Richard Harris, who has appeared in quite a few westerns for being from across the Atlantic, tackles another role with gusto in this hard hitting 1973 film.
Harris is Kilpatrick, a pacifist sheriff in a Texas town. Brand (Rod Taylor) and his gang rob the bank, kill a few people, and get set to ride off with the loot. Kilpatrick blocks their departure with a system the town has rigged up so as not to kill anyone, just capture them. He does not believe in guns, and only shoots to injure and scare, not kill. Brand and the gang kill Kilpatrick's wife and child, and ride away, with the sheriff on their trail. He does not let that pesky Mexican border deter him either, as he rides on through and meets another lawman Gutierrez (Al Lettieri) who is also after Brand. Gutierrez's pacifism comes to annoy the viewer as well as Kilpatrick. The Mexican sheriff is insistent on letting justice prevail, always looking for witnesses, and never just going after and killing the bloodthirsty gang. Kilpatrick starts to find pacifism isn't an easy practice.
Despite the (PG) rating, this is one violent film. Once the viewer overcomes this, they are definitely in for a wild ride. Harris is great as the vengeful sheriff who will not die, and brings the same intensity to this that he showed in the "A Man Called Horse" series. Rod Taylor goes down in western film history as one of the meanest villains on celluloid. One great scene has him describe how he murdered his father, as even his jaded gang looks at him in horror. In the outlaw gang- William Smith, who seems to have been in everything and you will recognize him the minute you see him, does well as the seemingly mentally deficient Schoolboy. Neville Brand is good as Choo Choo, who earned that nickname because he has a section of rail where his hand was. Paul Benjamin is great as Jacob, a very intelligent man who uses his wits to outsmart the rest of the gang, but cannot get past how others feel about his skin color. As mentioned before, the cast is great except for the character of Gutierrez. Eventually, he became a thorn in the side of Kilpatrick and the audience. He never seemed to get what Kilpatrick was trying to do, and adhered so closely to the law that he became annoying. His final murderous act is more frustrating than noble.
Shear's direction is okay, once in a while I would notice the shadow of a camera in an outdoor scene. His decision to use still shots from the movie in the opening credits immediately confuses, and I am not sure why he did this. His actions scenes are good, with good stunt work, but again, be forewarned of the violence, especially directed toward children.
Despite an awkward title, "The Deadly Trackers" is good adult western fare that probably should have received more praise than it has- especially for Taylor and Harris. I highly recommend it.
