Outlawed Guns

"Outlawed Guns" is another somber Buck Jones film, who seldom ventured into profiling fun and lighthearted men. Jones was perhaps the most serious of our B-western heroes, and one who could actually impart pathos through his acting. In this one he rarely even cracks a discernible smile.

The story has a tragic undertone as it tackles the universal problem of bad things happening to good people, while the film overall has a grim and at times mysterious air about it, helped along by subdued cinematography and poorly-lit scenes. The arguably comedic high-point is surprisingly supplied by Silver, Jones venerable horse. The atmospheric opening scene in the brothers' cabin is stark and serves to set the tone for the rest of the production. On the other hand, I was disappointed that the "unusual spurs" device was not as well developed and utilized as in some other films.

But the movie has some nice moments showing us the town and its citizens, and the adventure's culminating chase shows Jones riding at full-tilt with framing scenery that includes towering and turbulent cumulus clouds roiling over the Eastern Sierra. The film even has a rudimentary musical score that wells up from time to time.

All in all, "Outlawed Guns" is an adequate entry in the Buck Jones library and provides a slightly better than average film for B-westerns of 1935.