Last of the Wild Horses (1948)

Wonderful Movie

A Disappointing Continuation

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

You know, as an Oregon resident, there is a benefit to living here, especially since a lot of movies were filmed here, from "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" (1993) to practically every movie made by Laika Studios (i.e. "Coraline" [2009]). Unfortunately, we have our fair share of bad movies, and this dull, tedious western from 1948 is one of the worst, to the point where an episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" was devoted to it. It really is that bad.So what's the story behind this thing? Well, this duo of deputies hired by a big rancher named Charlie Cooper is rounding up the mares of some wild horses on his order, despite being told by smaller ranchers and his daughter not to. Our hero, ironically named Duke (though he's nothing like John Wayne), stops the deputies from illegally rounding up the wild horses, while also being framed for horse theft shortly after. Things go too far, however, when Cooper's head deputy shoots his employer and frames Duke for the murder, with the only proof being Duke's black bandanna. So it's up to Duke to clear his name, stop our villain, and get the girl in the end.Watching this movie, I can't help but think that this is basically a dumber version of "The Man from Snowy River" (1982) before it was even made. The main character is an unrelatable, smug prick without a brain, the villain is as wooden as can be (also without a brain), and the execution of the plot is practically all over the place. Oh, and did I mention that this movie is as boring as boring can be? That last point is possibly the biggest sin this movie commits, because last I checked, westerns were supposed to be suspenseful thrill rides, not snore-fests equivalent to that of a Lifetime movie.So as an Oregonian, even though we did get a funny episode of "MST3K" out of it, let me just say that on behalf of everyone in the state, we apologize for almost assassinating the western genre with this trite. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go watch a better western with Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, or Randolf Scott to wash the awful taste out of my mouth.

OK, I admit I saw the MST3K version of this movie instead of the "straight" theatrical release, but as a longtime MST3K vet I know how to disengage the wisecracks from the "front row" and judge the movie on its own merits, whatever they may be. (And even in the lineup of movies covered by MST3K, LOTWH is one of the more competent efforts.) In the movie's favor: Pretty good scenery, sets and costumes - the viewer really does get a sense of vast countryside, rugged men of action, and wild horses abounding. Although the robots make fun of Albert Glasser's score, it really is one of his best efforts and does its job nicely. No one in the cast really sucks - everyone seems to know what their part requires and the actors inhabit their characters quite comfortably. Also, a nice rousing fight scene during the opening credits gets things off to a reasonably exciting start.Against? Well, the plot doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and certain events require a whole lot of suspension of disbelief. You've never seen so many coincidental meetings and dropping/finding of critical plot MacGuffins - brandings irons, bandanna, letters, envelopes - in your life. The chief bad guy's machinations wouldn't get him elected to 9th grade class president in real life and they only work here because the plot requires it.And aside from a couple of chases and shootouts, the movie just mosies along for most of its length, which would be OK if it had a John Wayne or a Gary Cooper to carry it...but what it's got is a bunch of competent actors who were born to play spear carriers.I'm not a big fan of Westerns, although I've got "Rio Bravo", "Rough Night In Jericho", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valace" and "Silverado" in my DVD collection. But there's at least 100 Western movies I can think of that I'd watch before I'd watch "Last Of The Wild Horses" again. And I seriously doubt anyone will ever see this movie for its own sake ever again...it's simply forgettable and run of the mill. But it's not "bad" the way a truly incompetent movie is "bad".

Yes, near the end of this film all the action will shift from the plains, to the courtroom as the hero of the movie is put on trial. Kind of interesting, though not sure a trial of this type would of occurred in the old west. I figured the people would just mob the accused and hang them and feel a bit regretful when they find out the person is innocent, but still smile when they think of the fun they had afterward at the cookout. This film is about a guy who may or may not have been attempting to rob a stage coach intervene in three guys chasing a person and becomes the hero of the film. He has two girls interested so he is doing quite good for himself as he has a cute brunette and a cute blond, both from different households. The brunette is the daughter of a man who is sort of the bad guy, but not really. He just is a very poor employer who really should watch his employees better. The blond lives with a guy named Remedy who she may be the daughter of or not, their relationship is a bit more obscure compared to the brunette. Well it seems one ranch is rounding up all the wild horses and this hurts things somehow and there are lots of chases involving horses, tepid gunfights, and a couple of old fashioned fist fights where the good guy gets beat down for the most part. However, do not feel sorry for him, as he does have two cuties after him. Surprised the blond did not pull the trigger during the one scene as she was clearly falling behind at that point. It had its moments, to bad it feels the screen with one to many going no where kind of scenes. It does teach a valuable lesson, however, and that is back in the old west, one only really needed a handkerchief to prosecute someone of a crime. Guess it is kind of like DNA evidence today.

Though the story is routine, I found Glasser's score to be beautiful in parts, and I truly liked its omnipresence. Added to fill 10 lines of text: I found Glasser's score to be beautiful in parts, and I truly liked its omnipresence. I found Glasser's score to be beautiful in parts, and I truly liked its omnipresence. I found Glasser's score to be beautiful in parts, and I truly liked its omnipresence. I found Glasser's score to be beautiful in parts, and I truly liked its omnipresence.I found Glasser's score to be beautiful in parts, and I truly liked its omnipresence.I found Glasser's score to be beautiful in parts, and I truly liked its omnipresence.I found Glasser's score to be beautiful in parts, and I truly liked its omnipresence.I found Glasser's score to be beautiful in parts, and I truly liked its omnipresence.I found Glasser's score to be beautiful in parts, and I truly liked its omnipresence.