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5.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Test remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Look, if you are here for high-class art, just turn around right now. But if you want to see a very good boy named Rin Tin Tin Jr. bite some bad guys in the snowy woods, The Test is a fun 50 minutes. 🐕
People who love vintage outdoor adventures will find this charming. Anyone who gets annoyed by scratchy sound or extremely obvious stunt dogs will absolutely hate it.
The story is so thin you can see right through it. A fur trapper catches a thief, gets his furs back, and then gets them stolen again almost immediately.
Like, buddy, maybe lock your cabin door next time? Or at least watch your stuff closer after the first robbery.
Thankfully, we have Rin Tin Tin Jr. here to do the actual thinking. He is honestly more charismatic than half of the human cast combined.
Grant Withers plays the hero, and he is fine, but he mostly just stands around looking rugged. He has this one face he does when he is angry that just looks like he smelled some bad cheese.
The fight scenes are incredibly messy. It does not have the grand scale of something like The Iron Horse, but it is fun to see guys rolling around in what looks like a freezing backyard.
We also get Nanette the Dog! Yes, there is a dog love interest, and their romance is actually handled way better than the human ones.
The editing is pretty wild too. Some shots cut so fast you wonder if the physical film broke in the projector room.
But that is just the charm of these 1930s cheapies. They just wanted to get the dog on screen, let him bite the bad guy, and go home.
It has that same rough-around-the-edges feel as other early outdoorsy films like The Thundering Herd, but with way more barking.
It is not a masterpiece, but it is a neat little time capsule. If you love old dogs doing stunts, give it a go.
