Trail of Terror

I enjoyed this Bob Steele showcase very much and recommend it to all B-western fans. The story is strong and presented economically, inter-cutting simultaneous but geographically separated actions nicely. The acting by the B-western cast of stalwarts is sharp and earnest, including Charles King who was in good sinister form. Especially enjoyed was Beth Marion who seems here to be more than just female set decoration, as she really helped provide impetus to the program with fine facial expression, appropriately projected voicing, and even relevant involvement in the story. There are several arresting locales depicted, including the grimy prison, a frontier bar, a lightning-filled rainy night in the great outdoors, a log ride down an aqueduct or sluice of some kind, and even a surprisingly large wrestling venue. In fact, the wrestling match in the movie is shown in its entirety, from start to finish, so much so that the realistic and exciting 5-minute match runs even longer than the five minutes it depicts because it includes the breaks between rounds. This was a great scene! Keep in mind this is a B-western, but the cinematography is excellent, the sounds rich, varied, and clear, and the sets are fully stocked and atmospheric. The horse action is plentiful and stirring, and to top it all off, gun play is not gratuitous and used relatively sparingly. Wow, the more I think about the film the more I like it. This is a really good one!