5.7/10
Senior Film Conservator

A definitive 5.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Between Fighting Men remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you are a completionist when it comes to old westerns or you just really like watching guys in hats yell at each other in the desert. If you want a tight, logical plot, keep walking. This one is for the folks who enjoy the raw, slightly unpolished feel of early sound-era horse operas. If you hate scratchy audio or plots that move like a runaway train with no brakes, maybe skip this one.
The whole thing is built around the classic "cattle vs. sheep" tension. You know the drill. The cattlemen think they own the grass, and the sheep men just want a place to graze. It feels like a setup we've seen a thousand times before, but there is a certain charm to how quickly they just start swinging punches.
Ken Maynard is doing his usual thing, and he’s fine, I guess. He spends a lot of time looking intense while staring off into the distance. There is a weird subplot about him and his brother Wally fighting over girls. It feels like a distraction from the main conflict, almost like the writers realized they needed a reason for the two brothers to act like idiots for forty minutes.
Then there is the murder. When Judy’s father gets killed by Butch, the movie suddenly remembers it’s supposed to be a drama. The shift is so jarring. One minute they are bickering about fences, the next it is a full-on revenge flick.
Specific Observations:
Watching this made me think about Mister 44. Both movies have that same frantic energy where it feels like the director was trying to finish filming before the sun went down. It doesn't have the polish of, say, The Golden Pince-Nez, but that’s not really the point, is it?
The ending comes out of nowhere. It’s like they ran out of film stock and just decided, "Okay, someone shoots someone, and then we roll credits." It works, technically, but it doesn't leave you with much to think about. It’s just a blur of hats, dust, and bad tempers.
Still, for a rainy afternoon? It’s not the worst way to kill time. Just don't go looking for high art. You’ll be disappointed. 🤠

IMDb —
1919
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