Taggart [1964] [DVD]

Based on a novel by that great storyteller Louis L'Amour, this modest western was a perfect vehicle for RG Springsteen, a tireless director who made dozens of low-budget westerns for Republic between 1945 and 1957. Here, Dan Duryea holds sway as the hired gunslinger out to kill Tony Young for his part in a land feud, but Dick Foran as a miner and Elsa Cardenas as his opportunistic wife also turn in decent performances. Undaunted by the amount of incident he has to pack into the brief running time, Springsteen takes the action at a steady clip and still finds time to flesh out his lowlife characters.