The 1920 story "The Killer" by Steward Edward White told of a rancher with a mania for killing anything that crossed his path. Presumably based on a true story, it was made as a silent and then again in 1932 by Fox who used it for one of their series of George O'Brien westerns. A quality thriller in every way - screenplay was by Al Cohn who had crafted "The Cat and the Canary" and "The Last Warning". The director was David Howard who had been busy directing Spanish language versions of Fox movies including "The Big Trail" and "Charlie Chan Carries On".
Filming was done on location in Arizona (where the real deeds had taken place) and top marks go to Charles Middleton who has never been better (and that's saying something!!) as Henry Steele, the crazy rancher whose reign of terror has incited the State Rangers to send for trouble shooter Bob Sanborn (George O'Brien). The moody evocative lighting of cinematographer Joseph August makes for a spine tingling start as yet another rancher is strangled and strung up. A little later when Bob rescues Jane Emory (beautiful Cecilia Parker looking a lot like Joan Bennett) on a runaway horse Steele says "I was just scolding this chap" - the man is half dead through being flogged!!
At 57 minutes there is no wasted space - Bob accepts Steele's hospitality and is very soon made aware that Jane is in great danger and, in another unusual bit of casting, his sidekick is Artie (Forrester Harvey), a jaunty little cockney ex-jockey. There's plenty of riding action with O'Brien, and Parker is stunning but Middleton just commands all the attention. His clipped, precise tones reek menace whether to Jane when he informs her that they are to be married in the morning "I am doing the gentlemanly thing when I could just take"!! Or at the end "If you want to serve that warrant you will have to do it in Hell"!! To say nothing of the punishment he dishes out to Artie who has sneaked into town to tell Bob the secret plans - needless to say it includes being hog tied to a killer horse!! Also of note is the great Noble Johnson who plays Mudo, a mute Apache warrior devoted to Steele and as deadly as his master!!
Highly Recommended.
Filming was done on location in Arizona (where the real deeds had taken place) and top marks go to Charles Middleton who has never been better (and that's saying something!!) as Henry Steele, the crazy rancher whose reign of terror has incited the State Rangers to send for trouble shooter Bob Sanborn (George O'Brien). The moody evocative lighting of cinematographer Joseph August makes for a spine tingling start as yet another rancher is strangled and strung up. A little later when Bob rescues Jane Emory (beautiful Cecilia Parker looking a lot like Joan Bennett) on a runaway horse Steele says "I was just scolding this chap" - the man is half dead through being flogged!!
At 57 minutes there is no wasted space - Bob accepts Steele's hospitality and is very soon made aware that Jane is in great danger and, in another unusual bit of casting, his sidekick is Artie (Forrester Harvey), a jaunty little cockney ex-jockey. There's plenty of riding action with O'Brien, and Parker is stunning but Middleton just commands all the attention. His clipped, precise tones reek menace whether to Jane when he informs her that they are to be married in the morning "I am doing the gentlemanly thing when I could just take"!! Or at the end "If you want to serve that warrant you will have to do it in Hell"!! To say nothing of the punishment he dishes out to Artie who has sneaked into town to tell Bob the secret plans - needless to say it includes being hog tied to a killer horse!! Also of note is the great Noble Johnson who plays Mudo, a mute Apache warrior devoted to Steele and as deadly as his master!!
Highly Recommended.