Colorado Territory

"A mighty, memorable new adventure hurtling out of the heroic vastness of Colorado Territory."

1949 1h 34m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 80★7.2IMDB · 3,293

WesternCrimeRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After escaping from jail, outlaw Wes McQueen is convinced by his old partner in crime to do one last heist.

“A mighty, memorable new adventure hurtling out of the heroic vastness of Colorado Territory.”

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Cast

Joel McCrea
Wes McQueen
Virginia Mayo
Colorado Carson
Dorothy Malone
Julie Ann Winslow
Henry Hull
Fred Winslow
John Archer
Reno Blake
James Mitchell
Duke Harris
Morris Ankrum
United States Marshal
Basil Ruysdael
Dave Rickard ('The Old Man')

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Raoul Walsh
Writers: Edmund H. North, John Twist
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

77 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Raoul Walsh, shot by Sidney Hickox. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Buttolph. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Owen Marks shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Joel McCrea and Virginia Mayo and Dorothy Malone carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A mighty, memorable new adventure hurtling out of the heroic vastness of Colorado Territory.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0041253 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 80 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Raoul Walsh directs. Sidney Hickox behind the camera. David Buttolph scores. Owen Marks cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

177 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Raoul Walsh, shot by Sidney Hickox. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by David Buttolph. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Owen Marks shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Joel McCrea and Virginia Mayo and Dorothy Malone carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A mighty, memorable new adventure hurtling out of the heroic vastness of Colorado Territory.".
7IMDB entry: tt0041253 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 80 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 26 themes, including "gunslinger", "sheriff", "ambush", "stolen money".

The technical file

Cinematography: Sidney Hickox
Original score: David Buttolph
Editing: Owen Marks
Makeup / hair: Alma Armstrong
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Colorado Territory (1949)
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 3,293 votes
MPAA: Approved

Also by

Raoul Walsh

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-07-12
★ 9/10
Territorial Doom. Colorado Territory is directed by Raoul Walsh and adapted to screenplay by Edmund H. North and John Twist from the novel "High Sierra" written by W.R. Burnett. It stars Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, Dorothy Malone and Henry Hull. Music is by David Buttolph and cinematography by Sidney Hickox. Raoul Walsh remakes his own High Sierra from 1941 but supplants it into a Western genre setting - with tremendous results. McCrea plays outlaw Wes McQueen who springs from prison and vows to go straight, but with a price on his head he is coerced into one last railroad robbery. If he can escape the law then he can make a go of it as a new man, with a new name, and comforted by a new found love of a good woman, Colorado Carson (Mayo). Can he escape the law and those who would sell him out for money? A remake of a classic film noir, Colorado Territory is itself classic film noir. Whilst not reaching the dizzying star heights of Bogart's 41 version, this is a film of great strengths. Thematically it's noir gold dust, the great Walsh not pandering to anyone and ensuring the dark edges of Burnett's novel play out on screen - including the shattering finale. The photography is grade "A", both in chiaroscuro textures and sumptuous location framings. Cast can't be faulted either, McCrea a genuine horseman is firmly at home in a Western setting, Mayo and Malone positively light and sex up the screen, while classy performer Hull lends weighty support. High end Western staples are adhered to, with robbery actions, fights, stunts, villainous betrayals and back stabbers, these marry up to the noirish cement of a man unable to escape his fate, his past weighing heavy on his shoulders, all ensuring there's constantly a doom laden feel permeating the story. Rarely mentioned when talk turns to film noir Westerns, but it should be since it's one of the best. 9/10

Production companies