Movie Review: Enemy of the Law (1945)
Synopsis: When convicted robber Charley Gray is released from prison, Texas rangers Dave Wyatt and Panhandle Perkins team up with lawyer Tex Haines to find out where he hid $250,000 in stolen government money by having Panhandle go undercover and befriend the newly released criminal. However, things prove to be more complicated when Charley's partner, Steve, and his new gang plan a double cross.
Who's in it? The movie stars Dave O'Brien, Tex Ritter, Guy Wilkerson, Kay Hughes, Charles King and Jack Ingram.
Review: I was running behind again this morning (must be the fact it is staying dark later) and, because of that, had to find a shorter alternative to the movie I intended to watch. Since I have enjoyed Tex Ritter/Dave O'Brien films in the past, I chose Enemy of the Law and wasn't disappointed.
What really won me over with this movie were the villains. As I've said in the past, films like this are only as good as their bad guy and this one had a solid pair of them. While Steve (Ingram) was more of the typical, no-nonsense villain, Charley (King) provided an interesting contrast as his partner. He was the kind of guy who seemed a bit like a screw-up/comic relief but, at the same time, had zero hesitation when it came to killing people.
It made him unpredictable and because of that, it was unclear just how much danger Panhandle (Wilkerson) was in when he was posing as Charley's friend, especially since he unknowingly was carrying the map to the treasure. Plus, since it was clear he and Steve didn't trust each other, there was always the possibility of some violence from that.
From an action standpoint, the movie had a good mix of it without being over the top. It's a western, so there were plenty of fistfights and shootouts but also enough time in between those to establish the plot and the characters and, of course, give Tex (Ritter) time to sing. This kept the movie fast paced while not seeming violent to the point of goofiness.
The part about the map being on Panhandle's foot also proved to be more entertaining than expected, especially with the ranger not knowing it was there and giving Charley fits whenever he suggested taking a bath or washing his feet. It led to some interesting and entertaining twists toward the end, even though it also made me wonder how someone as comically clueless as Panhandle ever became a ranger in the first place.
Final Opinion: For the most part, it's basically what you'd expect from a western, complete with the villain choosing to tie up the heroes rather than kill them when he has a chance. However, it has entertaining villains and enough twists to keep it from being too predictable, so I did enjoy watching it.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other westerns:
Movie Review: The Gay Ranchero (1948)
Movie Review: Springtime in the Sierras (1947)
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