Review of The Lawless Frontier

An American Western; A story about a Mexican outlaw who kills a rancher's parents. The rancher catches the villain but he is falsely accused of a crime himself, by a sheriff, and has to prove his own innocence. This is a routine oater which portrays the dark side of outlaw life but has a rudimentary plot. George 'Gabby' Hayes is reliably avuncular with a little of his trademark eccentricity but played straight, and John Wayne leads the show but doesn't figure too heavily on screen and his performance is a bit stilted at times, not helped by the clichéd lines he's given. Earl Dwire shows some flair as the bandit and Jack Rockwell brings a force to all his scenes but his character seems ludicrous for his mistakes. Shiela Terry's smouldering eyes are something to behold but she has not nearly enough screentime for her character and her romance to play out properly. Despite the poor script, this film has lots of action and chases and one quite original piece of bodyboarding stuntwork.