Justiça Selvagem

Many of these 30s low budget westerns start with the "hero wrongly accused of a crime" premise, finally discovering, catching up with and gunning down the real killer; but this one is clearly not only the best 'Lone Star' western, but is, in fact, an enjoyable, well made film, with themes, photography, locations, and stunt work you won't find in hundreds of other 'oaters.'

You'll find at least four different versions out, from the discount b/w (the VINA and who knows how many other $2.00 single film DVD copies; the Platinum "Great American Western" Volume 35 version -- which at least has three other westerns on one DVD) to the new colorized versions, including the excellent digitally restored 23-minute Sterling version with a new, modernized soundtrack -- which just zooms by). There's a reason for all this -- it's a landmark film!

Basically, the theme is not far from the mythic: the good guy (John Wayne) befriends the man who put him in prison (Lane Chandler with equal screen time), and helps him redeem himself. You get underwater photography of John Wayne escaping the sheriff; the zoom in shot of the Sheriff beside the wanted posters of Conlon and Brant, fading into a shot of them facing each other; the extensive location shots of Bronson Canyon and the Bronson 'Cave,' which has been seen in dozens of serial, western, horror and SF films (including the 1956 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers') that show all three entrances, as well as how to get up to the Canyon; the unbelievable stunt work by Yakima Canutt, including leaping up on a hitching post and over a horse to land on another horse, flying and running horse mounts; and the great acting of John Wayne -- I'm not kidding! Kudos to the director and screen writer!

A great introduction to, and high watermark of, 1930s westerns!

An American Western; A young man was sentenced for a murder he did not commit, but he escapes from prison determined to find the real killer. Joining an outlaw gang hiding out in an abandoned mine, he attempts to disrupt the outlaw gang's robberies and comes closer to finding his man. This feature, with a shorter running time, establishes character and plot effectively. But, the actors gave uninterested performances, and it has a thin storyline. The action sequences are impressive and the stunts are first rate. The sound design is impactful with scenes of thundering hooves and realistic gunfire report.

In the 1930s before he made it big with Stagecoach, John Wayne made a lot of low-budget B westerns. Most are entirely forgettable and some are even terrible. But the one constant in all of them was Duke's wonderful screen presence. This is one of those westerns. The plot's about an escaped convict (Wayne) who heads out west to prove his innocence by finding the man who really committed the crime he was convicted of. There's some surprisingly good stunt work in this, some of it by Duke himself. I also liked some of the twists the plot takes that keeps it from being a standard black hat vs white hat horse opera. Very good of its type.

It was in films like Sagebrush Trail that John Wayne learned his craft, but thank the Deity he got out of doing stuff like Sagebrush Trail.

The Duke has busted loose from jail, he was in the calaboose for a murder he didn't commit. He eludes a posse chasing him, but gets into the clutches of an outlaw gang headed by Yakima Canutt. It's as good a place as any to look for the man who can clear him. He doesn't realize though how lucky he got.

Now granted this was a Lone Star production, not even a B film. But I would have liked to have seen just how Wayne got into the jackpot that landed him jail for murdering the lover of a married woman if he wasn't involved with her. When we do find who the murderer is that's never explained to us.

Since this was for the afternoon kiddie matinée crowd maybe such things weren't delved into even before the Code came in place. Maybe it was a question of sloppy editing also.

I think John Wayne's most devoted fans might like this one, I really wouldn't recommend to others, even other western fans.

Great stunt when Wayne, concealed in a camouflaged niche in the road, grabs onto the axle as the buckboard passes over him. Looks like a Canutt engineered trick and looks also like it's Wayne and not a double that executes it. Then too, the wheel spacing has to be perfect otherwise it's road-kill for a young superstar—he really earned his money in those early days.

The movie belongs to Lane Chandler almost as much as Wayne. Together, they're a youthfully exciting team, but my guess is that they were too much alike to stay partnered. So eventually, along comes old coot Gabby Hayes and the screen gets one of its really great all- time pairings.

Pretty good story from writer Lindsley Parsons, his first screen credit, who later became a prolific producer of B-films. Over time he scripted a number of Wayne oaters with plots generally more involved than most. This one involves Wayne infiltrating gang of robbers to clear himself of a murder charge. There're several nifty episodes-- Wayne hiding out underwater as a menacing boot almost steps on him, the script making him a cook (of all things) for the gang. Note too, the opening scene of Wayne dodging railway dicks after hobo-ing it into town—I expect that resonated with 1933 audiences when half the country was riding the rails.

Some good hard riding and a spectacular crash. Too bad, however, that producer Malvern couldn't get the boys up to Lone Pine for that marvelous Sierra scenery. Instead they get to race around the scrublands of greater LA, not nearly as much fun. Note the frequent use of the Bronson Canyon cave for entrance to the gang's hideout. Despite appearances, it's only a few miles from downtown LA and the studios, and was thus a favorite for tight-budget productions, especially sci-fi from the 50's. Also in passing—this is Nancy Shubert's only screen credit, unusual for a leading lady. I wonder what her story was.

Anyhow, it's a fun trip down memory lane for us geezers and for those younger folks who appreciate action done by real people instead of blue screens and digital computers.