It's Sam Katzman as producer, and that's all you need to know, the leading producer of B movies both at Monogram and Columbia, focusing on action adventures like this later on at Columbia, looking higher budgeted with color photography and fast moving yet simple. He has an A pair of leads with handsomely rugged Cornel Wilde and Oscar winning Teresa Wright, playing a well to do Spanish settler in the Mexican territory of old California and the rough and tough gunslinging daughter of a lawman. After her father is killed by the bandit gang of Alfonso Bedoya, Wright vows revenge, teams with Wilde and infiltrates Bedoya's gang, only to find out that he's involved with imperialistic Russia in an effort to grab California territory before film makers from New York can claim it as the movie capital of the world.
I enjoyed this for the fun elements, recognizing that it was just a colorful adventure programmer, one of dozens made during this time to take advantage of the good weather and show off the beautiful greenery of the open spaces not yet built up. Wilde is charming and Wright feisty, definitely based on other rough and tough female legends of the old west like Calamity Jane, Annie Oakley and Belle Starr. John Dehner and Eugene Iglesias costar as Bedoya's co-conspirators, fooling themselves into believing that by betraying their own people, they could rise in power without worry of being betrayed by the Czar's leaders in the new world. There are situations here that I found hard to believe, but those are minor complaints. It serves its purpose in giving a slight historically true story and entertain, with the colorful camera work a standout.
I enjoyed this for the fun elements, recognizing that it was just a colorful adventure programmer, one of dozens made during this time to take advantage of the good weather and show off the beautiful greenery of the open spaces not yet built up. Wilde is charming and Wright feisty, definitely based on other rough and tough female legends of the old west like Calamity Jane, Annie Oakley and Belle Starr. John Dehner and Eugene Iglesias costar as Bedoya's co-conspirators, fooling themselves into believing that by betraying their own people, they could rise in power without worry of being betrayed by the Czar's leaders in the new world. There are situations here that I found hard to believe, but those are minor complaints. It serves its purpose in giving a slight historically true story and entertain, with the colorful camera work a standout.