An undercover cop story disguised as a Western. These stories always involve a hero that pretends to be a bad guy, becomes the best buddy of the ring leader, and then finds himself conflicted when comes to believe in some of the things the ring leader says and does. The Jayhawkers isn’t a particularly subtle example of this, but it’s an entertaining one nonetheless, with its own shades of gray. Director Melvin Frank was better known as a writer (he earned several Oscar nominations), but he makes a nice-looking VistaVision film, adequately building suspense and alternating outdoor action with the many indoor talking scenes. All in all, this cast and crew have pieced together a highly entertaining, old-fashioned Western, very much worth checking out. — Jeffrey M. Anderson