This is a rousing and impressive Tom Mix adventure film. It is not a 'cowboy movie' because it is set in contemporary times (i.e., 1922, when it was made). True, Tom Mix wears his trademark cowboy hat and packs a six-shooter, but it is in his capacity as Chief of Border Control on the Mexican border with Arizona and Texas. He is trying to prevent illegal immigration into the United States. Sound familiar? What could be more topical today? He discovers a people trafficking gang and their hideout, which is at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Although the Alpha Home DVD which I saw was of very poor visual quality, having been made from a tired print, this film must have been truly spectacular on a big cinema screen in a crisp print at the time of its release. I wonder if a negative survives, as it would be well worth making a high-quality digitized version of this film so that everything can be seen as it was meant to be seen. For the scenery is incredible, and the antics and stunts are sensational. Tom Mix seems to have done a lot of his own stunt work. He scrambles up and down the cliff faces of the Grand Canyon like a tireless mountain goat. He seems to have been as physically fit as a Navy Seal. The first aerial shots of the Grand Canyon on film are to be found in this movie, and Tom Mix suspended on a rope from a wobbly biplane as he dangles and then drops into the swirling Colorado River is really something to behold. Tom Mix is also a sensational rider, who must have had rodeo experience. It is well known that he had once been a real cowboy. There is a wonderful scene where he lassos some bad guys from his horse as they stand next to an old tree stump. He then rides round and round them in a circle and winds the rope around them tight against the tree stump, leaving them helpless prisoners while he deals with the other bad guys. I would have liked to see close-ups of his lassoing and rope tricks, for he seems to have been almost as talented at it as Will Rogers. There is a gal played by Eva Novak whom he falls for. She appeared with him in no less than ten films, so that's a lot of falling in love. If only we could see a pristine print of this film, to appreciate the beauty of the scenery, which is exploited to the full. And for those who like action and don't want to just gaze at the canyon, the film is stuffed with it. The star is, after all, Tom Mix, and we know what that means: he isn't just straight up, he's mixed three parts pure Tom, two parts actions, one part suspense, and a dash of romance, shaken hard on horseback, and served with salt round the edge of the saddle.
Review of Sky High
