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Here's a genuine oddity: a silent Western drama produced by the Hal Roach Studio, which stars two of the studio's most famous comedians, Oliver Hardy and James Finlayson, in serious roles. Actually, the top billed star of No Man's Law is Rex the Wonder Horse -- and no, I'm not kidding -- for this film was made at the height of the "animal adventure" craze initiated by the great success of canine star Rin Tin Tin. Rex is certainly a magnificent-looking stallion, but he isn't the central figure in this story; he turns up only occasionally at key moments to perform good deeds, while the plot is driven primarily by the actions of the human characters. Hardy in particular has a great deal of screen time, albeit in a role that could hardly be further afield from the way we tend to remember him.

It should be noted that this isn't the kind of Western that boasts cattle stampedes, large scale shoot-outs, hostile Injuns or the Pony Express; there isn't even a saloon. In fact, the entire cast consists of only four people, stuck in the middle of nowhere. The story concerns an old miner (played by Finlayson) and his daughter (Barbara Kent) who live in a tumbledown shack in a remote portion of a bleak and dusty desert. Here they are menaced by a pair of villains, one of whom, Spider O'Day (Theodore Von Eltz), turns out to be better than he seems, while the other, Sharkey Nye (Hardy), is a greedy, sadistic, cowardly sleaze-ball. That's right, this movie shows us what happens when dear old, tie-twiddling Ollie goes bad, and it's not a pretty sight. Hardy is made to appear quite ugly: his hair is buzzed short, he's unshaven, he wears an eye-patch over one eye, and his clothes are so stained with sweat you can practically smell him.

I happened to see No Man's Law at a public screening with an audience, and, naturally enough, Hardy's initial appearance was greeted with chuckles. And indeed, his first scene with Von Eltz has elements of intentional humor, as when Sharkey expresses his fear of dying in the desert and winding up as food for buzzards. Ollie's expressions and gestures are just as we expect them to be, and his outfit looks funny at first. But as the movie rolled grimly along it became clear to the viewers that this was not meant to be a comedy, and the laughter dwindled. The mood of No Man's Law is gloomy and dark. The story concerns violent conflict between the male characters over the possession of a gold mine -- and, eventually, over the fate of the miner's daughter. Sharkey Nye proves to be an absolute rotter who attempts to kill the old man and rape the girl. As a lifelong Laurel & Hardy fan it's difficult to describe how I felt seeing Ollie portray this character. Watching him attempt to murder Finalyson, for real, can only be compared to watching Elmer Fudd blasting away at rabbits and ducks with real buckshot. Only the realization that Sharkey is an inept and ineffectual villain prevents this movie from being a more disturbing experience than it already is.

On a happier note, youthful leading lady Barbara Kent is cute as a bug, making her entrance flouncing around the shack in a pair of over-sized pajamas and later taking a nude swim, very much like Mabel Normand in Mickey. (Mabel's longtime associate Richard Jones, who also directed Mickey, acted as supervisor on this film and co-authored the script, so the similarity is surely no coincidence.) Miss Kent, who rather resembles Paulette Goddard, brings some vivacity and desperately needed perkiness to this project.

In sum, while No Man's Law is a fascinating novelty for Laurel & Hardy fans (and, of course, for any remaining fans of Rex the Wonder Horse), it's not exactly a joy ride, and I must confess I felt a little relieved when it was over. Relieved, and ready to take another look at Way Out West or Sons of the Desert, to help expunge memories of Bad Ollie from my thoughts, and revisit the guy who always makes me laugh.

Oliver Hardy was a far cry from his "Ollie" character of the Laurel and Hardy comedies in the 1927 high Adventure drama "No Man's Law".

Here he plays escaped con-man and murderer Sharkey Nye, who along with his partner in crime, Spider O'Day (Theodore Von Eltz) outruns the Navada police and cross the California line to freedom from the law.

Here, they discover a partially dug gold mine belonging to prospector, Jack Belcher (James Finlayson) who lives in a wooden hut with his gorgeous, innocent daughter Toby (Barbara Kent).

She is molested by Sharkey (Hardy) whilst swimming nude in a creek but her horse (Rex) manages to run him off.

The two criminals convince Toby and her Dad that they will help excavate the gold mine with honest intentions and are invited to stay.

Frictions grow high when Spider softens and falls for Toby, whilst Sharkey has more sinister intentions which result in an attempt to rape her as well as murder his partner and her father.

The tension grows fiercely in a great finale.

Hardy is absolutely superb in a rare straight role - oozing pure hatred with no comic undertones.

