Mason of the Mounted: A Horse Thief, A Chain, and Some Very Dusty Fights

Is it worth your time?

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Notes from the couch:

• That watch chain must be the most famous piece of jewelry in Canadian law enforcement history.
• The villain, Calhoun, is really committed to being mean to children. It is almost cartoonish.
• I’m pretty sure I saw one of the background extras looking directly into the lens during a wide shot.
• The dialogue is sparse. Sometimes the silence is better.
• It moves fast, which is a blessing, because you don’t have time to ask why nobody just shoots anyone.

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. 🤠