The Lion's Den: A Case of Mistaken Identity

Is this worth your afternoon?

If you have a soft spot for 1930s B-westerns where everyone wears a hat at all times and the plot moves like a caffeinated jackrabbit, then sure. It’s short, it’s punchy, and it doesn't try to be anything other than a Saturday matinee filler. If you hate old-school black and white films where the audio crackles like a bowl of cereal, skip it. You will be bored to tears.

Tim McCoy is usually the anchor in these things. Here, he’s playing the classic "I'll just pretend to be this bad guy" game. It’s a trope that feels older than the dirt they’re riding over, but there’s something oddly charming about how quickly Welsh just accepts him as the lethal 'Single-Shot Smith'.

The moment the real Single-Shot Smith shows up, you can practically hear the script writers high-fiving each other. It’s a classic pivot point.

The scenery and the grit

I noticed a specific fence in the opening scene that looks like it’s about to fall over if someone sneezes too hard. It adds a certain unintentional authenticity to the whole production. The town feels like it was built yesterday out of plywood and good intentions.

There is a scene near the middle where they are just standing around talking about a job, and the lighting shifts so drastically it looks like the sun decided to retire early. It’s a bit jarring. Also, keep an eye on the extras in the background. One guy in a plaid shirt just stands there for three minutes straight, doing absolutely nothing.

• The spurs sound way louder than they actually would be.
• McCoy’s hat never seems to fall off during the scuffles.
• The dialogue is mostly just people shouting instructions at each other.

It reminds me a bit of the pacing in The Man Hunter, where everything just sort of happens because the clock is ticking. You aren't watching this for the character development, obviously. You’re watching it to see who gets punched in the jaw next.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s barely even a movie in the traditional sense. But it hits the mark if you just want to turn your brain off and watch some folks in dusty suits pretend to be tough. 🤠