Deep in Indian Territory (actually, Vasquez Rocks near Palmdale, California), reformed gunfighter-turned-U.S. Marshal Johnny Reno (Dana Andrews) is heading toward Stone Junction when he's fired upon by two desperate fugitives, Ab (Dale Van Sickel) and Joe Conners (Tom Drake). Defending himself, Reno kills Ab and overpowers Joe, both of whom had assumed Reno was part of a posse from town after them for allegedly killing a popular, educated Indian. Reno decides to bring Joe into town to make sure there's a fair trial, but both the Indians and the townsfolk all want Joe dead.

Mayor Jess Yates (Lyle Bettger), with the help of dapper rancher Ed Tompkins (John Agar), shop owner Jake Reed (Robert Lowry), bartender Charlie (Regis Parton), and others, all try to persuade Reno to leave Joe to the lynch mob, even offering him $10,000 to walk away. They claim unless Joe is "taken care of" right away a war with the local Indians might ensue, risking their lives and property, but Reno is unconvinced.

As tensions flair further, and as Yates becomes increasingly desperate to see Joe dead, Reno takes a stand in the office of Sheriff Hodges (Lon Chaney Jr.) with help from an old lover, Nona Williams (Jane Russell), a former prostitute now proprietor of the local saloon.

Despite its modest (though in the end quite adequate) budget and roster of aging talent, Johnny Reno is actually a neat little Western, with a nicely understated if familiar undercurrent dealing with vigilantism and racism. Rare among cheap Westerns, the major characters and even a few minor ones are fleshed out and interesting. Actors like Chaney and Agar have more to do here than in the cheap science fiction and horror movies they had been doing the previous decade. Chaney especially, in one of his last speaking roles and certainly one of his last of any substance, shines as a weak-willed sheriff (not unlike the one he played in High Noon) who first bends to the will of the mob but slowly, realistically gets some of his self-esteem back working with Reno.

Similarly, a romance between Andrews and Russell somewhat acknowledges their ages, and gives them an admirably detailed backstory. Lovers in Kansas City, their romance soured when she helped her brother escape from jail. She thought him innocent, but he turned out to be a killer, and Reno resented her for trusting him. "You in your halo, me in my pretty red garters," Nona says sarcastically. Much of this is reflected in the events in Stone Junction, where things aren't all they appear, either - a nice touch.

R.G. Springsteen, formerly associated with B-Western film series like "Red Ryder" and later a prolific TV Westerns director, handles the action efficiently, though one saloon brawl is seriously marred by the obvious use of doubles.

Video & Audio

All of the Lyles/Paramount Westerns of this era were filmed in cost-cutting Techniscope, and Paramount's DVD is a clean and sharp rendering of the film's original theatrical aspect ratio, and 16:9 enhanced for widescreen TVs. The color is very mid-'60s, but bright and accurate. The mono sound likewise serves its function. Optional subtitles are available in English only, and there are no Extra Features, not even a trailer.

Parting Thoughts

Johnny Reno is resolutely unpretentious, "a chronicle," says the film's opening title crawl, "of but two days in [Reno's] two-fisted fight to establish truth and justice." It delivers the goods and then some, and is notably better than its reputation would suggest.

Stuart Galbraith IV is a Los Angeles and Kyoto-based film historian whose work includes The Emperor and the Wolf -- The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune. His new book, Cinema Nippon will be published by Taschen in 2005.