Audie Murphy heads the cast of the better-than-usual oater Ride a Crooked Trail. It all begins when gunslinger Joe Maybe (Murphy) is mistaken for a famed U.S. marshal. This wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact that Joe has already drawn up plans to rob the town's bank with his cohort Sam Teeler (Henry Silva). The dilemma deepens when Joe falls in love with Teeler's ex-girlfriend, Tessa Milotte (Gia Scala), and begins entertaining notions of reforming. A youthful Walter Matthau steals the show as boozy, braggadocio Judge Kyle.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide