Desert Phantom

Desert Phantom (1936)

** (out of 4)

Billy Donovan (Johnny Mack Brown) shows up in a small town looking for his sister's murderer but he ends up working on a ranch after being asked by Jean (Sheila Bromley). Pretty soon Billy is trying to figure out who the mysterious Phantom is.

DESERT PHANTOM is a remake of the 1932 Harry Carey film THE NIGHT RIDER and it appears this was remade yet again in 1940 as THE RANGE BUSTERS. This version here isn't nearly as good as the 1932 film but there are a few worthy elements that make it worth viewing if you enjoy these types of Westerns. For starters, the film throws in a good mystery (as long as you haven't seen the original) and I think fans of that genre should enjoy this too.

Johnny Mack Brown appeared in countless Westerns but I think it would be a lie if you called him a good actor. He certainly had a certain image that worked well on the screen but performance wasn't his great thing. The supporting players are all pretty bland as well. The film offers up a mix of comedy as well but this too is rather bland. DESERT PHANTOM isn't a horrible movie but it's just kind of routine.