Summary
In the untamed expanse of the Double D Ranch, a tense drama unfolds as Leo, a earnest suitor for Polly's hand, observes a high-stakes poker game. His concern for Polly's gambling-addicted brother draws his gaze to the nefarious card shark, Bud Osborne, whose sleight of hand – an audacious draw of an 'extra seven' from a pistol pouch to complete a straight flush, revealing two sevens of the same suit – shatters the fragile illusion of fair play. This blatant act of deception ignites a powder keg of conflict over the settlement of chips, escalating into a violent confrontation. Polly, tragically misinterpreting Leo's attempts to intervene, casts a devastating accusation, believing him complicit in her brother's ruin. The chaos deepens, culminating in a second, more brutal skirmish that leaves her brother seemingly dead. The treacherous card shark and his cohorts, seizing the opportunity, conspire to pin the heinous crime on the innocent Leo, orchestrating a vile frame-up. What ensues is a relentless pursuit across the rugged landscape, a whirlwind of hard riding and quick-witted maneuvers, with Polly herself at the heart of the unfolding crisis. Through her astute observations and unwavering determination, she unearths the insidious truth, racing against time to avert a wrongful lynching and, armed with irrefutable evidence, expose the true architects of this frontier injustice.
Synopsis
Leo is suitor for the hand of Polly, daughter of mother Martin who owns Double D Ranch where the "puncher" is employed. There is also a brother, with a gambling habit, whose welfare the prospective brother-in-law takes seriously. He watches a game from a bunk and sees a card shark (Bud Osborne) fill a poker hand by drawing an extra card to make a "straight flush" from his pistol pouch. But that shows up two sevens of the same suit. When it comes to cashing the chips, there ensues a fight, in the midst of which Polly appears and mistakes her fiancé's part in the argument, whereupon she accuses him of encouraging her brother's gambling habit. There follows another fight in which the brother is seemingly killed and the partners in the game plan to throw the guilt upon the innocent puncher. Rapid and interesting action develops, embracing some hard riding by all and quick thinking on the part of Polly. However, she learns the truth about the situation in time to stop a proposed lynching and identifies the guilty ones by most convincing evidence.
Review Excerpt
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The silent era of cinema, often dismissed by modern audiences as quaint or overly dramatic, frequently delivered narratives of startling intensity and moral complexity. Among these, The Extra Seven emerges not merely as a relic of a bygone age, but as a vibrant testament to the power of visual storytelling, a taut Western thriller that plunges headlong into themes of deception, honor, and the perilous pursuit of frontier justice. Directed by and starring Leo D. Maloney, this film, though pe..."
