"A man can cross over anytime he has the mind."
Budd Boetticher closed out his Ranown cycle with Comanche Station (1960), another chamber Western starring Randolph Scott. It's entertaining, but lacks the kick of Boetticher's best work.Jefferson Cody (Randolph Scott) frees Nancy Lowe (Nancy Gates) from Comanche Indians. On their return, Cody and Nancy encounter three outlaws led by Ben Lane (Claude Akins) who reveal that Nancy's husband put a $5,000 bounty for her rescue. Nancy grows to distrust Cody, while oblivious to Ben's scheming. He plots to kill Cody and bring Nancy back, even if it means killing her too. Traveling through the desert towards Lordsburg, it's unclear whether the Comanches or outlaws are deadlier.
After curtain-raising Indian mischief (with Comanches inexplicably sporting Mohawks), Comanche Station settles into a typical Boetticher Western. Screenwriter Burt Kennedy sketches conflicts between inscrutable Cody (motivated by his wife's fate), feisty Nancy and scheming Ben; Ben's henchmen (Skip Homeier and Richard Rust), resentful of their domineering leader, add another dimension of conflict. Trouble is, it doesn't click: this time, Boetticher's economy wears characters thin, with Indian peril spicing up the procedings.
Storywise Comanche Station isn't much, but Boetticher's efficient direction redeems it. The movie makes the most of striking settings, especially the lunar Alabama Hills rock-scape. There are two set piece Indian fights, including a nifty chase where Jeff socks a Comanche with a thrown saddle! Things stop a few times for Kennedy's terse dialogue, especially a gem where Ben baits Jeff in a reprise of Seven Men from Now. There is, however, an obnoxious score by Mischa Bakaleinikoff that nearly overwhelms the final showdown.
Randolph Scott is tough and taciturn as ever, whether bartering with Indians or facing down Ben. Nancy Gates is an appealing match, resolute even when ridiculed (she spends one shootout hiding in a water trough). Claude Akins plays yet another greasy villain; Skip Homeier and Richard Rust round out the main cast, with Rust getting a modest character arc towards redemption
Budd Boetticher excelled at elevating programmer plots to low-key art. Comanche Station is far less accomplished than Ride Lonesome or Seven Men from Now, a competently made but uninspired diversion.
