Tim Holt stars in this RKO western. Holt was an unusual cowboy star from his era because he was kind of small, didn't sing and just didn't look the part of a tough cowboy. Now this does not mean that he wasn't good in these roles—it's just that he bore no resemblance to John Wayne, Roy Rogers or the other leading cowboys of the day.
The beginning of "Wagon Train" starts very poorly—with one of the worst clichés in films. Instead of letting the viewer realistically learn Holt's back story, it begins with two guys talking—and one of them tells about Holt and the entire set up for the plot!! No one in real life talks this way and it was very sloppily written. According to this exposition, when Holt's character was a child, his father was knifed to death and to this day, the son has sworn revenge if he ever can discover who the killer is. Then, throughout the rest of the film, a villain plots against the wagon train and wouldn't you know it---it turns out HE is the murderer that knifed the old man! It's a shame, as without the silly exposition and the obviousness of the villain, it was a pretty good B-movie—much more realistically acted than a typical western B. But, I just cannot cut the film much slack when it comes to bad writing.
The beginning of "Wagon Train" starts very poorly—with one of the worst clichés in films. Instead of letting the viewer realistically learn Holt's back story, it begins with two guys talking—and one of them tells about Holt and the entire set up for the plot!! No one in real life talks this way and it was very sloppily written. According to this exposition, when Holt's character was a child, his father was knifed to death and to this day, the son has sworn revenge if he ever can discover who the killer is. Then, throughout the rest of the film, a villain plots against the wagon train and wouldn't you know it---it turns out HE is the murderer that knifed the old man! It's a shame, as without the silly exposition and the obviousness of the villain, it was a pretty good B-movie—much more realistically acted than a typical western B. But, I just cannot cut the film much slack when it comes to bad writing.