Seul contre tous

"Single-Handed Sanders" (1932) is a Tom Tyler "B" oater, with Robert Seiter (yes, brother of director William A. Seiter), Margaret Morris, John Elliott, Gordon De Main, Fred 'Snowflake' Toones, and others. Interesting to note that the only review on the IMDb considers this "incredibly bad" and rates it 1 star out of 10. I thought it a most enjoyable outing for this kind of film, edited to move very quickly, directed sharply, if sparely, rather sparse plot, though, somewhat hackneyed, but...the film is also incredibly - violent! A dog is purposefully shot to death, a horse is necessarily shot because it has broken legs from a dreadful stumble during a chase, and both men and women are gunned down mercilessly by a gang of four from a cattlemen's organization. In the opening scenes a man and his wife and child have their wagon fall over a steep-angled down course from the road they're on. It looks as if they die, too. They'd been chased by a guns-a-blazing gang behind them. The action is non-stop, with lots and lots of riding (as all these oaters typically have), and a number of fisticuffs occur. The fisticuffs are the amateur part: they look like several junior high bullies trying to engage in a fight with underdogs. Tyler never looks comfortable doing the fisticuff scenes in his films. Otherwise, he's a decent actor. Here he plays a blacksmith with a brother returning from the the east coast where he's been studying for years. This brother returns, becomes the new judge after the old one has been murdered, and soon becomes involved in the crooked politics of a crooked senator who's helping the cattlemen take over the rights to the town, especially the water rights. The senator is getting his cut, of course. Margaret Morris is the female both brothers are after.

Tyler is good in his part as the blacksmith, very good. The mise en scene for his smithy and the rest of the town in general is quite good. There is a very rural feeling that surely played well in the rural areas of the 30s. 'Snowflake' Toones is given the stereotypical black part here, but has a substantial rôle; too bad it's as a secondary human being! Margaret Morris isn't bad as Tom's main gal. The bad guys are also stereotypical for this kind of "B" outing, but Glenn Strange as their henchman leader is better than usual, the others less so. Good 5 to 6 stars out of 10. Worth the watch if you're a Tyler fan!