A Lawless Street

The first, and better, of the two colour Westerns Lewis made with Scott, this may lack the bizarre originality of 7th Cavalry but certainly makes up for it in solid craftsmanship and vivid characterisation. Scott is the marshall, about to retire, who'd like to rid the town of its rowdy, gun-totin' villains before throwing in the towel; the job is complicated, however, by his involvement with faithless music-hall chanteuse Lansbury, whose fickle ways weaken his resolve. Strikingly shot, tersely plotted, it's no masterwork, but once again reveals Lewis as a superior director of low-budget material.