West of the Pecos

These Hybrids Rarely Attain Above Average Status as Each Genre Devolves into Mediocrity.

But Here, it Works Fine with the Help of Mitchum Showing His Quickly Evolving Screen Persona as a Pithy, Straight-Talking, No-Nonsense Macho but Sensitive to Others Grittiness as Likeable as 'All=Get-Out.

Barbara Hale is Easy-Breezy and Confident as Most of the Comedy in the 1st Act is Her Swapping Her Eastern Elitism into a Cowboy(girl).

Thurston Hall Comes-Off Less Entertaining and More Irritating as a Loud, Grumpy, Oldster that Over Emphasizes Everything.

Even When He Dives Right-Into the Gunplay and Commands Respect from All.

Richard Martin as a Mexican Side-Kick is OK but way Over-Shadowed by the Mitchum-Hale Playful Antics. Although the Film Tries Desperately To Include His Latin Entry into the Proceedings.

This is Not a Typical Kid-Friendly Mid-Forties Western. It has a Different Vibe Leaning to some Sexual Situations and Banter that is Edgy.

It's a Good Script Showcasing the Rising of Robert Mitchum as a Bona-Fide Screen-Presence and Bankable Star.

There's Plenty of Gun-Play and Villainy.

Above Average B-Western with Mitchum and Hale Doing Their Romantic Fore-Play with Cutting-Edge Charm.

A simple yet entertaining yarn, an old fashioned black and white film. West of the Pecos is another in the string of westerns Robert Mitchum. Rill Lambeth (Barbara Hale) drags her father, Colonel Lambeth (Thurston Hall) to Pecos, Texas to escape the pressures of the big city life of Chicago. Unfamiliar with the vigilante justice of 1800's rural America, they are in for a bit of culture shock. Rill is accustomed to the spoiled and sophisticated men of her upper class society. And,of course, she is smitten with the rugged Pecos Smith (Mitchum). Outlaws battle the good guys, and, as expected, Mitchum is on the ride side of the law. A few gun fights ensue, but with very little violence. This is not Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, but instead a g rated 1940's "picture." The film only runs sixty six minutes and I can highly recommend it. PS I still rank Tarantino as my favorite current director.

"West of the Pecos" is not to be confused with any of the great westerns of all time, or even of the 1940s. It is, nevertheless, a competently done little RKO-Radio Pictures western that reaches a surprisingly high level of quality considering its undeniable B-picture status.

First and foremost is the performance of the great Robert Mitchum in one of his earliest starring roles. I can't imagine how anyone would not be charmed by this seemingly laid-back, I-don't-give-a-dam young actor who offered viewers a persona pretty much unlike that of any other star. What was it about Mitchum that so many, me included, find so appealing? I guess it was his plain spoken, down-to-earth manner; totally unaffected, totally at ease regardless of whatever predicament he found himself in.

The plot is somewhat routine, that's true. But the actors are all more than competent, and we are also treated to some beautiful outdoor photography. The film was shot on location near Lone Pine, California, an area that has appeared in many, many movie productions over the years.

My only complaint, other than the fact that the script offers no surprises, is that there is almost too much comic relief, supplied mostly by Richard Martin, an actor who played a Mexican in many films despite the fact that he obviously never got beyond Spanish 1 in school. (I'm a Spanish teacher with over 30 years service, so take my word for it, the guy's Spanish accent is far from native.)

I suggest you take a look for yourself. "West of the Pecos" is not a bad way to spend a bit over an hour. Especially if you are a Mitchum fan.

This movie follows basically the same theme as "Stagecoach Kid". where a lady dresses as a boy and tries to pass as a boy briefly. Also, this movie has Richard Martin playing the character of Chito Rafferty. Unlike "Stagecoach Kid",Pecos doesn't realize that the "boy" is really a lady for a while, whereas the character played by Tim Holt in "Stagecoach Kid" plays along with the act. This movie has no surprises, the good guys win and the hero gets the girl at the end,but the characters are likeable,the story flows well.

This was an enjoyable movie, but I expected more from a 1945

western with Robert Mitchum. The theme (a women dressed as a

boy) has been handled better, both before & after this movie. Even

a lower budget Cisco Kid movie with Gilbert Roland did a better

job. What makes this movie enjoyable is the performance of

Barbara Hale. I didn't know she had it in her, but here she's cute,

funny, & a good actress. I'd go so far as to say that she stole the

show from Robert Mitchum, which is a very difficult feat to

accomplish. I rate it 5/10; it would have been lower without Hale's

excellent performance.