Smoking Guns is a weird, dusty relic

Is it worth your time?

If you're into the kind of dusty, black-and-white westerns where the horses get more screen time than the dialogue, you’ll probably have a decent time. If you need a movie to actually move, or if you get bored by guys in cowboy hats standing around staring at rocks, stay away. This is pure, old-school B-movie filler.

The whole thing kicks off with Ken hiding out in the jungle. It’s supposed to be a tense exile, but it feels more like he’s just waiting for the craft services table to open. When Evans shows up, the pacing stays stuck in neutral for a while. Then, suddenly, Evans dies. It’s very abrupt, like the scriptwriter just got tired of writing for him.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Smoking Guns (1934) through its definitive frames.

The identity swap is the hook, obviously. Ken decides to be Evans. It’s a classic setup, but the movie doesn't really lean into the tension of it. You’d expect him to be worried about getting caught at every turn, but he mostly just walks around looking slightly confused. The mustache game in this movie is pretty strong, though. Some of these guys look like they’ve got entire creatures living on their upper lips.

I couldn't help but think about how much this feels like The Mediator in the way it handles these long, silent stretches. There’s a lot of focus on people just riding horses toward the horizon. Sometimes, the camera lingers on a landscape shot so long I started checking my own watch. Why are we still looking at this tree? The tree is fine, but it isn't moving the plot.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Smoking Guns (1934) through its definitive frames.

Random thoughts from the back row:

• The sound design is… loud. Every gunshot sounds like a cannon going off in a closet.
• There’s a moment where a character walks into a room and stops dead for five seconds before saying anything. I think the actor forgot his line, but they kept it in anyway.
• The extras in the background look like they’d rather be literally anywhere else.
• Every time Ken tries to sound tough, he sounds like he’s reading a grocery list.

It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s got that specific, scratchy charm of a film that was probably made in a weekend. It’s imperfect, definitely. It’s got more holes in the story than a piece of Swiss cheese. But there’s something honest about how basic it is. No one is trying to win an award here. They’re just trying to get the scene done so they can go home.

It’s not quite as punchy as Here He Comes, but it’s got its own weird energy. If you watch it, don't expect a revelation. Just expect a bunch of guys in vests shouting about murder and riding in circles. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need on a Tuesday night. 🤠