Item: Rip Roarin' Buckaroo
Rating: 5.5
Author: Archivist John

Is it worth the hour?

Look, if you are the kind of person who needs a tight, logical plot that respects the laws of physics or common sense, skip Rip Roarin' Buckaroo. It is basically a checklist of every B-movie trope from the era, but there is a strange, dusty charm to it that kept me watching until the end.

Fans of old-school, no-frills westerns will find something to like here. If you hate movies where the acting feels like it was directed by someone shouting from across a canyon, you should probably stay away.

The Ranch Life

Tyler, our disgraced boxer, tries to trade in the ring for the range. It’s pretty funny watching him try to act like a cowboy when you can tell he’d much rather be throwing a jab. The transition feels less like a character arc and more like he just wandered onto a different set during lunch break.

There is this moment where he is supposed to be working hard, but he’s just standing there, looking confused. It feels less like a dramatic choice and more like he forgot his line. I kind of loved it.

The Dog

Wimpy the dog is the best actor in this thing. I am not even joking. Every time the human drama gets a little too stiff or the dialogue starts feeling like wood, the camera cuts to the dog doing something perfectly normal.

There is a scene near the middle where the dog is just sitting by a fence, and it’s the most authentic moment in the entire film. Forget the boxing. Give me more of the dog.

Boxing vs. Horses

The whole thing feels like it’s struggling to decide what it wants to be. It has the grit of a gym flick but the scenery of a trail ride. It’s a bit jarring. Sometimes it reminds me of the vibe in The Crimson Runner, where you can tell they were just trying to get the scene in the can before the sun went down.

The fight scenes? They are... well, they happen. People swing their arms in wide circles, and everyone falls down in a way that wouldn't hurt a fly. It’s adorable, really. 🥊