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6.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Honor of the Range remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a soft spot for grainy, old-school westerns, you will probably have a decent time with Honor of the Range. It is brisk, it is dusty, and it is full of men in hats yelling at each other in the desert. If you need complex character arcs or modern pacing, stay far away.
Ken Maynard is doing his thing here, and honestly, that’s usually enough. He has that specific, rugged way of carrying a scene that makes you forget the plot is basically held together by spit and duct tape.
The whole bit about the saloon entertainer costume? It’s completely ridiculous. I had to rewind it twice just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. It’s the kind of decision that only makes sense in a movie made in this era.
It’s funny how these old films have this oddly empty feeling, like half the extras wandered off to grab a sandwich mid-shot. You see a background actor just sort of hovering near a hitching post, not really doing anything, just existing.
It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Thundering Tenors, though with way more dirt and fewer musical numbers. Sometimes the movie tries so hard to convince you that the "safe" is a matter of life and death that it becomes kind of charming.
The brother, Clem, has a change of heart so fast it gave me whiplash. One second he’s a total turncoat, the next he’s basically an informant. You can almost see the script pages being ripped out and rewritten on the fly.
Is it a masterpiece? Hardly. It feels like a quick scribble on a napkin. But it’s got that specific, unpretentious energy that keeps you watching. It doesn't overstay its welcome. That is a rare virtue these days. 🤠