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Good movie but grossly overrated

As Good As It Gets

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The Plunderers has Rod Cameron on detached duty pretending to be an outlaw. His mission is to get outlaw Forrest Tucker who's been causing such mayhem in the territory that the army has an interest in his capture, conviction, and execution.To establish his credentials with Tucker, a fake killing of sheriff George Cleveland is carried out and that does put him in solid with Tucker. It also puts him in solid with Tucker's girlfriend Lorna Gray and her companion Ilona Massey. By the way Massey looks completely lost in a western. Maybe Herbert J. Yates had Vera Hruba Ralston shooting another picture at Republic.There's a nicely staged Sioux attack as a climax where both Cameron and Tucker find out who's been selling rifles to the Sioux. Selling weaponry to the Indians is a cardinal sin in all western films.Yates put a bit more budget into this western than normal, possibly thinking that Cameron, Tucker or both might be a breakout star from the B westerns. Of course that never happened as it did with John Wayne. It should have had a better story with better drawn characters. Paul Fix for instance when we first meet him is a back shooting rat. For no apparent reason he becomes downright noble in the end.Not the best western Yates ever turned out of his horse opera factory.

This film was very successful when released, one of the few by Republic in Trucolor. For the audience in 1948, it was good value for their money. Nice actors like Rod Cameron (Johnny) and Forrest Tucker(Whit), two pretty ladies Ilona Massey(Lin) and Adrian Booth (Julie Ann), a great sidekick Paul Fix (Calico). There are films where barely nothing happens, and films where too much happens, like this one, with shootouts, Indian attacks, the cavalry, galloping horses and a plot that goes in such a fast pace that it might not give you time to think about its implausibilities. The fake marriage of Johnny and Julie Ann makes no sense, also the shooting of the Sheriff by Johnny . The film goes too fast to absorb the sudden change in Whit's character from bad to good. James Edward Grant (story), Gerard Geraghty and Gerald Adams (screenplay) had many good films to their credit and they did a good job for the public of 1948, it just looks awkward in 2015! Ilona Massey is an interesting and charming presence, nice song she sings about Broadway. With the other lady, Adrian Booth, they add a lot to the film.

"The Plunderers" of the title is a gang of outlaws headed up by Whit Lacey (Forrest Tucker) who are committing robberies. Apparently, the gang is receiving inside information from within the town to help them set up their capers.Army Major John Drum (Rod Cameron)and Sheriff Sam Borden (George Cleveland) set up a plan where Drum will hopefully infiltrate the gang and thus lead to their eventual capture. Drum becomes friendly with Lacey to the point of "marrying" his girl friend Julie Ann (Adrian Booth) to aid in Lacey and Julie Ann's eventual escape. Drum while playing along with the masquerade, becomes smitten with saloon singer Lin Connor (Ilona Massey).Following Lacey's capture, he is taken to the army fort to be hanged. But just as justice is about to be served, an Indian attack occurs.Republic Pictures was noted as a major producer of westerns. This was one of their better ones shot in Trucolor and with an apparent higher budget than usual. The story is filled with a few little surprises to keep the viewer's interest. The Indian attack is one of the better staged such attacks making use of the studio's crack team of stunt men.As for the cast, Ilona Massey with her thick European accent is totally out of place here. It seems studio head Herbert J. Yates had a thing for European actresses. He would later marry a similarly accented Vera Hruba Ralston. Rod Cameron makes a fine upstanding hero, Forrest Tucker has you rooting for him as Lacey, Grant Withers plays against type as the dumb Deputy. Paul Fix is Tucker's henchman Calico, Francis (brother of John) Ford plays storekeeper Barnaby and Taylor Holmes upstanding citizen Martin.Other familiar faces (to "B" western fans) appearing are Hank Bell, Wheaton Chambers, Bud Osborne, Franklyn Farnum, John Hart, Clayton Moore (both of whom played The Lone Ranger) and 30s star Rex Lease.Not to be confused with the 1960 film of the same name.

A tight script, decent dialogue, and good supporting cast, separate this one from the routine shoot 'em ups. Sort of a "buddy movie" with Cameron, the lawman and Tucker the outlaw, forced to set aside differences to avoid a sioux massacre. Fix, as one of the bad guys, delivers cynical wit throughout. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.