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5.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Clearing the Range remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're looking for a masterpiece, keep walking. But if you want to see a guy with a very friendly potato face pretend to be a total wimp for an hour, then Clearing the Range is your movie.
It is definitely worth watching today if you have any affection for the early days of talking pictures. Especially the ones where the actors didn't quite know where to stand yet.
People who love the gritty, modern Westerns of today will probably hate this. It’s too simple and the horses look like they’re having more fun than the actors half the time.
Hoot Gibson plays Curt Fremont. He shows up in town because his brother Jim got killed by a guy named Kildare.
Now, usually in these movies, the hero walks in and starts punching people. Not Hoot. He decides to act like a massive coward.
He stammers and shakes. He avoids every fight. It is honestly a bit much, but Hoot seems to be having a blast doing it.
The villains, led by Hooper Atchley, are your standard 1930s bad guys. They have thin mustaches and they stand around in dusty rooms looking mean.
When Curt isn't being a coward, he puts on a mask and becomes "El Capitan." It’s basically just Hoot in a cape, but apparently, in this universe, a small piece of fabric over your eyes makes you completely invisible.
The action scenes are... okay. They feel a bit like a rehearsal that someone accidentally filmed.
There is one part where a guy falls off a roof and you can almost see the padding on the ground. It’s charming in a weird way.
Sally Eilers is the leading lady here. She’s fine, I guess, but she doesn't have a whole lot to do besides look concerned when Hoot is acting like a scaredy-cat.
I noticed the sound quality is pretty rough. There’s this constant hiss in the background that sounds like someone is frying bacon in the next room.
It reminds me a bit of the technical struggles in The Fire Eater. These early talkies were just messy.
The plot is paper thin. You know exactly what’s going to happen from the second the movie starts.
But there’s a specific moment where Hoot is trying to mount his horse while acting "scared" and he almost trips. I can't tell if it was scripted or if he actually just messed up.
I like that the movie doesn't try to be deep. It’s just about a guy, a brother, and a mask.
Compared to something like West of Broadway, this feels much more like a traditional "Saturday matinee" kind of flick.
The ending comes fast. Like, really fast. One minute there’s a shootout, and the next, everything is wrapped up with a neat little bow.
It’s about 60 minutes long, which is the perfect length for a movie like this. Any longer and the "coward" bit would have gotten really annoying.
I found myself wondering about the extras in the town scenes. They all look so stiff, like they’re afraid to move and ruin the shot.
There’s this one old man sitting on a porch who just stares directly into the camera for a solid three seconds. It made me laugh out loud.
Is it a great film? No. Is it a fun way to spend an hour seeing how they used to make cheap entertainment? Absolutely.
Hoot Gibson had a weird career. He wasn't the best rider or the best actor, but he had this energy that made you want to hang out with him.
If you've seen things like Martin of the Mounted, you know the vibe. Low budget, high spirit.
I’ll probably forget most of the details by tomorrow, but I’ll remember the mask. And the bacon-frying sound of the audio track.
Sometimes thats all you need from a movie. Just a bit of distraction and a guy in a cape. 🌵
It's not as weird as Big Chief Koko, but for a Western, it's got some quirks.
Give it a shot if you’re bored. Don’t expect Stagecoach. Expect a guy named Hoot doing his best.
IMDb 6.5
1923
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