A Disappointing Continuation

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Okay, the plot needs a Rosetta Stone to unravel, while affections and alliances shift faster than wind-blown hay and are about that well-motivated. Top that with action that never leaves LA's San Fernando Valley, plus acting prowess that sort of comes and goes, and we're left with what amounts to a cinematic morass. And oh yes, shouldn't forget how everyone insists on marriage before playtime. Isn't that just what you'd expect from these hardened outlaw types, (thanks production code censors). Still, I've got to say, for what it's worth, that the narrative often avoids cliché. That is, people die that you don't expect, a girl has the lead even if it is non-girlish Ann Savage, while neither the Yankees, Confederates, nor Quantrills, are romanticized. Thus, despite the many muddy moments, there are points of interest scattered throughout. So, it seems to me that with a stylish director, an unburdened screenwriter, a bigger budget, and at least a 90-minute runtime, there's a pretty good epic western lurking somewhere in the Lippert shambles.(In passing—thanks johnboy1221, you confirmed my suspicions about the disappearing knife: what a tacky omission. Also, I may be seeing things, but those well-scrubbed close-ups of Savage at times resemble an unsmiling Marilyn Monroe, of all people. See what you think.)

For a good while into the film, it was a bit difficult to figure out what the main theme of the story would be. There was mention of Quantrill's Raiders, Indian Chief White Cloud who was out for revenge on the Shelby family, and a tease of a romance between Jean Shelby (Ann Savage) and Union Captain Fred Raymond (Alan Curtis). That last one managed to confuse me a bit; when Jean first saw Captain Raymond, it was with some recognition, although with regret he was in a Union uniform. Later on in the story though, she asked him his first name. I had to wonder why that was the case.Fundamentally, it's Miss Shelby's story and her attempt to seek out White Cloud (Chief Thunder Cloud) and avenge the death of her parents at his hands. Quantrill (Ray Corrigan) makes a brief appearance, but is conveniently done away with off screen so the rag-tag remnants of his gang, led by Jerry Long (Russell Wade), can join Shelby in her mission. To get the bunch to go along, Shelby offers to marry the man who has the 'most' to do with finding and capturing White Cloud. Another head scratcher - how was she going to determine that? Of course the writers knew they were never going to take it that far, thereby letting everybody off the hook. At least Bob Crandall (Edward Brophy) had the right perspective on the whole marriage thing. He wouldn't marry Jean even if he won because he thought too much of her. That was the most gallantry the film had to offer.The finale winds up being one of the oddest ones ever. White Cloud had already shot Jean once earlier in the picture, requiring some months for her to mend. In a rare event, the main female character takes a bullet one more time, this time a fatal one. But at least she managed to take down White Cloud as well, in a cross fire exchange that brought the Cherokee Chief to his own untimely end.

This is not really a western as much as it's a showcase for it's star, pretty Ann Savage, who does a credible job of acting.Unfortunately, she's the only real reason to watch this film.I knew this was a cheesy movie as soon as the renegade Indian threw his knife into her brother Bob's body, thereby killing him, and the knife just disappeared from sight. Jeez, a disappearing knife! Later, for whatever reason, the rebels start shooting one another, but the director shot the entire scene by focusing on their heads! Yeah, how weird is that? I guess that everyone died of fright, since no one obviously took a bullet. What kind of western is this, I thought? Even during the early days of westerns, the old programers showed people get shot or stabbed...and this film was made in 1946!!!! Then, our heroine stumbles into the woods, and faints under a tree....and stays there all night!!! What a renegade! The ending is just as truncated, and woundless, as the rest of the film....and extremely melodramatic. I was glad when it was over. I wasted a lot of my precious time watching this drivel. Don't you.

A Western with a semi-historical Civil War setting, "Renegade Girl" gets off to a fast start and has a good ending, although in between it slows down quite a bit. It has an interesting story and leading character.Ann Savage stars as Jean Shelby, a Confederate sympathizer in Missouri late in the Civil War. She and her family have been helping provide information to Quantrill's raiders, so the Union Army is trying to find the Shelbys, assisted by an outcast Indian who has his own grudge against the family. Things get complicated when Jean and Union Captain Fred Raymond fall in love with each other, raising difficult questions about their loyalties and futures.The film gets off to a pretty good start, with a lot of action that is mostly plausible, especially given the complex historical situation. It slows down then for quite a while, and starts to drag a bit. But it picks up towards the end, and the final sequence is pretty good, and not predictable. Savage does rather well in the lead, making her character mostly believable. Most of the other characters are routine (especially the Indians, portrayed in a very unfavorable light), aside from Edward Brophy as a gregarious member of Quantrill's gang.There's nothing spectacular here, but it's a decent film and should be worth watching either for fans of old Westerns or for those interested in movies about the Civil War era.