Alias John Law (1935) review - Bob Steele's intense eyes and messy identity theft

If you have 50 minutes to spare and love old movies where cowboys jump off cabin roofs onto moving horses, Alias John Law is absolutely worth your time. But if you cannot stand scratchy audio, shaky camera pans, and plots held together by spit and goodwill, you should probably skip this one. 🤠

This is one of those lightning-fast 1930s B-westerns that doesn't let things like "logic" get in the way of a good chase. Our main guy is Bob Steele, playing John Clark, and honestly, the man has the most intense stare in early cinema history.

He always looks like he's about to throw a punch at the cameraman. It is kind of amazing how angry he looks even when he is just talking to his horse.

The Weirdest Identity Theft Plot Ever

So, the plot is kind of a mess, but in a really fun way. Earl Dwire plays "The Kootney Kid" who is trying to steal John's oil-rich ranch by pretending to be him.

The funny part is Dwire looks about sixty years old here, yet everyone calls him "The Kid" without laughing. He steals a letter from a stagecoach to prove he is "Everett Tarkington Clark" (which is John's real name).

John is literally standing in the courtroom when this happens, shouting "Hey, that is my name!" and the judge just tells him to shut up and arrests him on the spot. 😭

It is beautifully dumb. It makes you wonder how anyone in the old west kept their property if all it took was a stolen envelope to claim a whole ranch.

Bootch and the Marshal

The best part of the movie is John's sidekick, Bootch, played by Buck Connors. Bootch is deaf, and they communicate through this really fast, simplified sign language that actually feels surprisingly genuine for a film from 1935.

Usually, sidekicks in these cheap westerns are just annoying comic relief, but Bootch actually helps save the day. Though there is a hilarious scene where they are hiding from the law and Bootch almost ruins it because he can't hear how loud they are being.

Then we have Marshal Bly, who is chasing John at the start. After getting shot by the real bandits, the Marshal just... hands his badge to John.

"Here, you seem like a good kid, go do my job for me while I nap in this tent."

I've never seen a lawman delegate his entire career so quickly based on a simple vibe check. It’s not exactly a tightly-plotted thriller like Speed, but the pacing never drags because they have to fit everything into under an hour.

Random Notes from my Notepad

• The audio during the canyon gunfight sounds like someone popping bubble wrap right next to the microphone.
• Bob Steele's hat is so big it looks like it has its own gravitational pull.
• The romance with Roberta Gale is so rushed she basically says "I love you" after about three minutes of total screen time.
• That final horse chase has some genuinely scary stunts where you can tell the stuntmen were just praying they wouldn't break their necks.

It’s a cheap, silly, and highly energetic piece of history. If you like Bob Steele's angry face and silly court cases, you'll have a blast.