The Mystery Rider (1928) - A dusty trip back to the silent west

Is it worth your time?

If you're the kind of person who enjoys squinting at grainy black-and-white footage to see if that's a real mustache or a fake one, then yes. This is pure 1920s nostalgia.

If you need things like 'clear sound' or 'a plot that makes total sense,' you are going to absolutely hate this. It’s a dusty, flickering mess, but it’s a charming one.

I sat down with a cup of coffee to watch this and by the time the first horse chase ended, my coffee was cold. I didn't even notice because I was too busy trying to figure out why everyone in 1928 wore such giant pants. 🤠

The story is about this ranch and a mysterious rider—hence the title, obviously—who keeps showing up and causing trouble. It’s not exactly The Monster in terms of thrills, but it has its moments.

Derelys Perdue is the lead here and she has these huge eyes that seem to take up half her face. She does a lot of that silent-movie acting where she clutches her chest to show she is worried.

Honestly, she’s better than the material she’s working with. You can tell she’s trying to give it some weight even when the script is just 'go stand by that fence and look confused.'

Then there is Bud Osborne. He plays the heavy, and he has a face that just looks like it was carved out of an old boot.

There is a scene about twenty minutes in where he’s arguing with another guy, and the title cards are so long I actually had time to check my phone. The pacing is... let's call it 'leisurely.'

It’s much slower than something like The Black Ace, which feels like a sprint by comparison. This movie wants you to look at the scenery.

The 'Mystery Rider' himself wears this cape that looks suspiciously like a tablecloth. Every time he rides onto the screen, the music in my head (since the version I watched was silent) was just goofy circus music.

I don't think he’s supposed to be funny, but when he sneaks around behind bushes that are clearly too small to hide a grown man, I couldn't help but chuckle. 🐎

There’s a specific shot where a horse almost trips over a rock and the actor just keeps going like nothing happened. I love stuff like that. It feels real in a way modern movies don't because they’d just CGI the horse out or something.

The film quality is pretty rough in the version I found. It looks like it was stored in a damp basement for about fifty years, which it probably was.

It reminds me a bit of Fighting Cressy but with less focus on the drama and more on just... people being on horses. So many horses.

I wonder what it was like to sit in a theater in 1928 and watch this. Were people actually on the edge of their seats?

The mystery isn't really that mysterious. If you pay attention for more than five minutes, you can probably guess whos under the mask.

But that’s not really why you watch a movie like this. You watch it for the vibe. The way the dust kicks up behind the wagons and the way the shadows look on the canyon walls.

There is a moment toward the end where a guy gets punched and he falls over like he’s made of wood. It’s the least convincing fight I’ve seen all year and I loved every second of it.

It’s definitely not as polished as Within the Law. That movie feels like a 'production.' This feels like a bunch of friends went out to a ranch with a camera and a horse and decided to make a movie before lunch.

Tom London shows up too. He was in everything back then. I think he had a permanent spot on every western set in Hollywood.

I found myself getting distracted by the backgrounds. There’s a scene in a saloon and you can see a dog sleeping in the corner. I spent three minutes wondering if that dog is still famous in dog-heaven. 🐕

The ending is exactly what you think it is. Everything gets wrapped up in a neat little bow and everyone is happy, except for the bad guys who are probably just dusty and tired.

I wouldn't call this a masterpiece. It’s barely a movie by today's standards. But if you want to turn your brain off and look at some historical artifacts moving around on screen, it’s fine.

It’s the kind of thing you watch on a Sunday afternoon when you don't want to think about work. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything.

I'm going to go wash the dust out of my eyes now. I swear I can feel the grit from that ranch through the screen.