I've seen a few other George O'Brien Westerns which were pretty good, but I still don't understand his appeal as a leading man. He doesn't really look the part, and in this story, he starts out as a prisoner released on parole for a bank robbery that ultimately resulted in his father's suicide, or so the investigation found. You have to know there's more to it, and Larry Rhodes (O'Brien) is determined to find out what. This one is kind of interesting for a number of reasons. For one thing, Earl Hodgins and Chill Wills, usually cast as comedic characters, are here as a crooked sheriff and his deputy in the pocket of rancher Tom Marsh (Fred Kohler). Interesting too because Marsh's son is portrayed by Kohler's real-life son, Fred Kohler Jr. The girl left behind by Rhodes when he went to prison happens to be the ward of the senior Marsh, although it's not made clear why. It's merely a convenient plot point to ensure that Norma Sutton (Kay Sutton) marries Jeff Marsh. Rhodes has other ideas about that too, but gee, wasn't that one awkward kiss that Larry greeted Norma with? It looked like neither one was all that sure about their relationship.
The turning point for this story had to do with the purported gun used by Larry's father to commit suicide. Turns out he couldn't have done it with a disabled weapon! You have to wonder why Sheriff Hampton (Hodgins) didn't realize that when he did his so-called investigation, and why he turned it over to Rhodes in the first place, if he wanted the cover up to continue. That being the murder of Rhodes' father by Tom Marsh and the robbery of the bank that netted him and junior a cool fifty grand. Obviously, these players were not Mensa candidates. With everything cleared up all nice and tidy, Larry Rhodes and gal Norma finally hook up for good, just as George O'Brien's character did in three other Westerns I've seen him in - "The Dude Ranger", "When a Man's a Man", and "The Cowboy Millionaire". I thought all three were better than this one, so if you can get your hands on any of those, they're worth a look.
The turning point for this story had to do with the purported gun used by Larry's father to commit suicide. Turns out he couldn't have done it with a disabled weapon! You have to wonder why Sheriff Hampton (Hodgins) didn't realize that when he did his so-called investigation, and why he turned it over to Rhodes in the first place, if he wanted the cover up to continue. That being the murder of Rhodes' father by Tom Marsh and the robbery of the bank that netted him and junior a cool fifty grand. Obviously, these players were not Mensa candidates. With everything cleared up all nice and tidy, Larry Rhodes and gal Norma finally hook up for good, just as George O'Brien's character did in three other Westerns I've seen him in - "The Dude Ranger", "When a Man's a Man", and "The Cowboy Millionaire". I thought all three were better than this one, so if you can get your hands on any of those, they're worth a look.