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5.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Mystery Ranch remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a soft spot for 1930s B-westerns that don't take themselves too seriously, sure, give it a go. It’s perfect for a rainy afternoon when your brain needs a break from modern noise. However, if you need high-stakes drama or, you know, consistent logic, you might find yourself checking the time on your phone every ten minutes. It’s a very specific kind of dusty fun.
The whole premise is that our hero, Bob Morris, is a writer who basically gets catfished by a ranch family. They want him to write a story about them, so they put on these elaborate, fake gunfights. It’s kind of funny watching these guys try to act tough for a city slicker.
There is this one moment where a horse runs off and someone does a dramatic tumble, and you can just see the stuntman checking to make sure the camera caught his good side. It’s not exactly Cheyenne, but it has a weird, twitchy energy.
The pacing is all over the place. One minute we’re watching a fake scrap in the yard, and then suddenly there’s an actual robbery, but the movie doesn't bother to tell the audience the difference immediately. It’s actually kind of a bold choice, even if it was probably just a lack of budget.
Tom Tyler is fine, I guess. He does that classic cowboy thing where he squints at everything like he’s trying to read a menu from across the room. He carries the movie because he has to, especially when the supporting cast starts flubbing their lines or looking at the ground instead of the lens. 🤠
I couldn't help but compare it to other old-school shorts I’ve seen lately. It’s got none of the manic energy of Puddle Pranks, but it’s definitely more coherent than some of those messy experiments from that era. It’s just a standard, dusty ride.
The best parts are the scenes where the characters are just standing around talking about the "action" that didn't happen. There’s a meta layer here that feels almost accidental. It’s like the movie is winking at you, but maybe it just has something in its eye.
The climax? Well, it’s a shootout. What else would it be? It’s loud, it’s messy, and it ends exactly when you think it will. Not a masterpiece, but it doesn't try to be. Sometimes that’s enough. 🐎
Notes from the couch:
IMDb 3.8
1928
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