Desperate Trails

A sheriff (Russell Simpson) is desperate to get his hands on money being transported on the stagecoach and he's desperate to rustle cattle; and he's desperate to push a lovely lady (Frances Robinson) off her ranch. To counter the schemes of this corrupt man wearing a badge, a territory marshal has just sent a federal agent to clean things up. Que; Johnny Mack Brown as the agent, who instantly tackles rustlers, saves Frances from a tampered wagon with no brakes and the crooked sheriff.

The action in this 1939 western is quite exciting: in one sequence, the hero shoots at a gang of outlaws, one-handed, with a repeating rifle, never missing his target! There's some good stunt work featuring two guys falling off their horse via their loosened saddle and a rope. There's some romance and some decent comic shenanigans by Fuzzy Knight. But it's Russell Simpson as the crooked sheriff who steals the scene. However, his choice of hired henchmen is poor. They are quite useless.