Sinister Journey

"Sinister Journey" is one of the last Hopalong Cassidy films. However, despite there being more than five dozen before it, the story is original and is well worth seeing. I appreciate this because MOST B-westerns have 2 or 3 basic plots...and this one doesn't fit into any of them.

When the story begins, Hoppy helps a young couple. It seems that someone deliberately contaminated their well with loco weed...and Hoppy's quick thinking helped the wife feel much better. Then you learn that the husband, Lee, is NOT exactly the local railroad owner's pal, as Lee ran off with his daughter against her father's wishes. They seem happy enough and it looks like Hoppy has made a couple friends.

Soon after this, Hoppy goes to see the father-in-law, Tom Smith. As you'd expect, they know each other and are long-time friends...but Smith insists that Lee is a jerk and he's not about to forgive and forget. Into this animosity lurks a stranger...one who will exploit this animus for his own awful reasons. Soon, Smith is murdered and Lee is set up for the killing....and it's all part of this awful plan. What is the plan and why and who is behind it? See the film.

This film has a lot of false leads and surprises...nearly earning it an 8. Well worth seeing, and if you want to see it, try YouTube as they have the most pristine and well preserved prints--not the trimmed down TV versions of the 1950s.

An odd title as there's no real journey involved, but pretty decent production values, and a not too shabby plot, would have been even better had Boyd wore his traditional black 'Hoppy' outfit, or at least worn his guns, seems almost as if Boyd was trying to give Hoppy a different image, which of course was completely unnecessary. Sadly, the Hoppy movies were nearing the end of the trail!

Engrossing western with mystery elements finds Hopalong and co. getting involved in intrigue at the railway. Love the trains, makes it a unique setting. Though there isn't much action, the plot is tight and draws you in and keeps you watching.

I have been watching all the Hoppy movies on the Western Channel for over a year and from what I saw and what critics have said is that the ones made from 1935 to about 1942 were the best ones and from that point they started to go downhill and the ones produced by William Boyd which this one was were the poorest in quality. Well I cannot agree as this one was certainly one of the best ones ever. It had to do with problems at a railroad co. and there were plenty of scenes of trains and they did not look like stock footage and the plot was not boring. I enjoyed this Hoppy movie and I recommend it.

For some reason William Boyd decided not to wear his six guns for this film Sinister Journey. It made for a rather actionless climax something Hopalong Cassidy fans are not used to.

This film has Hoppy and his sidekicks Rand Brooks and Andy Clyde answer a call from Hoppy's old friend Stanley Andrews a railroad Vice President. Things are going wrong on his railroad construction gang and he thinks the culprit is his own son-in-law John Kellogg who ran away with his daughter Elaine Riley. Kellogg he thinks is a fortune hunter.

Hoppy, Lucky, and California all met Kellogg and Riley before getting to camp and Hoppy formed a good opinion of him. Good enough that it withstood the revelation of Kellogg's prison time.

There is in fact a plot against Andrews and his family, one very carefully conceived and nearly brought off. And isn't Kellogg who Andrews should have been concerned about.

More plot than most Hoppy films, but a lot less action.