This is a typically excellent George O'Brien western from RKO -- he made just shy of twenty of them from 1937 through 1940. Although a B picture, you'd never guess it, thanks in no small part to DP Harry Wild's camera-work -- his two-shots are like portraits, there are some nice Dutch angles and he manages to fit some nice traveling shots into the budget.
The story, about how lawyer O'Brien comes to town and takes on the vigilantes has some serious things to say, but they are reserved for the subtext. The story is so good it was remade a couple of years later as PIRATES OF THE PRAIRIE with Tim Holt.
If you think that B westerns are brainless shoot-em-ups shot on six-day schedules, this one can make a good corrective to the image.
The story, about how lawyer O'Brien comes to town and takes on the vigilantes has some serious things to say, but they are reserved for the subtext. The story is so good it was remade a couple of years later as PIRATES OF THE PRAIRIE with Tim Holt.
If you think that B westerns are brainless shoot-em-ups shot on six-day schedules, this one can make a good corrective to the image.