Movie Review: Arizona Bound (1941)
Synopsis: Former United States Marshal Buck Roberts is looking forward to retirement on his cattle ranch but is called into action one more time when stagecoaches are robbed outside Mesa City, Arizona and threaten to put stagecoach owner Ruth Masters out of business. Roberts suspects local saloon owner Steve Taggart of being behind the robberies in an attempt to seize control of Ruth's business but before he can find proof, is framed and arrested. Fortunately, Roberts has reinforcements already in Mesa City.
Who's in it? The movie stars Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, Raymond Hatton, Luana Walters and Tristram Coffin.
Review: I didn't get an opportunity last night to pick out a movie for this morning, so I ended up just choosing the first one that could be watched in about an hour. That turned out to be Arizona Bound. While it wasn't my favorite classic western, it still turned out to be a decent choice.
The plot itself was fairly simplistic. There was no attempt to create a mystery surrounding the stagecoach robberies and it was clear from the start who the hero was and who the villain was. Plus, while Roberts (Jones) arrived alone, it wasn't too hard to figure out the other two strangers, Tim (McCoy) and Sandy (Hatton) were probably there for the same reason as he was.
That said, the movie still proved to be entertaining. It didn't take long for the film to have fist fights and guns drawn (though the shootout was saved for the end). And while there was no secret about Taggart's (Coffin) arrangement with the stagecoach robbers, he did prove to be a cunning and capable villain, even putting the movie's ending in a bit of doubt when he successfully framed Roberts.
Of course, it did also mean the citizens of Mesa City clearly weren't all that bright considering it shouldn't have been too hard to figure out Taggart was the bad guy. It literally took Roberts a matter of seconds. Not to mention, it wasn't as though they were making much of an effort to keep their gold shipments from being stolen. If you know there are robbers, why is nobody making an effort to guard help the coach?
Even though this is the first film in what would become the Rough Riders series, the movie did have a sequel feel to it. It felt as though I was supposed to know who Roberts and his pals were prior to watching the movie, as though they were characters introduced in prior films. I even did some research to make sure there wasn't a movie I was supposed to watch before this one.
I also thought Ruth (Walters) should have had more of a role in the film. I mean, if you're going to go out of your way to show a woman running a business in a wild west town, at least have her do something to prove she doesn't necessarily need a male stranger's help. She was just sort of there, resigned to her fate, and Roberts apparently didn't even bother telling her his plan or who he really was. In other words, she was probably only in the movie so there was at least one female character.
Final Opinion: It's not as good as other westerns from this era but did have a solid enough bad guy to make it interesting. I wouldn't describe it as anything unique or memorable, but it was entertaining.
My Grade: B-
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Here are some reviews of other 1940s westerns:
Movie Review: The Gay Ranchero (1948)
Movie Review: Brand of the Devil (1944)
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