There is no mistaking that "The Man From Hell's Edges" is a B-western from the early 1930's, but as can happen with some of these films, the enjoyment quotient is high. Even though the film is in black and white, for example, the majestic scenery, especially the pine-studded mountains and meadows, are captured and used beautifully by director Ray Bradbury. Framing is well-conceived and camera angles are sometimes unusual, including looking down in town from a building's second story for no particular reason. Action scenes with sometimes impressive stunt work are plentiful and handled almost thrillingly, including the prison escape and an in-town chase and fight. Even the simple but quirky lunch outside of the cabin is sweet and gentle and serves as kind of a minor treat.
The acting is sharp, including good ol' Bob Steele, who can seem more involved in his dramatic scenes than most of his contemporary western heroes. Happily, too, Steele gets to show off his marvelous fighting techniques, including his patented "villain runs headlong into power punch," which always sends the bad guy reeling into a heap. And lastly, Steele shows a tad more of his romantic side here than he usually does, and he does it effectively, too!
Bradbury is given credit for the story and he came up with an all-together entertaining one for this program. Some western fans think the early 30's was a creaky and stiff time for the genre, but "The Man From Hell's Edges" should thoroughly satisfy most fans.
The acting is sharp, including good ol' Bob Steele, who can seem more involved in his dramatic scenes than most of his contemporary western heroes. Happily, too, Steele gets to show off his marvelous fighting techniques, including his patented "villain runs headlong into power punch," which always sends the bad guy reeling into a heap. And lastly, Steele shows a tad more of his romantic side here than he usually does, and he does it effectively, too!
Bradbury is given credit for the story and he came up with an all-together entertaining one for this program. Some western fans think the early 30's was a creaky and stiff time for the genre, but "The Man From Hell's Edges" should thoroughly satisfy most fans.