Aces and Eights

Poker fans will recognise the title immediately - the infamous "dead man's hand", held by Wild Bill Hickock as he was shot in the back and killed by gambler Jack McCall on the night of 2 August 1876 in Deadwood City. It's an incident that's been immortalised many times on celluloid, and mostly in better movies than this one. Here, the estimable Tim McCoy (who actually knew the west) is fine as Gentleman Tim Madigan, a gambler trying to clear himself of murder. McCoy may defeat the villains, but not the programme-filler plot and slim production values of this run-of-the-mill western. Still, for cowboy film aficionados it's a real touch of sagebrush authenticity.