Dynamite Pass

I always think it ironic that some of the very best B westerns come from the period when they were finally on the way out, i.e.1950 onwards.

This is a particularly good series entry, not because it is especially different or unusual, but because all of the necessary ingredients are neatly balanced. The plot is uncomplicated but wholly adequate, the cast (including stalwarts Toomey, Dehner, Harvey, Haggerty and Pyle) is well above average, the action sequences are well handled and evenly distributed throughout the film's short (61 minutes) running length and, this being an RKO picture, everything looks just as it should be. This may have been considered a "throwaway" item in the eyes of the studio but budget and facilities were still way ahead of those of the "poverty row" outfits responsible for the production of so many B westerns throughout the years.

Tim Holt always came across in his movies as competent and likable: his performances were pleasantly understated. Sidekick, Richard Martin, was, I thought, a little on the dull side or, perhaps it would be fairer to say, the character he played was dull. There is, after all, only so much humour that can be squeezed from a long list of Mexican forenames and a penchant for pretty girls.

But that is a minor quibble........