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Rage at Dawn

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6.1/10 • 26

1955-03-261h 27m

ActionWestern

SHOWDOWN AT SUNUP!

In this film's version of the story, four of the Reno Brothers are corrupt robbers and killers while a fifth, Clint is a respected Indiana farmer. A sister, Laura, who has inherited the family home, serves the outlaw brothers as a housekeeper and cook. One brother is killed when they go after a bank, the men of the town appear to have been waiting for them…

Directors
Tim Whelan
Editors
Harry Marker

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Randolph Scott

    Randolph Scott

    James Barlow

  2. Forrest Tucker

    Forrest Tucker

    Frank Reno

  3. Mala Powers

    Mala Powers

    Laura Reno

  4. J. Carrol Naish

    J. Carrol Naish

    Simeon 'Sim' Reno

  5. Edgar Buchanan

    Edgar Buchanan

    Judge

  6. Myron Healey

    Myron Healey

    John Reno

  7. Denver Pyle

    Denver Pyle

    Clint Reno

  8. Kenneth Tobey

    Kenneth Tobey

    Monk Claxton

  9. Howard Petrie

    Howard Petrie

    Lattimore

Reviews1

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Aug 28, 2017

7/10

Would it have made a difference knowing what I really am? This is the true story of the Reno brothers....Clint, a respected farmer, and Frank, Simeon, John, and Bill...who were the first train robbers in American history. Looting, burning and killing, this infamous clan rode through the middle border states setting the pattern for the great outlaw bands which were to follow: the James boys, the Daltons and the Youngers. The Year 1866, the place is Southern Indiana. Well not quite Indiana exactly as the film was shot on location at Columbia State Historic Park, and apparently some Western purists see this as a blip on the movies Western worth! (hmm) I don't conspire to that at all since what I want from a B Western such as this is a lush Western feel, with identifiable good and bad guys. I feel that director Tim Whelan achieves the latter and his cinematographer Ray Rennahan achieves the former. Rage At Dawn does have a sense of seen it all before about it, but that's not in detriment to it because it's possibly a picture that has been copied more than it has copied from others before it. It's nice to have a real solid Western using a proper and reliable story to work from. While using top professional actors like Forrest Tucker and J. Carrol Naish to be bad fellas obviously helps the piece; as does having the genre legend that is Randolph Scott as your ebullient good guy. Scott fans who haven't seen the picture should be advised, tho, that he isn't actually in the film for the first third. But as always he's worth the wait and it's clever of Whelan to keep us waiting whilst fully forming the Reno legend. With some nicely staged set pieces (the train scenes are well worth our time) and a fabulously dark turn of events in the finale that goes against the grain (shadow play supreme at work), this becomes a genre film well worth taking a peek at. 7/10 Footnote: DVD/Public Domain prints of the film are low on quality and do not do justice to the location and costuming. The best print I have seen of this film was on Commercial British TV. Caution is advised on where you source the film from.

Media

  • Rage at Dawn poster
  • Rage at Dawn poster
  • Rage at Dawn poster
  • Rage at Dawn poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
indiana, usatrain robbery