Forbidden Trail (1932): Buck Jones Rides Again, Mostly

Look, if you're not already a fan of old B-westerns, especially the early talkies, then Forbidden Trail probably isn't going to change your mind today. But for those who get a kick out of Buck Jones riding his horse, Silver, and punching bad guys, _this one delivers_ a pretty solid hour of quick action. If you need fancy dialogue or deep character arcs, you should probably just skip it. 🤷‍♀️

It opens like so many of these things do. Cattle rustling. Lots of it. Karger, the main villain, seems to be behind everything. He's got this real _sneaky_ vibe about him. Buck Jones, as Tom Devlin, is the hero, naturally. He's the guy who just seems to know when things are going wrong.

Tom catches this fella, Burke, red-handed. Before Burke goes to jail, he cleverly stashes some evidence implicating Karger right there in his cell. It's a small detail, but kinda neat how it plays out later.

Of course, Tom ends up in the very same jail cell, because that's how these plots sometimes work. He *accidentally* finds Burke's hidden proof. Funny how that happens, huh? The timing is always _just right_.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Forbidden Trail (1932) through its definitive frames.

Meanwhile, Karger isn't sitting still. He whips up the townsfolk into a mob. They actually go and jail the sheriff! This whole sequence is pretty wild. The speed at which everyone turns on each other is kinda jarring, even for a western.

Buck Jones is always great on horseback. His horse, Silver, really is a star in its own right. There's a shot where Silver leaps over something, and it's just _effortless_. These old stunt riders really knew their stuff.

The action is pretty continuous once the mob gets going. Fists fly. A lot. Sometimes it feels like they're just pushing each other around more than actual fighting, but it gets the job done. You see a lot of the same few extras in different scenes, which is always a little amusing. 😂

One scene has Tom escaping the jail. He basically just shoves a guard and runs. It's not exactly intricate, but it keeps things moving. No time for elaborate escape plans, I guess.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Forbidden Trail (1932) through its definitive frames.

The dialogue is… functional. It tells you what's happening. No one's winning awards for their speeches here. But honestly, you're not watching a Buck Jones western for the witty banter, are you?

I did notice the sound quality dips a bit in some spots. Like, some lines are a little muffled. It's a 1932 film, so you expect some of that. Adds to the charm, I suppose.

Frank LaRue, who plays Karger, does a good job of just being _plain nasty_. He's not some nuanced villain; he's just a bad guy, and he owns it. That sneer of his really sells it when he's talking down to people.

There's a moment where Tom and some good guys are riding, and the camera just holds on them for a bit too long. It feels a little like they're trying to fill time. Or maybe the director just loved that shot of the horses.

The resolution comes fairly quickly. Once Tom has the evidence, it's a race against the clock to stop Karger. It's all very straightforward. No real twists or turns. Just good versus evil, plain and simple.

Overall, if you're looking for a quick, unpretentious ride through the Old West with a reliable hero, Forbidden Trail does the trick. It's not reinventing the wheel, but it doesn't try to. It's just a solid, old-school western. Don't go in expecting more, and you'll probably have a good time. Or at least, an _okay_ time. 👍