Sam Fuller's directorial debut starts off with a bang - after a credit sequence (with the obligatory 'Ballad of Jesse James' playing) we plunge into a robbery, with extreme close ups and a camera zapping around as Jesse James and his gang hold up a bank. It sets us up for a bold exciting first half hour, full of emotion - Bob Ford's panting over a sultry actress, Jesse James' homoerotic longing for Ford (check out that bathing scene with James indicating his back to Ford), Ford trying to find opportunities to plug Jesse James, intense emotive acting.
Then after James' death the piece loses momentum - Ford is gripped by guilt, goes nasty and the film becomes more about a silver prospector (Preston Foster) who is in love with Ford's girl (Barbara Britton). As if we care - neither of them is interesting. Like many Westerns the cowboys seem more intp each other than girls - there is also bromance between Foster and John Ireland (who plays Ford), plus Ireland and an old character actor who plays a prospector.
So although this is an impressive debut with some great moments and strong work from John Ireland, it's not really in the classic territory. Fuller fans will adore it.
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