In Hellfire, Wild Bill Elliott in one of the few times in his career does something less than heroic. When we first meet him he's a no good tinhorn gambler who gets caught with some cards up his sleeve. Just as he's about to get some frontier justice an itinerant preacher H.B. Warner steps in front of a bullet meant for Elliott. As he's dying he makes Elliott promise to build the church he was collecting funds for. But he has to do it by the rules as laid down in the Good Book.
History is full of folks who do an about face in belief and character, the most well known is from the Bible with Paul struck down on the road to Damascus and turning from a Sanhedrin persecutor to a full fledged believer in Christianity. But Elliott's about face was really a bit much to swallow.
Even more so is his idea that he can get all the money he needs if lady outlaw Marie Windsor will turn to the Lord and turn herself in. This woman makes Sharon Stone in The Quick Gun and Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge in Johnny Guitar and Barbara Stanwyck in any number of westerns look like a Sunday schoolteacher is not about to do that. Windsor gives a great performance that is completely wasted in an unreal film.
Besides she's also got outlaw brothers Jim Davis, Paul Fix, and Lewis Faust after her. And sheriff Forrest Tucker whose agenda isn't all about law and order.
Hellfire is one of those films that Elliott hoped would break him out of the B picture cowboy ranks into something better. But instead of breakout, he got one weird film.
History is full of folks who do an about face in belief and character, the most well known is from the Bible with Paul struck down on the road to Damascus and turning from a Sanhedrin persecutor to a full fledged believer in Christianity. But Elliott's about face was really a bit much to swallow.
Even more so is his idea that he can get all the money he needs if lady outlaw Marie Windsor will turn to the Lord and turn herself in. This woman makes Sharon Stone in The Quick Gun and Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge in Johnny Guitar and Barbara Stanwyck in any number of westerns look like a Sunday schoolteacher is not about to do that. Windsor gives a great performance that is completely wasted in an unreal film.
Besides she's also got outlaw brothers Jim Davis, Paul Fix, and Lewis Faust after her. And sheriff Forrest Tucker whose agenda isn't all about law and order.
Hellfire is one of those films that Elliott hoped would break him out of the B picture cowboy ranks into something better. But instead of breakout, he got one weird film.