3 Bad Men (1926)

When a trio of bandits (Tom Santschi, J. Farrell MacDonald, Frank Campeau) discover a young woman (Olive Borden) whose father was murdered by a ruthless gang, they go from being outlaws to comrades in chivalry. Based on the novel OVER THE BORDER and directed by John Ford (STAGECOACH). An amiable good natured western that many consider one of Ford's best silent films. The three outlaws aren't saints, they're wanted by the law in several states and they intend to kill Borden and steal her horses when they think she's a man and only spare her because she's a girl. But the film's theme is their redemption as they go from hard drinking bandits to surrogate fathers protecting the girl. The film is free of some of the faults of Ford's later westerns (Victor MacLaglen, barroom brawls, overdoing the Irishness) and I quite enjoyed it. The transfer I saw I a nice newly composed score by Dana Kaproff. With the likable George O'Brien as Borden's romantic interest, Lou Tellegen and Priscilla Bonner.