Two-Fisted Rangers (1939)
Thad Lawson arrives in Oak Valley to avenge the murder of his brother, the local sheriff. He learns that Jack Rand, powerful overlord of the town is to blame. After Rand murders newspaper publisher Jordan Webster, Thad sets out to put him behind bars.
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A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Director: JOSEPH H. LEWIS (Wagon Wheel Joe). Original screenplay: Fred Myton. Photography: George Meehan. Film editor: Charles Nelson. Music director: Morris Stoloff. Songs by Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer. Stunts: Bob Woodward, Francis Walker. Assistant director: Milton Carter. Sound recording: George Cooper. Producer: Leon Barsha. Copyright 14 December 1939 by Columbia Pictures Corp. No New York opening. U.S. release: 4 January 1940. U.K. release: 1942. Not theatrically released in Australia. 6 reels. 62 minutes. U.K. release title: FORESTALLED.SYNOPSIS: Cowboy brings to justice the land baron who killed his brother, the local sheriff. NOTES: Starrett's 33rd of his 132 starring westerns. Lewis' nickname, which stuck to him throughout his entire career as a director, was "Wagon Wheel Joe". When Lewis was directing westerns like this, one of the editors at Universal complained to the studio brass that Lewis' shots were hard to cut because "he keeps putting these damn wagon wheels in front of everything."COMMENT: A delight for both action fans and connoisseurs of director Joseph H. Lewis (whose sixth or seventh film this is). About half the action takes place at night (fine photography by George Meehan), which is unusual enough. There are some fine directorial compositions and effects, including a pan across the faces of the vigilantes and some splendid film editing (Charles Nelson) straight out of Eisenstein's theories of montage.For the ordinary fan, there's action a-plenty, a trio of delightful villains, and some very pleasant musical interludes by the Sons of the Pioneers.I love this movie! Put it on your must-see list! Easily Starrett's best!