That's the pure Universal Studios western of this era, the forties, in the line of those westerns starring John Wayne in his early years and Marlene Dietrich - THE SPOILERS, PITTSBURG. I mean not open spaces westerns but rather town westerns, actually not the kind of John Ford's features. Don't expect to see in those forties Universal westerns the same kind of stuff the studio will give us a decade later with Jimmy Stewart or Audie Murphy's movies. That kind of "smooth" western makes me think of some Republic Studio kind too, which took place mostly in cabarets or saloons with of course always bad guys and gunfights, but with always a bit of comedy and burlesque. That said, I am surprised that no one has commented this film yet. It's very pleasing, entertaining; with a over the top Broderick - machine gun talking - Crawford. A terrific actor at his top here. A pure delight for western lovers. But I prefer the fifties; that's only a matter of taste. Enjoy.