Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Not even bad in a good way

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Dreadfully Boring

Ride a Crooked Trail is directed by Jesse Hibbs and adapted to screenplay by Borden Chase from a story written by George Bruce. It stars Audie Murphy, Walter Matthau, Gia Scala, Leo Gordon, Henry Silva and Eddie Little. A CinemaScope/Eastman Color production, music is by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by Harold Lipstein.A blend of the breezy and the beefy here as Audie saddles up as Joe Maybe, a bank robber who after assuming the identity of the detective who was sent to capture him, winds up as the sheriff of a corrupt town. Ironically it's the town he and his dastardly cohorts had planned for their next big robbery. But as Joe insinuates himself into the company of the town's better citizens, he begins to doubt his dark side.It's pretty routine as per the bad man trying to turn good axis of Western movie plotting, but there's a good sense of fun running throughout. Murphy himself seems to really be enjoying himself in the role of Joe Maybe. Leading the front of frivolity is Matthau as the town judge, his capacity for alcohol is as legendary as his ability to find a quip or sarcasm in the most trying of situations. Many of the scenes shared between the two men are most funny, be it hangovers, court room shenanigans or generally sounding each other out, they make for a great pair of characters.Of course all this good fun has to ease off for the plot to take its darker turn. Which brings in the villains and the action scenes just as Joe's conscience starts to gnaw away at him. Costuming is appealing, especially when modelled by Scala, Gershenson provides another one of his lively Western musical scores and Lipstein's Scope photography makes good use of the gorgeous scenery. It's a bit creaky in parts and Hibbs sometimes lets the pace sag, but this is good entertainment for Audie and Matthau fans. 6.5/10

I always have some misgivings watching Audie Murphy portray a bad guy (Gunsmoke, No Name on the Bullet); he's got that clean cut All-American look going for him that doesn't seem to jive with his character. The same is true here, but the thing is, he's not really an outlaw in this picture except in name. Arriving in a Western town while on the run, he's mistakenly assumed to be the U.S. Marshal who was tracking him at the start of the story. Too bad about the marshal, he should have watched his step.This may be a starring vehicle for Murphy, but it's Walter Matthau who holds this thing together as the cantankerous Judge Kyle. He's a pretty tough lawman who's word goes in town (how come this town didn't have a name?), and his gruff manner steals every scene he's in. It doesn't take long for the judge to read the fake marshal, but he keeps his play close to the vest until an intended bank robbery eventually goes down. Joe Maybe (Murphy) maintains an uneasy alliance with outlaw Sam Keeler (Henry Silva), and when the time is right, the Curtis Bank will be ripe for picking.The hook in the story rests with the young boy Jimmy who's befriended by Maybe. I liked the tale about Maybe getting his name, shortened from May's boy, and how he was raised by some saloon gals. It was a bit too coincidental that Jimmy's growing up in the same circumstances, and it didn't quite ring true to me to see him doing that much school work. About as implausible as Maybe playing house with Keeler's girlfriend Tessa (Gia Scala), while planning on robbing the bank herself along with Keeler's bunch. So it's no surprise that Maybe second guesses himself throughout the picture and winds up going straight for good after settling the score with Keeler. It's probably best not to think about all of this too much while watching the picture, especially the part about Maybe and Tessa given their own furnished home to live in within twenty four hours of arriving on the scene. No wonder Murphy had that incredulous look on his face throughout the story.

I would have to say, walter matthau in this early supporting performance was truly a stage presence to have in a film like this. This movie being one that shows the lines and decisions that a born tough guy must make to decide whats really whats truly dear to him. Sort of a shadow to Audie Murphy's character was the young boy, who grew up also in a saloon, but never stood a chance to grow up straight until a man, such as himself took a stand against injustice and only then, was the young boy cured of the sins he was born into...Excellent choice if you want to know what moral 50's Hollywood wanted to put out there.Ritchie Fontaine

For a modestly budgeted, unambitious horse opera, this is as good as it gets. Audie Murphy's Western vehicles of the 50s don't command the respect of Randolph Scott's or Joel McCrea's, but they are just as entertaining. A few of them ("No Name On The Bullet," "Posse From Hell") have an unusual edge that makes them noteworthy, but this one simply transcends its limitations to be a damned good entertainment. Walter Matthau steals every scene he's in as an alcoholic judge, while Murphy's subtly nervous performance as the would-be outlaw pretending he's a respected lawman may remind one of David Janssen as TV's "The Fugitive." Audie reportedly was uncomfortable with romantic scenes, but here he handles some innuendo-laden dialogue with Gia Scala quite nicely. Henry Silva and Mort Mills provide some surprisingly restrained (for this sort of thing) villainy. The premise (good-at-heart outlaw is reformed by wearing a badge) was old hat, but the execution is great! Set your expectations for a medium budgeted Western with no pretensions, and you won't be disappointed. You may even be pleasantly surprised.