It's 1874 and the union army has finally withdrawn from its occupation of former-Confederate state Texas. But this leaves the area open to a horde of ruthless bandits who operate in open defiance of all law enforcement. The storied Texas Rangers have been hastily reorganized to attempt to bring law & order back to the Lone Star State. But Sam Bass (William Bishop) has assembled an all-star roster of notorious outlaws that the upstart Rangers are unable to cope with. His gang of cutthroats consists of legends like The Sundance Kid (Ian MacDonald), Butch Cassidy (John Doucette), John Wesley Hardin (John Dehner), Duke Fisher (Jock Mahoney), Dave Rudabaugh (Douglas Kennedy), and more! During a brazen bank robbery, Gale Storm's newspaperman father is killed but The Sundance Kid makes an escape by betraying two of his cronies - they are Johnny Carver (George Montgomery) and Buff Smith (Noah Beery Jr). Leader of the Rangers John Jones (John Litel) realizes that traditional law enforcement tactics simply will not work against this super-gang, so he recruits the two spurned outlaws who were betrayed by The Sundance Kid and offers them freedom if they help hunt down Bass and his men. This disgusts Gale Storm who now runs her deceased father's newspaper and she publishes the entire scandal, predicting the convicts cannot be trusted and also threatening the whole operation - but indeed it isn't long before Johnny Carver seemingly deserts the Rangers and joins back up with Bass and his band of no-goods. They don't trust him, but can't resist when he tells them of a 1 million dollar shipment on an incoming train he is keen to join them on a heist for. Has Carver really returned to his outlaw ways, or does he have something else up his sleeve?

A terrific cast of great western veterans, such as John Dehner, Ian McDonald, Douglas Kennedy, Noah Beery, Jock Mahoney, Myron Healey, just to name just a few, are on hand here to elevate this picture FAR above it's B-Western branding. Director Phil Karlson was known for his fast-paced action-filled westerns that moved like lightning, and this one doesn't disappoint! George Montgomery, usually known for his downbeat and subdued style, is more animated here than usual and this is one of Montgomery's best westerns that is filled to the brim with action, and thanks to the smart directing of Karlson, nothing is slowed down by the token love story involving Gale Storm. The character of Major John B. Jones, who heads the rangers, is based on a real person of the same name who is credited with capturing the notorious real-life outlaw Sam Bass. The other outlaws, too, are real-life historical figures John Westley Hardin, Duke (King, actually) Fisher, Dave Rudabaugh, and of course Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In contrast, bank robbers Buffy Smith (Noah Beery, Jr.) and Johnny Carver(George Montgomery)are purely fictitious names. Sadly also, even though we have whole roster of real life historical figures, their fates are certainly in now way accurate and are pure Hollywood creations. I do have to point out two standout performances - the first being William Bishop as Sam Bass. He is the best sort of villain - elegant and gentlemanly, but also a deadly killer and no one's fool. The second is that of Jerome Courtland playing Montgomery's younger brother who has an extremely touching death scene. Shoot em ups and punch-outs a plenty here - not one to be missed for fans of the western genre!