The Phantom Rider: 15 chapters of pure, dusty chaos

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a massive soft spot for the black-and-white serial era. If you need pacing that makes sense or dialogue that doesn't sound like it was written on the back of a napkin in five minutes, look away.

Die-hard fans of The Hole in the Wall might find some comfort in the familiar tropes, but the average viewer is going to start checking their watch by chapter four.

The endless loop of it all

Watching this feels like being stuck in a time loop where every single scene ends with someone falling off a horse or missing a point-blank shot. Buck Jones is clearly the boss here, but the plot just refuses to move forward in any meaningful way.

It’s a 15-episode grind. Literally. They just kept filming until they hit the quota, I guess.

There is a moment in chapter six where someone trips over a rock and the sound effect is delayed by a full second. It was the most honest thing in the whole movie.

Odd little details

• Cactus Mack and His Saddle Tramps Band show up, and it feels like a completely different movie for five minutes.
• The bad guys are so cartoonishly evil they might as well be twirling mustaches.
• I’m pretty sure I saw the same stunt double fall off a barn roof three times in a row.

Compared to something like Sperduti nel buio, this is just absolute fluff. It isn't trying to be deep, which is fine, but it does get exhausting. The way the characters just stand around in the desert waiting for something to happen is… something.

It’s not good, but it’s not exactly bad in a way that hurts. It just is. If you want a nap, this is perfect. If you want a Western, maybe go watch something else. 🤠