This film begins with two cowboys named "Johnny Darrel" (Johnny Mack Brown) and "Dick Martin" (Julian Madison) having some supper at a small cantina on the other side of the Mexican border. While there they meet a cowboy by the name of "Oscar Roscoe" (Syd Saylor) who is down on his luck and needs money right away. So, eyeing a poker table not too far from where they are sitting, both Johnny and Dick decide to enter the game to see if they can perhaps win enough money to help him out. It's at this time that another man named "Manuel Mendez" (Ted Adams) also joins the game and--just when it's discovered that Mendez might be cheating--the lights go out and gunshots are heard in the room. Once the smoke is cleared and the lights go on again, Johnny notices his friend lying dead on the floor. Convinced by Mendez that Johnny is the one who shot and killed him, he immediately gets on his horse and rides back onto the American side of the border. It's also during this time that he swears never to use his guns again. The next day, as Johnny rides into a small town, he gets into a fight with a couple of men from a local ranch which almost ends with one of the cowboys named "Brace Stevens" (Dick Curtis) pulling a gun on him. Fortunately, a young woman by the name of "Joan Williams" (Claire Rochelle) steps in and, while brandishing her own gun, puts a stop to the fight. Not long afterward, Johnny finds himself in the middle of a range war between two ranches with one being owned by Brace Stevens and the other by Joan Williams. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an okay Western which benefited from a solid performance by Johnny Mack Brown and an interesting plot. Admittedly, it's rather dated and only has a running time of about 56 minutes. But that was pretty much standard for films during this period. One criticism I had for this film concerned the comedic performance of Syd Saylor--which I didn't find to be particularly humorous. But that's just me. In any case, this was one of those films that passed the time well enough, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
Review of Guns in the Dark
