Ride a Crooked Trail (1958): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1958, Ride a Crooked Trail is a romance and western film directed by Jesse Hibbs, running about 88 minutes. “Alone . . . he faced the deadly crossfire of a killer mob . . . and a fear-crazed town!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. After robbing a bank Murphy assumes the identity of his pursuer, a famous US Marshal, when he stumbles into a town and is confronted by the local judge, Matthau. Murphy is forced to remain as the new Marshal; an old flame, Scala, nearly unmasks him by accident, only to be forced to assume the ruse of being Murphy's wife. The "couple" given a house and respectability, which neither has had before. They maintain the charade to avoid hurting a young orphan boy, Matthau's ward. Scala is torn by her loyalty to boyfriend planning to rob the bank and growing feelings for Murphy

Who’s in it. Ride a Crooked Trail stars Audie Murphy as Joe Maybe, Gia Scala as Tessa Milotte, Walter Matthau as Judge Kyle and Henry Silva as Sam Teeler, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.4/10, Ride a Crooked Trail has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Ride a Crooked Trail page.

If you liked it. Fans of Ride a Crooked Trail tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Your Name., Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Cinema Paradiso.