Some silent films have had more success than others in abiding the ravages of time; while this one survives, the fundamental quality of the image is less than pristine. Pardon this as we might, it's also worth noting that whether as a result of brusque direction or curt editing, there's at once both a clunky gawkiness and a swiftness to the plot development, and the basic progression of the viewing experience from moment to moment, that's mildly off-putting. It's not unreasonable to suppose that this is the type of feature best recommended for those already enamored of early cinema; anyone who has difficulty with the silent era may not have their minds changed with this. Still, supposing one can reckon with the idiosyncrasies, there's much to enjoy here. 'The last outlaw' may not carve any new paths - not among its contemporaries or predecessors, and least among its successors - but it's fairly well made nonetheless, and a fine bit of light entertainment for a mere hour.
Led by the reliable star power of Gary Cooper, this is without question a title playing with classic western notions: a small town troubled by ruffians and corruption, an effort to clean the place up, various sundry conflicts to specifically spur the plot. Add light humor to taste (some examples are better than others), and a tiny romantic element that like too many other instances in cinema seems a little forced and contrived (but at least, maybe a tad better than other examples thereof), and we have ourselves a movie. Mind you, it's not necessarily as simple as all that, nor as perfect; there are times when the picture seems so focused in the moment on action, hijinks, and just plain having fun, that it feels like it's sidelining its own story, or not conveying details as well as it could. Still, this isn't a matter exclusive to 'The last outlaw,' and anyway, it only wants to have a good time with the tale blithely serving as a vehicle; the spirit of the proceedings is more important than the letter. That approach may butt up against personal preferences, but there's nothing inherently wrong with it.
Stunts, effects, and bursts of action are executed well; though hampered somewhat by the poor image quality (whether a reflection of degradation over time, or contemporary limitations of technology), I think the cast give commendably strong performances - chiefly Cooper, and primary costars Jack Luden and Betty Jewel, but their fellows, too. As one is quite accustomed to with westerns, the production design and art direction are swell, along with costume design and hair and makeup. I appreciate James Murray's active cinematography that helps to breathe life into the film, and Arthur Rosson seems firmly capable as a director. There is perhaps nothing remarkable about the tale on hand, but John Stone and J. Walter Rubin nevertheless concocted a screenplay that's very suitable genre fare, and sometimes that's all a movie needs to be.
Whatever it may be, one's impression of the feature is cemented rather quickly, and doesn't change through the remainder of the length. I don't think this is anything one needs to go out of their way to see, but despite some rough edges, by and large I believe it's a western that holds up quite well nearly 100 years later. I would also say, too, that to the credit of all involved, I think it's a splendid if imperfect illustration of one of the chief advantages of the silent era: not every movie needs to be filled to the brim with coarse language, bristling emotions or musical accompaniment, or emphatic augmentation of dramatic beats to communicate a tale. Sometimes the most bare, stripped-down essence of a scene, the soundless visual presentation, is all that is necessary to impart its import.
Sure, there are also tinges of sexism present, but even in 2023 that's nothing new; with the image quality as poor as it is, any written words to present before the camera are downright illegible, but so it went with too much of early cinema. No, 'The last outlaw' isn't wholly stellar. But it's surely better than not, with admirable contributions from all involved; I'd go so far as to say that right when it needs to be, in the last 10-15 minutes, it probably finds its greatest strength of all. Provided that one is on board with the film-making style and the storytelling genre, this is well worth checking out on a lazy day.
Led by the reliable star power of Gary Cooper, this is without question a title playing with classic western notions: a small town troubled by ruffians and corruption, an effort to clean the place up, various sundry conflicts to specifically spur the plot. Add light humor to taste (some examples are better than others), and a tiny romantic element that like too many other instances in cinema seems a little forced and contrived (but at least, maybe a tad better than other examples thereof), and we have ourselves a movie. Mind you, it's not necessarily as simple as all that, nor as perfect; there are times when the picture seems so focused in the moment on action, hijinks, and just plain having fun, that it feels like it's sidelining its own story, or not conveying details as well as it could. Still, this isn't a matter exclusive to 'The last outlaw,' and anyway, it only wants to have a good time with the tale blithely serving as a vehicle; the spirit of the proceedings is more important than the letter. That approach may butt up against personal preferences, but there's nothing inherently wrong with it.
Stunts, effects, and bursts of action are executed well; though hampered somewhat by the poor image quality (whether a reflection of degradation over time, or contemporary limitations of technology), I think the cast give commendably strong performances - chiefly Cooper, and primary costars Jack Luden and Betty Jewel, but their fellows, too. As one is quite accustomed to with westerns, the production design and art direction are swell, along with costume design and hair and makeup. I appreciate James Murray's active cinematography that helps to breathe life into the film, and Arthur Rosson seems firmly capable as a director. There is perhaps nothing remarkable about the tale on hand, but John Stone and J. Walter Rubin nevertheless concocted a screenplay that's very suitable genre fare, and sometimes that's all a movie needs to be.
Whatever it may be, one's impression of the feature is cemented rather quickly, and doesn't change through the remainder of the length. I don't think this is anything one needs to go out of their way to see, but despite some rough edges, by and large I believe it's a western that holds up quite well nearly 100 years later. I would also say, too, that to the credit of all involved, I think it's a splendid if imperfect illustration of one of the chief advantages of the silent era: not every movie needs to be filled to the brim with coarse language, bristling emotions or musical accompaniment, or emphatic augmentation of dramatic beats to communicate a tale. Sometimes the most bare, stripped-down essence of a scene, the soundless visual presentation, is all that is necessary to impart its import.
Sure, there are also tinges of sexism present, but even in 2023 that's nothing new; with the image quality as poor as it is, any written words to present before the camera are downright illegible, but so it went with too much of early cinema. No, 'The last outlaw' isn't wholly stellar. But it's surely better than not, with admirable contributions from all involved; I'd go so far as to say that right when it needs to be, in the last 10-15 minutes, it probably finds its greatest strength of all. Provided that one is on board with the film-making style and the storytelling genre, this is well worth checking out on a lazy day.