The Last Outlaw

"The Last Outlaw" is a tasty feast for fans of B-westerns, for it has the grit and rough-hewn feel of a B but seems just a tad weightier than most. The most exciting component of the offering is to see two of the venerable long-term stars of silents and early 30's talking B-westerns working together in one picture, namely Harry Carey and Hoot Gibson. Carey may have been the most serious-demeanored of the era's important cowboy stars and Gibson perhaps the most comedic. But "The Last Outlaw," although a few lighter moments arise here and there, is a venture fairly serious in its outlook.

Playing the villain in this one is another B-western star of the era, Tom Tyler. It is as if these three stars took time off from their regular turns at grinding out B-pictures during the 1935-36 season for their respective low-budget studios to come together and make a B+ picture for RKO. Many in the excellent cast are known to movie-goers, including the prolific A-picture character actor Henry B. Walthall in a key role.

This picture is also different in that horse-riding and gunplay is kept at a minimum, the picture relying instead on strong story development and subtle turns of humor to propel the proceedings forward. Acting is charmingly simple but so very well done, while the imaginative story (John Ford) and dialog are affecting and a pleasure to witness. Carey even gives us his traditional crossed arm stance near the end. Finally, the 1930's urban scenes are effectively juxtaposed with the depictions of a still rural and more traditional western setting.

There still weren't many polished big-studio westerns being made in the mid 1930's, so this one looks good for its time, even without a substantial budget, which it obviously didn't have. Don't miss out, as "The Last Outlaw" is a good entertainment, particularly for fans of the western genre' and its stars.