Both Barrels Blazing

Both Barrels Blazing (1945)

** (out of 4)

A gang is stealing gold from the railroad so Kip Allen (Charles Starrett) must sneak into New Mexico and try to find out who's behind it. Soon he must turns into The Durango Kid and try to bring the bad guys down. BOTH BARRELS BLAZING was the second film in the "new" series from Columbia and it's a minor step down from the first. I can't say this is a bad movie but it just doesn't have enough interesting or original things in it to make it stand out from countless others out there. I thought Starrett was in fine form as he once again fit the double role quite nicely. I thought he was very believable in both parts and he's at least entertaining enough to bring you into the material. Tex Harding and Dub Taylor both add nice support but it's just not enough to save the film. The biggest problem is that the story itself just isn't all that interesting and there weren't any moments that really jumped out and made you enjoy the film more. Yes, we get some gunfights and other forms of violence but nothing here stands out either. This is certainly far from being a horrid movie or an unwatchable one. The 57-minute running time goes quickly enough to where fans of the genre should find it watchable but others might want to stay clear.