This is the true story of the Reno brothers....Clint, a respected farmer, and Frank, Simeon, John, and Bill...who were the first train robbers in American history. Looting, burning and killing, this infamous clan rode through the middle border states setting the pattern for the great outlaw bands which were to follow: the James boys, the Daltons and the Youngers.
The Year 1866, the place is Southern Indiana.
Well not quite Indiana exactly as the film was shot on location at Columbia State Historic Park, and apparently some Western purists see this as a blip on the films Western worth!. I don't conspire to that at all, what i want from a Western is a lush Western feel, and i feel that director Tim Whelan and his cinematographer, Ray Rennahan, delivered a fine looking genre picture. Rage At Dawn does have a sense of seen it all before about it, but that's not in detriment to it because it's possibly a picture that has been copied more than it has copied from itself!. It's nice to have a real solid Western using a proper and reliable story to work from. Using top professional actors like Forrest Tucker and J. Carrol Naish as bad guys, obviously helps the piece, as does having the genre legend that is Randolph Scott as your ebullient good guy, tho Scott fans who haven't seen the picture should be advised he isn't introduced into proceedings till the second quarter. With some nicely staged set pieces (the train scenes are well worth our time) and a fabulously dark turn of events in the finale that go against the grain, make this a genre film worth taking a peek at. 7/10