The Gun Ranger is exactly the dust-covered western you expect

If you find yourself craving a black-and-white western that doesn't overstay its welcome, The Gun Ranger is probably going to work for you. It’s for the folks who like their plots simple and their bad guys obviously evil. If you need complex character arcs or high-budget scenery, you’re going to be bored to tears within the first ten minutes.

The whole thing feels like it was filmed in a frantic weekend, which is usually where these old programmers find their charm. There’s a scene early on where the lawman just tosses his badge on a desk, and the way it slides across the wood is so dramatic it almost feels like a parody of every cop movie ever made. It’s glorious.

Bob Steele has that specific kind of intensity that makes you wonder if he’s actually angry or just trying to remember his lines. He stomps around the frame with a scowl that never really lets up. I noticed he spends a lot of time adjusting his hat when he should be looking for cover. It’s a tiny, weird detail that stuck with me.

The pacing is… well, it’s fast. Maybe too fast? Sometimes a character walks through a door and suddenly the entire political landscape of the town has shifted. It makes the world feel smaller than a shoe box.

If you've seen something like The Gaucho, you know that style can sometimes carry a thin story a long way. The Gun Ranger doesn't have that much style, but it has plenty of dust and horses that look like they’re ready for a nap.

The villains are pure cartoon evil, which is honestly refreshing. No gray areas here. You’ve got the crooked politicians sweating in their suits and the henchmen who probably couldn't hit the side of a barn. It’s comforting in a way.

Some quick notes I scribbled in the dark:

• That one guy’s mustache is definitely held on by spirit gum and prayer.
• The sound mixing is all over the place; the gunshots are quiet, but the footsteps are loud as thunder.
• Did they recycle the same town street for three different locations? Pretty sure I saw that same wooden crate in every exterior shot.
• The horse in the final chase scene clearly wanted to go home before the cameras did.

It’s not a masterpiece, and nobody involved was trying to win an award. It’s a movie that exists to fill a slot on a Saturday afternoon, and it does that perfectly. Don't look for the meaning of life in it, and you'll have a fine time. 🤠