The Bold Frontiersman (1948) User Reviews

The bold frontiersman

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 21 April 2023]

Smiling Jim is after the money Adam Post is collecting for a new reservoir. After Rocky breaks up his gang's attempted robbery. Jim steals the money himself, kills Harris, and gets the father and son to each believe the other did the killing. With Don confessing and scheduled to be hung, Rocky has a plan to trap Smiling Jim.

Rocky Lane film that's a little different as it isn't loaded with action or so Formula-driven. It's a bit darker ( tackling gambling addiction and hanging) and benefits from a menacing performance by Roy Barcroft as Smiling Jim. Barcroft's signature move in this one is to flip a coin while in a showdown. It's a bit slow and drags a little, but watchable enough.

"The Bold Frontiersman" Easily Ropes In Its Viewers

[glennstenb · 8/10 · 9 May 2022]

"The Bold Frontiersman" is a nearly meaningless title for a highly entertaining and well-mounted B-western from 1948, which was a year during an era in movie-making (1946-1953) that produced countless and often competent westerns with many leading stars. These stars include Alan "Rocky" Lane (who stars in this one), Monte Hale, Rex Allen, Bill Elliot, and Sunset Carson, among others. However, the stories were usually standard and without much distinction. And the viewer can tell that they were ground out in a routine manner. They also tended to present the stars as Old West fantasy-styled superheroes. But this entry has a captivating unfolding story with an undercurrent of intrigue and some imaginative plot devices.

The acting is first rate, with Alan Lane leading the charge. "Rocky," as he became known, was a pleasantly-countenanced actor who moved through Hollywood for several years playing in mostly lower budget mainstream movies beginning in the late 1930's. Lane's career never really took off, but luckily for horse opera fans he found a comfortable home in westerns.

And then there is Roy Barcroft, one of westerndom's favorite bad guys. He was always enjoyable to watch, and here he is a marvel of sinister predictability in his villainy. The remaining cast, including Eddy Waller, who was Lane's right-hand man, if not a sidekick, in so many filmed adventures, are excellent.

"The Bold Frontiersman" is a little gem of a B-western movie and fans of the genre' will undoubtedly very much enjoy it.