Not Exactly Gentlemen (1931) Review: Outlaws in the Friend Zone

Is it worth your time?

If you like old movies where the heroes are actually kind of idiots, then yes. You should watch this today if you have a soft spot for 1930s dust and guys who grumble about women while doing exactly what a woman tells them to do.

Modern action fans will probably hate it because the pacing is all over the place. But if you want to see Victor McLaglen looking like a giant, confused potato, this is for you. 🤠

The movie starts with these three guys—Ace, Bronco, and Bull—who are all super grumpy because they got dumped. They decide they are done with women forever. It feels very much like a 'No Girls Allowed' club for grown men with guns.

Then they see a wagon train. They want to steal some horses because, well, they are thieves. But then a gang led by a guy named Hunter attacks the wagon first.

Our 'heroes' chase the bad guys off, not because they are nice, but because they wanted those horses for themselves. It's a funny bit of irony that sets the whole tone. They find Lee, played by Fay Wray, who thinks they are her brave rescuers.

The look on their faces when they realize they can't just steal the horses and leave her in the desert is priceless. They are stuck being good guys. It's like watching someone get forced to babysit when they really wanted to go to a bar.

The 'Brother' Zone

The middle of the movie is basically a romantic comedy disguised as a western. The three guys decide one of them should marry Lee so they can get her gold mine. They literally cut cards to see who has to propose first.

Bronco 'wins' and he looks absolutely miserable about it. He goes in to propose and she tells him he's 'like a brother' to her. It happens to all three of them! Each one gets rejected in the exact same way.

I laughed because it's such a universal experience. Even in 1877, guys were getting friend-zoned by girls they were trying to scam. Bull actually seems to care about her, though. Victor McLaglen plays Bull with this weird, heavy-handed sweetness that is actually pretty charming.

• The Land Rush: This part is actually pretty cool to look at.
• The Horses: You can tell these animals are actually working hard; they look sweaty and tired.
• The Villain: Layne Hunter is just okay, mostly just a guy in a suit looking shifty in a saloon.

The actual land rush in the Dakotas is the best part of the movie. There are hundreds of people waiting for the signal to just bolt into the open territory. It feels chaotic in a way that modern CGI just can't copy.

You can see the dust clogging up the air. Some of the extras look like they are genuinely worried about falling off their wagons. It’s messy. It’s loud.

There is a scene where they are racing to the mine and the camera is shaking so much you can barely see what’s happening. It makes it feel like you are actually there in the dirt. It reminded me a bit of the energy in The Gun Runners, even though that’s a different vibe entirely.

Random Observations

One thing that’s really weird is how Lee’s fiancé, Bruce, just shows up from the East. He’s so clean. His hat is perfectly blocked and his shirt is white. He looks like he stepped out of a different movie, maybe Body and Soul or something more fancy.

The outlaws decide to be nice to him because they realize Lee actually loves him. They say they will treat him 'like a gold mine.' It's a bit cheesy, but the way they say it feels like they are just tired of fighting.

The final shootout is a bit of a letdown. It’s mostly just people ducking behind rocks and shooting at nothing. Then Bull just... topples the villain off a cliff. It happens so fast I had to rewind it to make sure I didn't miss a big fight. 🧗‍♂️

The ending is actually kind of sweet. The three outlaws see the Marshal coming and they realize they are still wanted men. They can't stay and be heroes.

They wave goodbye and ride off into the distance. They didn't get the girl and they didn't get the gold. They just got a lot of dust in their lungs and a funny story to tell.

It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a real movie. It has heart, even if it’s a bit clunky and the sound quality is sometimes like listening to a conversation through a tin can.

If you're looking for something deep, maybe go watch something else. But if you want to see three tough guys get their feelings hurt by a nice girl in a sunbonnet, give this a spin. It's better than most of the stuff from that year.