The Brand of Hate

This movie has a lot going for it for a randomly-named B western, starting with some good actors in a good story. Young Bob Steele is in love with Lucile Browne. However, when her father, William Farnum, opens the door to find his half-brother, George Hayes, with his three evil sons, come to rustle cattle and hold over his head the prison term in Kansas he escaped years ago, threaten Miss Browne with rape, and shoot Steele's father, it gets interesting and dark. Stuntman Bill Patton gets to hang from a team of racing horses about the 40-minute mark; editor S. Roy Luby offers an interesting variety of wipes for scene changes.

I said that the actors are good, but the leads.... well, Bob Steele was not much for line readings at this stage of his career, even though he is a fine physical actor, mounting his horse in a variety of interesting way. Miss Browne, however, while very pretty, is awful, unable to change expressions during a shot. Director Lew Collins must have had a lot of trouble working around her; and the manner that cinematographer William Thompson cheats the action sequences emphasizes the poverty of this Poverty Row production.

Still, the script by Jack Natteford is well done and offers an interesting set-up for the final fight, yielding a solid Saturday morning matinee oater.