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5.7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Deadwood Pass remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a soft spot for those old, dusty Westerns from the early 30s where the heroes have very high waistlines, you should give this a look. It is short, punchy, and doesn't waste your time with too much talking.
People who hate black and white movies or can't stand the sound of crackly audio should probably skip it. This is definitely for the crowd that likes digging through the bargain bin of film history.
I found myself actually paying attention to the plot, which doesn't always happen with these Poverty Row productions. Usually, I just tune out until the horses start running.
Tom Tyler is the lead here, playing a guy named Whitlock. He has this very specific way of standing where he looks like he’s constantly ready to be drawn into a duel.
The whole setup is that this outlaw named The Hawk has broken out of jail. The local Sheriff and a guy named Sorrenson decide the best way to get back some stolen bonds is to have Whitlock pretend to be The Hawk.
It is a classic undercover trope. I always wonder how these guys think they can pull it off without a mask, but I guess back then, nobody knew what anyone looked like unless they were standing right in front of them.
Tom Tyler doesn't do a lot with his face. He mostly just looks serious and tall. It works for the character, though, because a guy pretending to be a killer probably shouldn't be smiling much anyway.
There is a scene early on where they are planning the ruse, and the room they are in looks so small it feels like the actors might bump into the camera. You can see the shadows of the equipment if you look closely at the corners of the screen.
I love those little mistakes. It makes the movie feel like it was made by real people in a hurry, which it definitely was.
The bad guys in this gang are great. They all have these incredibly dusty hats that look like they haven't been brushed since the 1800s.
Bud Osborne shows up, and he’s always a reliable face in these things. He has a way of looking suspicious just by breathing.
One thing that cracked me up was how easily the gang accepted Whitlock as the Hawk. They just kind of went, "Oh, okay, you're him," and went about their business. People were much more trusting of strangers in 1933, I guess.
The movie gets much better once "The Chief" shows up. J.P. McGowan plays him, and he actually knows what the real Hawk looks like. This is where the tension finally kicks in.
There is a moment where they are all sitting around, and you can see Whitlock sweating a little bit. It is one of the few times Tyler actually looks like a human being instead of a statue.
The dialogue is pretty simple. There aren't any big speeches about justice or the soul of the West. It is mostly just "Where are the bonds?" and "I don't trust you."
I appreciate that. Sometimes you just want a movie to get to the point.
The fight scenes are... well, they are 1933 fight scenes. A lot of grabbing each other's shirts and rolling around in the dirt. It looks more like a very aggressive hug than a life-or-death struggle.
The sound quality is pretty rough in spots. Sometimes a character will speak and it sounds like they are talking through a thick wool blanket. It’s part of the charm, but you might have to turn the volume up and down a few times.
The editing is also a bit jumpy. One second they are in a cabin, and the next second they are suddenly on horses halfway across a field. I think they might have lost some footage over the years, or maybe the editor just wanted to go home early.
It reminds me a bit of the pacing in Stranger of the North. Both movies feel like they are sprinting toward the finish line because they only had a few days to shoot everything.
I also noticed a dog in the background of one shot that seemed very confused about why all these men were shouting at each other. He just wanders across the frame and disappears. It’s my favorite part of the movie.
It isn't a masterpiece like some of the bigger Westerns from that era, but it’s honest. It doesn't try to be more than a quick adventure for a Saturday afternoon.
If you've seen things like The Next Corner, you'll know that movies from this time can be hit or miss with their drama. Deadwood Pass stays on the "hit" side mostly because it keeps the plot moving.
The ending is exactly what you expect. There’s a chase, some shooting that doesn't really hit anyone until the very end, and the hero wins.
I felt good when it was over. I didn't feel like I wasted my time, even if I'll probably forget the specific plot details by next week.
Anyway, if you're bored and want to see some 1930s justice, give it a whirl. Just don't expect it to change your life. 🤠
IMDb —
1919
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