BY DOUG OSWALD

Three teenage boys discover a gunshot outlaw and nurse him back to health in “The Spikes Gang,” a 1974 western directed by Richard Fleischer available for the first time on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber. Lee Marvin plays Harry Spikes, an outlaw who inspires Gary Grimes, Ron Howard and Charles Martin Smith to join him as outlaws. Harry is calm, cool and calculating, endearing himself to the boys who have romanticized his life as an outlaw.

Will (Grimes), Les (Howard) and Tod (Smith) are farm boys seeking excitement and adventure and find it in Harry who recovers from his wounds with the boy’s help. The three boys are bored with the farm life as well as the harsh treatment they receive from their parents. Harry offers the boys a reward for helping him, but they turn him down instead asking to join Harry who declines their offer. The boys, determined to get away from their life as farmers, depart on what they believe will be a life as successful outlaws. They attempt a bank robbery in the first town they arrive, but things go terribly wrong as they end up killing a man.

Now wanted outlaws with no money or food, the boys flee to Mexico where they find menial work cleaning and washing dishes. Life on the run is dusty, dirty and bleak and the boys bump into Harry who takes pity on the boys who want to join him. He feeds them, buys them new clothes, gives them money and says goodbye. The boys press their request and Harry relents. He puts them through a sort of outlaw training camp and is impressed with the boys shooting skills and ability to follow instructions. When they ask Harry if they will rob the town’s bank, he states that his money is in that bank. They plan their robbery across the border back in the U.S. However, tragedy intervenes, leading to unexpected deaths and Will’s confrontation with Harry, the man he had idolized.

Grimes, Howard and Tod are very good as the misguided boys seeking adventure only to find death and betrayal. They give performances full of hope for the adventure that never happens in this gritty and realistic western. Lee Marvin is very likable and easy going as Harry Spikes and although I wanted the boys to find adventure with him, he’s like a scorpion. His true nature as a ruthless outlaw is what drives him, not loyalty, friendship. or helping three farm boys find their vision as romantic outlaws. The boys want a safe adventure with money and success, but that only happens in the dime novels and newspaper stories they probably read.

Based on the novel “The Bank Robbers” by Giles Tippette, the screenplay was written by Irvin Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. who collaborated on several movies together including “The Long, Hot Summer,” “Hud,” “Hombre,” “The Reivers,” “The Cowboys,” “The Carey Treatment,” “Conrack” and “Norma Rae.” The story reminded me a bit of “The Cowboys,” if only because of the surface similarity in both stories of an experienced man leading boys to become men. In this case the wrong kind of man.

The music by Fred Karlin is familiar as it resembles a few of the cues from his work on “Westworld” which was released the year before in 1973. The score doesn’t quite work in this movie and is a little too cheerful. What does work is the cinematography by Brian West, emphasizing the bleak dusty landscapes as he did in the Australian classic “Wake in Fright.” Richard Flescher’s direction is top notch, emphasizing Harry’s charm and charisma with a brilliant performance by Lee Marvin.

The United Artist release was co-produced by Walter Mirisch and also features Arthur Hunnicutt and Noah Beery Jr. There’s also a credited performance by Robert Beatty (Carnaby in “Where Eagles Dare”) as the sheriff, but his scenes were obviously deleted from the final cut, a not uncommon occurrence that actors have to face. The picture looks good and plays very well on the small screen, clocking in at a brisk 96 minutes. The only bonus feature on the disc is the trailer for this and two other movies. Whether you’re a fan of Lee Marvin, Richard Fleischer or revisionist 1970s westerns, this movie is well worth a look.

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