The Durango Kid

The Durango Kid (1940)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Bill Lowry (Charles Starrett) returns home only to have his father murdered. He turns into his alter ego The Durango Kid to try and find out who killed his father as well as who's behind terrorizing the local settlers. THE DURANGO KID is a pretty good "B" Western from Columbia that manages to keep you entertained throughout its 61-minute running time. As with most Westerns like this, one certainly shouldn't go in expecting the work of John Ford but for the most part I think fans of the low-budget genre should be entertained. A lot of credit must go to director Lambert Hillyer who manages to keep the film moving at a very good pace and there aren't any boring or dry moments, which certainly helps. I think there are some good gunfights throughout the picture and the final fight is a very good one. I also thought the lead character was one that had no trouble keeping one interesting in everything going on. Starrett certainly has no problem at being charming and I think he's good enough in the role to keep you involved. Kenneth MacDonald is also very good in the role of the villain while Luana Walters is cute as the love interest. The film certainly isn't Oscar-worthy but if you enjoy this type of Westerns then this here is worth watching.

This is the best edition of the "Durango Kid" series I have seen. Kenneth MacDonald is, as always, an excellent villain. It's nice not to have to put up with the antics of a dopey comic sidekick. The plot is good, but ignore the 1940s outfits on the women.

That's what they used to call westerns, buckaroos. I had never seen a " Durango Kid" movie before; that series of films pre-dates me, and I'm glad there is still something I'm too young for. I was impressed with Charles Starrett, the big, strapping actor who plays a dual role as a farm owner and The Kid, and who got stuck in the role as have many Hollywood stars stereotyped into playing the same roles over and over. Too bad, because he was a great presence on the screen and it seems he could have played other parts in other genres.

This picture is entertainment from another time and another era, before Americans lost their innocence to TV and became pseudo-sophisticated. The premise is hackneyed and the outcome predictable; bad guy wants to drive out settlers to own all their land, good guy comes to the rescue, etc. "The Kid" wears a bandanna over his mouth, but still looks so much like the hero that the other folks in the movie come off as very low IQ not to notice the resemblance, much like Clark Kent/Superman.

The genial, stalwart hero is opposed by a no-good bad guy, played by Kenneth McDonald, a very recognizable presence who must have played a thousand villains in his career. Anyone who has seen any '40's westerns can fill in the blanks regarding the outcome to the story. It's 60 minutes well-spent, especially for those of us who remember simpler times.

The Durango Kid is a sort of Robin Hood of the West who helps the lovely Walters, the daughter of a homesteader, defeat the evil MacDonald who has been terrorizing the decent citizens with his gang of rustlers and had killed his father.

There's no Smiley Burnette in this Durango kid, and the first one, and it's quite a fast-paced western with a really horrid villain in Kenneth MacDonald. He really drives this western - loved how Starrett's Bill character toys and plays with him. There some gun play, and some exciting moments. There's some singing from the Sons of Pioneers, but it doesn't interfere much with the plot or feel forced.