This is an unusual misfire for the Boetticher/Scott collaborations. A cheerful gunman from West Texas (Randolph Scott) finds himself in a Southern California border town where rival families control things (Barry Kelley, Tol Avery and Peter Whitney) and are planning to hang him for being involved in a murder. Craig Stevens, Manuel Rojas and L.Q. Jones also appear. "Buchanan Rides Alone" (1958) is part of a set of five Westerns made between 1956 and 1960—the others being “7 Men from now,” “The Tall T,” “Ride Lonesome” and “Comanche Station”—all written by Burt Kennedy, directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott. Two additional films were produced without writer Kennedy’s involvement: “Decision at Sundown” and “Westbound.” A small group of enthusiasts has developed around these Westerns, and most are excellent despite their limited budgets. I've watched four of them and enjoyed each one, with the exception of this film. It is adapted from the first book in the Buchanan paperback series by Jonas Ward (also known as William Ard), who started it and was later assisted by other writers after his death. In the books, Buchanan is a lighthearted wanderer set in the Old West, using humor. The movie begins entertainingly enough with Scott seeming happy and self-assured in an unfriendly Southwestern town, but the story becomes slow and frustrating as it goes on, filled with repetitive sequences of capture and escape, along with what seems to be a pretty obvious error in a critical scene. Jennifer Holden is present as the only female character, though her role isn't particularly developed. It’s essentially a film focused solely on men. It isn’t completely without merit; the initial portion works reasonably well, there are some funny moments and lines, most of the performers do a good job, the score is pleasing, and the Arizona scenery with the cacti is nice to look at. However, poor writing ultimately undermines it. Kennedy adapted the script from Ward's book, but something was lost in the process. The film has a running time of 1 hour, 19 minutes, and filming took place primarily in Old Tucson, Arizona, and surrounding areas. GRADE: C-

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