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6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Canyon of Missing Men remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to sit down with a coffee and watch a movie that feels like it was filmed through a layer of actual 1930s dirt, then The Canyon of Missing Men might be your thing. It’s definitely not for people who need high-definition explosions or plots that make total sense every second. 🤠
Tom Tyler plays Dave Brandon. He’s tall and has that very specific look of a guy who has spent way too much time on a horse and not enough time near a bathtub.
Dave is trying to leave his gang. They aren't happy about it, mostly because having a guy quit the team is bad for business, I guess.
It’s a classic setup you’ve seen a million times. It reminds me a little of the rough-and-tumble energy in Bucking Broadway, though that one had a bit more heart and better lighting.
One thing that really stuck out to me was the sound. This is an early 'talkie' and you can really tell the crew was still figuring out where to put the microphones.
The mics must have been hidden in the bushes or inside someone’s hat. Sometimes a character speaks and it sounds like they are shouting from the next county over.
Then they move two inches and suddenly it’s like they’re whispering right in your ear. It’s a bit jarring but honestly, it adds to the charm of these old relics.
The 'Canyon' in the title isn't just a location. It feels like a character that’s just... there, watching everyone be miserable.
There’s a lot of riding. Just people on horses going from left to right across the screen.
Then they go from right to left. 🐎 I found myself wondering if they ever got bored of the same three rocks.
Sheila Bromley shows up as the love interest. She’s fine, I guess, though her job is mostly to look worried while men shout about 'justice.'
She mostly just stands there while the men shout about honor and crime. Her hats are very impressive for being in the middle of a desert.
Tom Tyler has this way of standing that is so stiff. It’s like he’s worried his pants might rip if he moves too fast or breathes too deep.
But when he gets on a horse, he’s a different person. He actually looks like he knows what he’s doing, which is more than I can say for some of the extras.
The gang members are all pretty interchangeable. They wear big hats and have names that I forgot five minutes after the movie ended.
One of them has a mustache that looks like it was glued on in a massive hurry. It wiggles whenever he gets angry or tries to act tough.
It’s almost as weird as the pacing in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe where things just sort of happen and then stop without warning.
There’s a scene near the end where Dave has to make a choice. It’s supposed to be very dramatic and heavy.
The music swells—or rather, the static in the background gets a bit louder and more aggressive. I actually liked the lack of polish here.
It feels like a real piece of history, even if the story is thinner than a piece of wet paper. The way they handle the 'crime' aspect is very old-school and blunt.
You’re either a good man or a bad man. There isn't much room for the middle ground or 'complicated' feelings in this canyon.
Dave wants to be good, so he has to fight. It’s much simpler than something like Shadows of Suspicion which tries to be a bit more clever with its mystery bits.
Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it better than staring at a wall for an hour? Yeah, probably.
It’s the kind of movie you put on when you want to feel like you’re in a dusty theater in 1930. I noticed a few things while watching that made
IMDb 5.2
1919
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