The Hellions

The Hellions is a great film and Richard Todd is very convincing. I have seen this film only once and that was about 30 years ago on British television. I too, have searched for a video but have been unable to find any although Posters do appear on ebay from time to time. Most people say it is a High Noon and in some respects it is similar as a lone lawman, in this case a South African Constable has to face the bad guys alone out of his personal sense of duty. It is dissimilar to High Noon in that the action is more spread out as a sequence of events. It is most similar to Firecreek which was made 7 years later and stars James Stewart and Henry Fonda and I think this was a copy of the Hellions script adapted as a Western. In Firecreek James Stewart plays a honorary sheriff of a small town of losers which becomes a place for the bad guys led by Henry Fonda to hold up in. Fonda leads a gang of gunmen who take part in Range Wars. So if you can't watch the Hellions get a copy of Firecreek.

Jeff Herbert

This film is being shown in England on the Talking Pictures TV channel this week. Not seen it as yet.....but I await.... eagerly!!

I have been searching for this movie for many years. I first saw it when it was originally released and was more than impressed. Somehow the casting director put together a group of actors who had 'the right chemistry' and the film turned out to be exceptionally good. For Western lovers all the right ingredients are there (except for the quick draw) and the film builds to a tense climax. I really want to see this movie again and would love to add it to my collection. Lionel Jeffries is brilliant as Luke Billings!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I recall seeing The Hellions on TV some 30 years ago (I think). It was like most of our Westerns, Hign Noon or My Darling Clementine best comes to mind. Yet it is different for it reminded me that there were other countries outside of the US that shared similar themes as our westerns. Richard Todd is good but a little wooden and unemotional. The brothers are weird but terrifying and so is Lionel Jefferies. The thing I recall with the greatest fondness are the opening lines of the theme song. "Here they come and may they soon be gone: Matthew, Jubal, Mark and Luke and John." Too bad the movie has not been shown for so long. Should be on DVD.

It is strange that most of the reviewers of this film who have given this a high score haven't seen it for over 30 years.If they get to watch it now they will be in for a shock.If it is a comedy western Richard Todd is in the wrong film.For some reason he allows the Hellions to humiliate him then disappears from the film till near the climax.Lionel Jeffrey's goes a bit over the top whilst James Booth seems to be rehearsing for his part in On The Double.Carry On Cowboy is a more authentic western and funnier.