Movie Review: Phantom Rancher (1940)
Synopsis: When Ken Mitchell arrives to claim a cattle ranch left to him by his late uncle, he discovers he is unwanted by the local farmers who hated his uncle because of unscrupulous business practices that have them about to lose their land. Believing his uncle was being forced to work for someone else and knowing the locals won't accept his word or charity, Mitchell infiltrates a gang led by the real villain, Collins. He then pretends to help Mitchell carry out his land-grab plan while simultaneously secretly sabotaging that plan as a masked vigilante called the Phantom Rancher.
Who's in it? The movie stars Ken Maynard, Dorothy Short, Harry Harvey, Ted Adams, Dave O'Brien and Tarzan.
Review: In what is making me sound a bit like a broken record, I woke up this morning planning to watch another movie but found myself unable to located it in my library and quickly called an audible to another film. This film ended up being Phantom Rancher. While I did have a few doubts about the movie, which sounded a bit too much like other masked vigilante films I've seen, it ended up being a good choice.
The movie's premise was a little more unique than I was expecting. While the plot seemed simple enough, Mitchell's (Maynard) plan was fairly complex - pretending to be a villain by day, including foreclosing on mortgages his uncle owned, and then donning a mask at night and thwarting his own villainous schemes, along with those being carried out by Collins (Adams) and his gang of thugs.
Also, while there never any mystery about who the bad guy was, there was always a question about just how Mitchell would be able to prove it. Collins was a pillar of the community. Mitchell, based solely on his last name, was likely going to be blamed for every transgression despite the evidence. Even Ann (Short), who seemed like one of the smartest people in that area, immediately thought Mitchell was trying to sabotage her at every turn, even when it was clear he was trying to help.
While Mitchell's plan was clever, I did also admittedly find it a bit comical at times because it wasn't as though he was doing all that great of a job hiding his identity. Sure, he wore a mask and cloak. However, he made no effort to disguise his voice, was still reasonably recognizable in a well-lit room and didn't even bother changing his horse, riding Tarzan both as Mitchell and as the Phantom Rancher.
Frankly, that was a negative thing in my opinion because I thought it lessened Collins as a bad guy. He was in the same room with the Phantom Rancher, both seeing him and hearing his voice. Mitchell was also the only person who had the money to pay off farm mortgages and would have been the only person privy to the gang's plans. Yet, he flatly rejected the idea of Mitchell being the Phantom Rancher when even his henchmen were starting to suspect. He might have been greedy and ruthless but was hardly a criminal mastermind.
Final Opinion: It was a little hard to believe Mitchell was able to keep his Phantom Rancher identity for as long as he did, but the overall movie was entertaining and not as predictable as it could have been. I was glad I chose it.
My Grade: B+
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Here are some reviews of other movies featuring vigilante wearing a mask:
Movie Review: The Mark of Zorro (1940)
Movie Review: The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
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