Dirtylogy
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
MartinHafer
Bob Steele is the star of this film, though it is interesting that he didn't appear until well into the film. And, when he does appear, his character is a confusing cypher. In fact, much of the film didn't make a lot of sense--sort of like the script was hastily re-written and all the plot elements didn't really fit together. It's a shame, as I really like a well made Bob Steele western.The film begins with one of the strangest bank robberies I've ever seen. Instead of just going in and stealing the money, the gang rides outside aimlessly shooting into the air. It seriously sounds like a hundred or more shots were just wasted before they even went inside and took the money. In the process of firing a bazillion shots, the marshall is killed. The town needs a lawman but no one is interested in the job. So, the first stranger that arrives in town, a grubby prospector, is given the badge. As for this new marshall, he's a very confusing character. Sometimes he's brave, sometimes he's a coward, sometimes he works well with Bob Steele when he arrives and sometimes he doesn't!As for Steele, he first appears as a wimpy city dude, Bob Marlow-- wearing a fashionable 1930s style suit, hat and glasses. However, through the course of the film, he changes clothes and suddenly is Bob Steele--fighting man of the west. I really think the film STARTED to do something different here with Steele seeming like a timid guy and I liked this...but soon this part of the story was abandoned and was clearly a missed opportunity.Now Marlow/Steele and the stupidly inconsistent marshall go in search of the folks behind the holdups and murder. It seems VERY obvious to everyone that the Toliver family is behind all this...but no one does anything or seems very concerned. One by one, Steele either shoots several Tolivers or just waits and lets them shoot each other. Oddly, I counted the Tolivers and even after several were shot and appeared dead, the number of men in the gang remained constant! So, in one case late in the film, a dozen Tolivers rob the bank. Several are shot...yet a dozen ride back to the hideout!Another bizarre and confusing twist is that the banker, the Colonel, is actually involved with the Toliver gang and the robbery was orchestrated to hide his malfeasance. Marlow realizes this and turns out to be a special marshall appointed by the governor...but does nothing about this. Huh?!Overall, I found the plot to be confusing, full of loose ends and filled with missed opportunities to make the film better. On the plus side, at least the fights were very athletic and Steele was known for packing a great punch despite his diminutive size. Not one of his better films by any stretch and only worth seeing if you are a die- hard Steele fan.
