Kansas Raiders

• Directed by Ray Enright
• November 15, 1950

Jesse James and his men come under the influence of William Quantrill and his pro-Confederate partisan guerrillas.

Of the long list of famous faces that Audie Murphy worked with in his acting career, Kansas Raiders adds Tony Curtis and James ‘Roscoe P. Coltrane’ Best. Curtis is a bit of an ill fit for a Western but Best with his accent is perfectly cast.

The portrayal of Quantrill has varied through Westerns. Depending on the time he can be portrayed as almost a hero but as time went on he became a villain-justifiably so. If you know anything about the man this straddles him being a dark figure but not necessarily a villainous individual.

This is a fictious (and mythmaking) account of the James Gang’s time with Quantrill’s Raiders. There are clear indications of the current view of Quantrill and what he did here mixed with the general Jesse James mythology. James is portrayed as misguided and enamored with the celebrity of Quantrill while the man himself is decidedly nicer than would indicate.

The character of Quantrill (Brian Donlevy) is braggadocious and borderline delusional. Perhaps even narcissistic. Yet not without a level of charm and personability that you can see why people would follow him. They present him as an honorable man but don’t shirk away from the bloodthirsty nature. But it’s all very neat and clean. There’s only so much of the sensors of the ‘50s would allow but it just needed to get a little harsher with him.

They try a bit of a character rehab at the end with Quantrill as they attempt him going out in a blaze of glory like a hero despite some despicable words and actions during the film. Let him die like a turd or as much of a turd as you can make him! Donlevy walks out with his chess puffed and a gun in each hand. Maybe it’s because it was filmed on a set but it’s not as epic as the clear intent was. It’s only okay. Then again, he also goes down quickly.

Murphy-as-James for his part is conveys the starstruck nature of a young man that has met a larger-than-life figure. James is a bit naïve to the point being almost innocent. You kinda question how THIS became the stuff of legend. Weirdly though his men are not as nearly or not starstruck at all. They seem downright antithetical to the man that they travelled so far to join up with.

It takes a little bit before we get any kind of action and that first bit of action is a knife fight between Jesse James and another guy with knives that would meet with the approval of Crocodile Dundee. I expected it to end with the two guys going their separate ways with an understanding but James actually killed a guy!

Kansas Raiders is hampered by its connection to reality yet clearly being fiction. Presenting for dramatic purposes while telling a mythmaking story limits what can be done. Marguerite Chapman plays the fictitious Kate Clarke whom I am assuming is a replacement for the real-life underage Sarah Katherine King. In contrast to King, Kate demonstrates little love for Quantrill and is hostile towards his supporters. An original creation is acceptable but the need to follow history elsewhere makes things clunky. You can tell Kate is made up for this movie.

This spans a decent amount of time. Some events get shown but a lot more happens off camera getting noted by narration or character dialogue such as Lee’s disownment of Quantrill. It’s a significant development and has all the impact of being tossed in. Maybe Quantrill’s history was much better known then but you can never assume the audience is always aware.

When it works Kansas Raiders really works. The action is good and there’s some fine dialogue in this. The bandana fight is an excellent moment and one I don’t know if I’ve seen in too many Westerns if any at all. Audie Murphy gives a fine performance and it is just interesting to see James Best in something other than The Dukes of Hazzard or his classic The Twilight Zone episode.

Kansas Raiders is a good movie. Maybe not great and not one of Murphy’s strongest but it’s a good movie. It needed more fiction and less reality but beyond that it’s good viewing for classic Western fans.