While the topic of "The Gambling Terror" is very familiar, Johnny Mack Brown's lovely performance and the writing elevate this B-western above most of the rest. It's not Brown's best film...but it's a darn good one, by gum!
When the story begins, a stranger, Jeff Hayes (Brown) arrives in a western town. He soon learns that a so-called 'Protective Association' is running things. This is a familiar racket if you've watched a lot of B-westerns. It's actually a variation of the protection racket...something used to extort money out of folks by organized crime. In other words, you join and pay up or else bad things will happen, such as your cattle being rustled or you barn burns down! But before Hayes can round up this gang and dispense justice, he needs to pose as a morally ambiguous guy in order to figure out who's behind all this.
Despite the familiar plot and the cliche of a hero going undercover to expose an evil gang (a trope OFTEN used in old westerns), this one works because Brown's character is wonderful. Instead of arriving in town and shooting the place up or punching everyone in sight, he uses good old fashion wisdom and manages to outsmart the baddies. Well worth seeing and fun.
When the story begins, a stranger, Jeff Hayes (Brown) arrives in a western town. He soon learns that a so-called 'Protective Association' is running things. This is a familiar racket if you've watched a lot of B-westerns. It's actually a variation of the protection racket...something used to extort money out of folks by organized crime. In other words, you join and pay up or else bad things will happen, such as your cattle being rustled or you barn burns down! But before Hayes can round up this gang and dispense justice, he needs to pose as a morally ambiguous guy in order to figure out who's behind all this.
Despite the familiar plot and the cliche of a hero going undercover to expose an evil gang (a trope OFTEN used in old westerns), this one works because Brown's character is wonderful. Instead of arriving in town and shooting the place up or punching everyone in sight, he uses good old fashion wisdom and manages to outsmart the baddies. Well worth seeing and fun.