5.4/10
Senior Film Conservator

A definitive 5.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Mason of the Mounted remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you are looking for a complex plot or deep character studies, keep walking. This is for people who enjoy the simple rhythm of 1930s B-westerns where the hero is always right and the bad guy is always just a little bit too loud. If you hate movies where the resolution hinges on a literal piece of jewelry falling out of a pocket at the exact right moment, you are going to find this one pretty grating.
Bill Cody looks like he takes his job as a Mountie way too seriously. He shows up looking for a horse thief with a watch chain as his only clue. It is such a tiny piece of evidence that it feels like he’s playing a game of Clue in the middle of the desert. He ends up befriending a kid named Andy, and of course, the local villain Calhoun decides to shove the kid around. That is the match that lights the fuse.
The fight choreography is… well, it is exactly what you expect. A lot of flailing arms and guys falling over things that shouldn't be there. At one point, the watch chain comes back into play in the most convenient way possible. Calhoun gets tossed, the watch pops out, and the Mountie looks like the smartest man in the West. It’s almost funny how the whole plot hangs on a piece of metal that’s clearly been waiting to fall out since the first frame.
There are a lot of guys in this cast, most of whom seem to exist just to stand in the background or get knocked into the scenery. It reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing in The Crimson Skull, though without the same level of grit. There’s a strange, empty feeling to some of the exterior shots where you can tell the camera just wanted to get the job done and head home for dinner.
Watching this feels like finding a dusty relic in an attic. It isn't trying to change cinema. It’s just trying to get the Mountie his man and get the credits rolling. Sometimes, that is exactly enough. If you’ve seen Buckshot John, you know the vibe here—it’s not about the destination, it’s about watching the hero ride through the dust and look stoic while doing it. 🤠

IMDb —
1912
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