The Cisco Kid

Having been humiliated the last time he was sent to apprehend "the Cisco Kid" (Warner Baxter), an Army soldier named "Sergeant Mickey Dunn" (Edmund Lowe) is delighted when he is once again instructed to track him down and bring him back--dead or alive. Naturally, being the alert outlaw that he is, it isn't long until the Cisco Kid recognizes Sergeant Dunn in the distance but, like always, he laughs at danger and manages to escape. Not to be deterred, Sergeant Dunn then heads straight for a town where he believes someone--most notably an attractive senorita named "Carmencita" (Conchita Montenegro)--might have knowledge of his location. Little does he know, however, that Carmencita has fallen in love with the Cisco Kid and would never betray him. Unfortunately, Carmencita isn't the only attractive woman in the area and it isn't long until Sergeant Dunn finally corners him again. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a splendid old-time Western due in large part to the outstanding performance of Warner Baxter and, to a lesser extent, Conchita Montenegro. Admittedly, some of the scenes don't flow together as smoothly as they should but, despite this all-too-common trait of films made during this time, this is still an enjoyable movie and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

In 1928, Warner Baxter played The Cisco Kid in the movie "In Old Arizona"....for which he received the Oscar for Best Actor. Baxter played the same character twice more--once in a short and here in "The Cisco Kid". Despite being a white guy from Ohio, his accent was convincing and the character well received, but soon other actors (such as Caesar Romero and Dunan Ronaldo) took on the role in subsequent films.

Like the early Cisco Kid films, Cisco is a bad guy...a thief. Later, he would be a much nicer character...ACCUSED of being a crook but in actuality a law abiding guy. But since he is a wanted man, Sergeant Dunn (Edmund Lowe) is sent to find this Mexican bandit and bring him to justice. Between the beginning of the film and their ultimate showdown, Cisco does do a lot of good...abeit a big amoral good--such as robbing a bank to help a lady retain her ranch.

So is it any good? For 1931, it is...though today it seems a bit slow and overdone. This does not mean it's not worth your time...it certainly is. Plus Lowe and Baxter, two grossly underrated actors, are fine in this one.

Warner Baxter dons his silver-studded black shirt and tries on the mantle of this legendary gunslinger trying to stay one step ahead of "Sgt. Dunn" (Edmund Lowe). When the latter man almost hits his mark, the injured "Kid" is lucky to alight on the ranch of "Mrs. Benton" (Nora Lane) and her children before blood-loss forces him from his horse. He stays for a few weeks and in that time makes easy friends with the family. He also discovers that her late husband had a mortgage on their ranch and that unless she can repay the bank $5,000 then they are going to be homeless. Determined to help, he returns to town where he procures enough money but is followed back to the ranch by the tenacious soldier. Can he manage to settle her debts and escape without any more bloodshed? I think it's the mischievous looking Lowe who steals this, but both leads deliver quite well with this simple story along the lines of Robin Hood. It's quickly paced and the child actors - Douglas Haig and the engaging Marilyn Knowlden add a little extra value too as we arrive at a slightly unexpected denouement. Worth an hour, I'd say.

Sergeant Edmund Lowe is ordered by his colonel to go catch the Cisco Kid. There's a $5000 reward, dead or alive for Warner Baxter's curly-haired head, so Lowe sets out for the border region. There the two of them just miss each other as they alternately woo the same women: fiery entertainer Conchita Monenegro, and demure widow Nora Lane.

Irving Cummings directs this second sequel to 1929's IN OLD ARIZONA, with both men swaggering their ways through the proceedings. I give the edge to Baxter, who occasionally tells the truth, while Lowe's lower-class New Yawk accent occasionally slips. Chris-Pin Martin reappears as Gordito, as he would for the next eight years in the occasional series.

Barney McGill's outdoor photography is quite striking, with lots of saguaro cactuses caught in the Arizona location shooting.