Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Thehibikiew Not even bad in a good way

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

JohnHowardReid Robert Barrat (Sheriff Bill Cummings), Noah Beery, Jr. (Chick Lyman), Guinn "Big Boy" Williams (Billy Sweet), Andy Clyde (Henry Cluff), Paul Hurst (Dogface), Robert Coote (Eaton), Addison Richards (Raeburn), Douglas Walton (Mulford), Francis Ford (Charlie Garth), Francis McDonald (Lopez), Carlyle Moore, Jr. (cavalry lieutenant), Billy Wilkerson (Indian).Director: LEW LANDERS. Story and screenplay: Clarence Upson Young. Photography: Frank Redman. Film editor: George Hively. Art directors: Van Nest Polglase and Feild Gray. Music: Roy Webb. Music director: Constantin Bakaleinikoff. Assistant director: Sam Ruman. Sound recording: Earl A. Wolcott. RCA Sound System. Production supervisor: Lee Marcus. Producer: Robert Sisk. Copyright 11 August 1939 by RKO-Radio Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Rialto: 8 August 1939. U.S. release: 11 August 1939. Australian release: November 1939. 70 minutes. SYNOPSIS: A posse is trapped in the mountains by Apache Indians.COMMENT: The dramatic idea of isolating a varied assortment of characters in a perilous, life-or-death situation is not exactly new, but it is given a vigorous work-out here in this highly-charged western, enacted by a fine cast of veteran players led by Robert Barrat. The direction by Lew Landers is also surprisingly taut and together with Frank Redman's grippingly atmospheric photography magnificently manages to keep even a usually inattentive audience's eyes and ears firmly on the screen.

Leslie Howard Adams One would think that if a reviewer that knows the name and face of an actor in a film (when he is seen), then such reviewers would not go to great lengths in adding little tidbits about that actor, in their review, when that actor...John Payne...is not in the film. John Payne did not play "Apache Jack" in this film. That role was played by a one-and-done actor named Jack Payne. Perhaps those reviewers that pointed out the fabrication John Payne is in this film would go back and edit their reviews. But, the chances are very high that, rather than delete/correct their reviews, they will just mark this with a 'don't like'. Be my guest.

MartinHafer To say that "Bad Lands" is a remake of "The Lost Patrol" isn't exactly the case--it's more a case of a reworking of this earlier film. So many things have been changed (the location, the enemy, the discovery of silver, etc.) that it is worth seeing on its own. Oddly, however, I am not sure why I recorded it to watch later--but as long as I did, I decided to give it a try--mostly because I liked the no-name cast. Several of the actors (in particular, Robert Barrat) were very good supporting actors who never got a lot of fame--and it's nice to see him in a starring role. Plus, while it is a B-movie (with a low budget and relatively low production values), it has a more adult theme and style than the average B-western. As another reviewer put it, you won't find this theme in a Roy Rogers or Gene Autry film! A posse tracks a man who is accused of rape into the desert. Eventually they find an oasis where they strike camp. Soon, a couple in the party discover a huge bein of silver and they imagine great wealth. However, when someone steals their horses and then they are attacked, it looks like their find is in vain (vein....get it? Oh, never mind...it's not that funny). Can any of them escape with their lives...let alone claim the silver? While there are obvious similarities to "The Lost Patrol", one obvious improvement is in the characterizations. While John Ford was a genius director, in "The Lost Patrol" the characters (particularly the obviously insane Boris Karloff--who chewed scenery unmercifully in this film) were often far from subtle in their portrayals. While it's considered a minor classic, several reviewers (including myself) think it's aged poorly because of this. While lacking originality, at least "Bad Lands" does not have the cartoony characters the other film had. As a result, I actually preferred "Bad Lands"--as it offered more bang for the buck and excelled in its realistic portrayals--even if it is a tad slow.

guidon7 I watched Bad Lands on TCM during the wee hours this morning and was favorably impressed with this remake of 1934's The Lost Patrol, so like it in many ways, however this time in a Wild West setting.I found it enjoyable to watch many 30's & 40's villains play against type as heroes instead of their usual nasties. On the other hand Noah Beery, Jr. to my knowledge, played a bad guy for the only time in his film career. Noah was not the son of actor Wallace Beery, but of noted silent screen villain Noah Beery, Sr., Wallace's brother.Anyone notice that actor Douglas Walton played in both Lost Patrol and Bad Lands? In Patrol he was the first of Sgt. Victor McLaglen's troopers to die, while somehow in Bad Lands he managed to be the last of Sheriff Robert Barrat's posse to bite the dust. One might say this to have been poetic justice, I suppose.Oh yes, I wish to mention 6-footer John Payne,outrageously miscast as the Indian, Apache Jack. Let's face it: Geronimo he was not.