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5.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Randy Rides Alone remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
You should watch this movie today if you have about fifty minutes and want to see something that feels like a fever dream. It is perfect for people who like seeing John Wayne before he became a statue of himself.
If you need movies to make perfect sense or have high-quality sound, you will probably hate this. It’s old, it’s scratchy, and the logic is... well, it's not really there. 🤠
The movie starts with a scene that is actually really unsettling. Randy (Wayne) walks into a saloon and find everyone dead.
They aren't just dead; they are sitting at tables like they are still drinking. It looks like a wax museum gone wrong.
Instead of running for help, Randy picks up a harmonica and starts playing a tune. Why would you do that?
He just stands there among the corpses, playing music. It is one of the weirdest things I have seen in a western.
Naturally, the sheriff walks in at that exact second. Randy looks guilty as hell, even though he just arrived.
I think the movie would be better if it stayed this creepy. But it quickly turns into a standard chase story.
The most shocking part for me was George 'Gabby' Hayes. If you have seen The Lone Star, you know he usually talks a mile a minute.
In this one, he plays a character called Mat the Mute. He doesn't say a single word for almost the whole movie.
He uses a little chalkboard to tell people what to do. It’s actually kind of effective and way more intimidating than his usual persona.
He has this creepy grin that he keeps doing while writing down orders to kill people. It’s great.
He is the leader of the outlaws, and they have a hideout behind a waterfall. Because of course they do.
The waterfall looks like it’s made of very loud static. Every time a character walks through it, they look like they are regret everything.
The jail Randy gets thrown into has the weakest looking bars in history. They look like they were painted on by a tired intern.
When he escapes, he just kind of leans on them and they give up. It’s very polite of the jail to let him go like that.
I noticed that John Wayne’s hat is absolutely massive in this film. It’s like a five-gallon hat that holds ten gallons.
There is also a lot of shaky camera work during the horse chases. It feels like the cameraman was riding a third horse right next to them.
The stunts are actually pretty impressive for 1934. Yakima Canutt does some crazy falls that look like they actually hurt.
One guy falls off a cliff and it is clearly a dummy. It bounces in a way that made me laugh out loud. 😂
I’ve seen other short films from this era like The Circus Ace, but this one feels grittier. It has a bit of a noir vibe in the beginning.
The lady in the movie, Alberta Vaughn, doesn't have much to do. She mostly just looks at Randy with a mix of confusion and hope.
The dialogue is very simple. It’s mostly people shouting "There he goes!" or "Get him!"
The movie is only 52 minutes long, which is a blessing. It moves much faster than something like Night Nurse, even though that’s a different genre.
There is a scene where a guy gets shot and he does this very dramatic spin before falling. It takes about five seconds too long.
I love the music, even when it doesn't match the scene at all. It’s just generic "adventure" music playing over a guy eating beans.
Is it a masterpiece? No way. But it’s got a weird energy that kept me watching.
The way the plot wraps up is so fast you might blink and miss the resolution. Poof. Everyone is fine now.
If you like The Duke and want to see him when he was still learning how to be a movie star, give this a look. It’s a fun little time capsule with some surprisingly dark moments.
It’s a solid 3 out of 5 for me. It's just weird enough to be memorable.
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