The Reckless Buckaroo: A B-Western That Forgets to Stop

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a very specific craving for black-and-white horse operas where the plot moves like molasses. If you like classic Western tropes, you'll be fine. If you hate movies where the sound quality makes you feel like you're trapped inside a tin can, steer clear.

It’s not quite as charming as Happy Days, but it has that same dusty, forgotten energy.

The Setup

Bill Cody plays the hero, obviously. He finds the Sheriff, gets the badge, and suddenly he’s the law. It happens fast. Like, bafflingly fast.

The bad guy, Hal Bost, is doing the whole 'double agent' thing. He’s the Sheriff’s deputy, but he’s also leading a gang. He spends a lot of time looking intense while wearing a hat that looks two sizes too big for his head. 🤠

Odd Little Moments

• There is a scene where someone is definitely just standing behind a tree, waiting for their cue to enter the frame. It’s hilarious.
• The horses seem bored. I don't blame them.
• Every time a gun goes off, the editing jumps like the film reel was cut with a pair of kitchen scissors.

The whole thing with Diane believing Bill killed her father feels forced. It’s the kind of plot device that only exists because the writers needed a reason for her to be mad at the hero for ten minutes. It’s not deep, it’s just there.

Why it feels... empty?

Sometimes the movie gets noticeably better when it just lets the characters ride their horses and stop talking. The dialogue is pretty stiff, honestly. It feels like they were reading off cue cards held by someone standing just out of range of the camera.

It’s nowhere near as strange as The Black Cat, but it has its own weird, quiet rhythm. You can almost feel the movie trying to convince you this moment matters, even when the stakes feel like they’re being made up on the fly.

The way they handle the final showdown is pretty standard. Everyone shoots at the air, someone falls off a horse, and the credits roll before you can even process if the bad guy actually got what was coming to him. It’s not great, but it’s a time capsule of a specific kind of low-budget filmmaking that doesn't really exist anymore. Probably for the best.

Anyway, watch it if you're bored on a Sunday afternoon. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything. 🐴