Desert Guns: A dusty doppelganger tale

Is it worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for grainy, old-school B-westerns where the plot moves faster than the horses, give Desert Guns a spin. It’s definitely not for folks who need high-budget polish or deep psychological drama. If you get bored by guys in wide-brimmed hats shouting about cattle ranges, skip it entirely.

The whole setup is one of those classic 'wait, you look exactly like me' scenarios. It feels like a comic book premise shoved into a dusty canyon. Watching Buck Morgan try to juggle the double role is… well, it’s a choice. He isn't exactly acting his heart out, but he does the job.

The weird rhythm of it

There’s this moment early on where Allenby finds his target, Bob Enright. They stare at each other for a second too long. It’s supposed to be a shock, but it mostly just feels like they’re both trying to remember their lines. The silence in that desert scene is deafening.

The dialogue is about as thin as the plot. People say things like, "I'll see you in hell!" and you just know they mean it, even if the delivery is a bit flat. It reminded me a little of the direct, no-nonsense energy in Wild Oats Lane, though it lacks that specific charm.

Stray observations

• The horses look bored. Like, really bored.
• The villain’s lair is just a shack, but he acts like it's a fortress.
• I swear the same tumbleweed rolled past twice in the same scene.
• The sister character exists mostly to look worried in the background.

The movie doesn't bother with fancy camera tricks. It just points the lens at the guy talking and hopes for the best. Sometimes the background extras are clearly looking directly into the camera. It’s charming in a 'we are running out of film' kind of way. 🤠

It isn't going to change your life. It won't make you rethink the genre. But it’s got that specific, dry, sun-baked feeling that only these old westerns pull off. It moves from A to B with a shrug and a gunshot, and honestly, that’s plenty for a Saturday afternoon.

If you've seen enough of these, you know the rhythm. The good guy gets framed, the bad guy twirls a mustache, and everyone ends up at the ranch for a final stand. It's predictable, sure. But sometimes you just want to watch a movie that isn't trying to be more than a movie.