courage to curb their wanton urges and the local sheriff buckles under pressure.
Finally, they shoot the poor man down in the street, collect all the firearms in town and settle back into the saloon.
By now everybody in town is quaking in their boots at the sight of the vandals.
Mike Baron (James Westerfield of "The Sons of Katie Elder") refuses to serve them in his saloon and William 'Mule' Thompson (Roger Torrey of "The Nun and the Sergeant")batters him into submission.
Afterward, Sam Christy bucks heads with them and the biggest of the four roughs him up.
Sam exits town and decides to have nothing to do with the quartet of hellions.
Eventually, the young daughter of the local storekeeper, Ellie Walters(Dolores Hart of "King Creole")prompts Sam to take another chance at the foursome.
Sam rallies the rest of the townspeople and they stand together and whip the hellions.
Sam takes on the Goliath-like Mule in a knife fight and Ellie turns a six-gun on the romantically inclined Hispanic gang member, Rondo (John Saxon of "Enter the Dragon") when he pulls a knife on Sam. In a showdown on the street, Sam guns down Jeb Lucas Tyler (Golden Globe nominated actor Ray Stricklyn of "The Return of Dracula")as the rowdy twenty-year old charges down the street blasting away with two guns.
Sam convinces the rest of the townspeople to let the last one, Davy (Dee Pollock of "Kelly's Heroes") ride out with the memory of the event to haunt him forever.Clearly, "The Plunders" is a morality yarn that pits old against young, weak against strong, and cowardly against brave.
Joseph Pevney's taut, bottled-up direction and Bob Barbash's tip-lipped, intelligent script make this 93-minute pressure-cooker thriller worth watching, even though it's pretty predictable.
Meaning, you know that Sam Christy is going to lick these young, immature hellions.
Mind you, "The Plunders" isn't top-drawer entertainment, but it qualifies as above-average thanks to uniformly fine performances and contemplative pacing.
Saxon looks like he is giving a warm-up act for his treacherous bandit in the 1966 western "The Appaloosa." Saxon has a moment before he dies at the hands of Dolores Hart when he talks about the prejudice that he has experienced as a Hispanic at the hands of whites.
As usual, Chandler plays a stern, taciturn man who has to have his cage rattled before he shows his true colors.
The only flaw in his performance occurs during a fight at his ranch with one of the plunders.
Dolores Hart is around for good looks and everything appears appropriately dusty..
"The Wild One" Goes West!.
"The Plunderers" is essentially Marlon Brando's "The Wild One' (1953) in a western setting.
Four youths having been run out of Dodge City, happen upon a sleepy little town in the middle of nowhere.
They are led by Jeb Tyler (Ray Sticklyn) a young man with a chip on his shoulder.
Riding with him are the hulking "Mule" Thompson (Roger Torrey), the Mexican Rondo (John Saxon) and Davy (Dee Pollock) the youngest of the gang.The gang sees an opportunity to take over the town when they are shown little resistance when they refuse to pay for their drinks from saloon owner Mike Barron (James Westerfield), for their new clothes from store owner Jess Walters (Vaughn Taylor) and for their hotel rooms from hotel owner Kate Miller (Marsha Hunt).Town sheriff McCauley (Jay C.
Flippen) tries to reason with the gang but is unsuccessful.
The town then turns to one-armed civil war hero Sam Christy (Jeff Chandler) for help.
At first he refuses to get involved despite pleas from former girl friend Kate and the store keeper's daughter Ellie (Dolores Hart).
Rondo has eyes for the young Ellie but her heart it seems belongs to Sam.Eventually, Sam agrees to help leading to a confrontation with the gang and.............The film has fine cast but curiously John Saxon, who is billed second over the title, has only a secondary role here.
Jeff Chandler gives a fine performance as the one armed reluctant hero although Dolores Hart seems a little too young for the grey haired Chandler.
Ray Stricklyn is a little James Deanish as the chief baddie.
Veterans Jay C.
Flippen and James Westerfield stand out among the supporting cast.I guess by now every one knows that Dolores Hart left the glamour of Hollywood and her fiancé to enter a convent where she remains to this day.Not to be confused with the 1948 film of the same name.