The Worst Film Ever

ridiculous rating

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Don't be fooled by armchair critics. This movie was cast with Ken Maynard who could ride with the very best! It might be a little stilted, but look at the date the film was made. Ken Maynard several times used Phantom elements in his films and this one is actually quite good. I got mine on a hundred films from the 1930s collection and this is one of the best. John Wayne's Angel and the Badman was in that collection too. The film is not restored, and a ton of money spent on archival correction. Yet it is good to see what was done then. Ken Maynard and Bob Steele could ride and their acting is pretty good coming out of the Silent film era. Go look a the original Panco Villa films for comparison.That if course was the real deal.

Cool Ken Maynard movie. The 'texture' of the movie is perfect b-western including the crusty actors, early-talkie technology, sets and staging, and costumes. There are some fun shots of characters moving ominously toward the camera or seen at a distance through binoculars. B-westerns really don't get much better than this one.Basically, Ken's returns to his birthplace to discover the secret of his birthright. He becomes entangled in feud between the crooked crew of the Lazy S ranch and the mysterious black-clad figure called the Phantom who is killing them off one after the other.The locations, especially "Tombstone Canyon" are incredible. The opening to the movie is evocative and fun. Gothic or pulp touches like the mysterious Shadow-like Phantom character are cool in this rugged landscape. Interestingly, 3 years before director Alan James helmed another movie called The Phantom (1931). Like many b-western directors, he had deep roots in the silent era. B-Western Rating Scale: 8 of 10

This is a silly little B-western from Ken Maynard. The plot is strange and seems more like something you'd see from an old movie serial. It begins with Maynard being ambushed in a canyon. However, a shot rings from out of no where and he's saved. Who did this? It was THE PHANTOM!! Yes, thee is a black cloaked guy running around in the old west! And, it turns out he's got revenge on his mind--but why?! And, how does this all relate to Maynard--a guy who doesn't even know his name or his kinfolk?! You'll see in the reasonably good but very contrived finale.Maynard seems like an odd sort of western hero in that he sure gets beaten up a lot! You know he's the good guy but certainly not in the mold of Gene Autry or Roy Rogers. No, this is a very fallible hero--and that is the best aspect of the film. But the plot and the idea of a guy running around in a cape is just silly! Not a particularly good film but not terrible--as if this is glowing endorsement!By the way, when the film begins, get a load of the studio mascot. You just have to see it to understand what I mean.

The plot is set in motion from the time the studio logo disappears from the screen and nary a second is wasted on anything but advancing the plot over the film's sixty minutes. No atmosphere, no characterization; all action, almost like a TV episode. The story concerns one man's search for his unknown identity and the apparent ranch war he walks into on his quest. There are some quaint old timey quirks like every horse ride and fist fight running in double speed, and the word "fellas" is used a good thirty times, but even someone like myself who wasn't born until forty years after this picture was made found it to be consistently entertaining.