This film essentially begins with a man by the name of "Baron Render" (Morris Ankrum) arriving on the train to the small town of Sundance to meet with a rancher named "Colonel Rufe White" (Wright Kramer). His goal is to purchase some horses from Colonel White so that he can make a hefty profit from them when he returns to Europe. At almost the same time, a young woman named "Sue Willard" (Jan Clayton) also shows up at the ranch and tells Colonel White that she is his niece. Naturally, Colonel White welcomes her with open arms and invites her to stay with him for as long as she wants. The problem is that things are not what they seem and it's up to a cowboy named "Hopalong Cassidy" (William Boyd) to straighten things out. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this turned out to be an enjoyable Western from days gone by with William Boyd putting in a solid performance as the lead character. I especially liked the rather surprising twist around the mid-point of the film which I didn't see coming. But then, by his own admission, neither did Hopalong Cassidy. In any case, although the film is clearly dated, it was still entertaining enough, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.
Review of The Showdown