Finlayson provides some mild amusement but generally, the film is a serious affair.

This rare film MUST be viewed in its full restored 74 minute version with synchronised soundtrack to be fully appreciated. One of the most exciting silent adventures I have seen and testament to the wonderful versatility of Oliver Norvell Hardy.

It says here this is a serious story about how Rex the Wonder Horse saves grizzled old prospector James Finlayson's life, mine and stepdaughter -- the stepdaughter is played by Barbara Kent with perfectly plucked and drawn eyebrows -- from two baddies, Theodore von Eltz and Oliver Hardy, in perfectly serious bad guy characterizations.

Yeah. Sure. Miss Kent seems to be channeling Mabel Normand's performance in MICKEY, and it's clear Hardy thinks he's playing the comic sidekick and, although he is playing a bad guy, he does get in the occasional gag. And Finn gets his moment of comedy, too, as he watches the baddies play a game of checkers to see who gets to kill him and who gets his mine and stepdaughter.

Still, given that the hero of the story is Rex the Wonder Horse, who has his own girlfriend and his own comic sidekicks -- played by some burros -- how serious do you think any of these people were? Rex' career ended after half a dozen movies in 1929 -- I suppose his voice wasn't suitable to the talkies and he went into the pet food business. That's the movie business for you.

NO MAN'S LAW is exciting enough to hold one's interest for its duration. The acting is very good and Oliver Hardy made a surprisingly effective villain. Rex, the Wonder Horse, was worked into the plot fairly seamlessly and realistically. He went on to act in about 6 movies during the sound era.

I like pictures that help me to suspend disbelief and I really had the sense that the characters were in a remote desert locale where the plight of the miner and his daughter was immediate and real. There was no hope of intervention by a sheriff and the cavalry was not coming to their rescue. They were on their own and death was hovering over their heads. This made the film a tense drama. Cinematography was far superior to most B Westerns and the suggestion of sensuality also make the film strikingly different.

I was able to watch a cutdown version of "No Man's Law" (1927) starring Rex the Wonder Horse, featuring Barbara Kent, Oliver Hardy (yes, the same), James Finlayson, Theodore von Eltz, and others (not even named on the IMDb). Based on a review or two that are fairly recent, this film in its 54 minute release form (complete) must still exist. From what I viewed, it is missing some very, very important ingredients! Nevertheless, the cutdown shows Oliver Hardy at his nastiest in a serious Western, and in a characterization utterly alien to his comedic rôles. He's one of two really nasty baddies who've run away from the law in one state and now wish to kill a miner for his mine in another. The cutdown shows the two escaping from California into Nevada while being chased by the law. The second little part shows a naked Barbara Kent (not really her; a body double was used) swimming in a lake and Oliver Hardy ogling her as she swims. When she gets out, he chases after her; takes her away; she tries to get away; Rex the horse sees all, chases after the two; Hardy has Kent in a cabin; horse kicks cabin in...somewhere in near future is the end and all is evidently well because we see...well, I won't tell you how I know (it's evidently the ending)...

Actually a decent looking "B" with Hardy in a rôle I wasn't expecting. Even the cutdown is exciting and tantalizing. Would love to see the entire film.

Well, I was able to find a copy of the "complete" print. Really interesting show. Good "B" Western, though takes credulity to a certain level that's hard to accept at times. Still... For one thing, there is one scene - the one that begins the cut-down version - that isn't even in the complete feature! So, it's good I have both! Plus, the scene where Rex knocks the little miner's shack down is more complete in the cut-down, too. Even so, the plot is very interesting: Barbara Kent (and she's really cute!) falls for Theodore von Eltz! And he for her! And it's an honest love affair! He, an escaped baddie and she a very, very innocent miner's daughter who's learned that most mammals run in pairs. We see a male and a female donkey. We see Rex the horse with mate. We see two mules, a male and...you get my drift.

This is really worth the look for two reasons: First, Oliver Hardy as a one-eyed rough toughie baddie is something else to behold. He's just plain evil! And, secondly, Jimmie Finlayson plays his part straight, but there's enough comic undertone to keep his part light and airy, even with two badly broken legs!! When Hardy wheels Finlayson up to the top of a very high cliff to throw him off, it's like some of the old serial movies with a girl tied to the railroad tracks. He's in a wheel barrow because he can't walk. Hardy takes his time about it, too.

Very fine second feature for 1927, where the first feature was a good "B". This would have made a fine matinee on a Saturday afternoon. I should mention that Rex the Wonder Horse is sompin' else!! You wouldn't wanna cross 'im.

Some silent films remain among the very best pictures that have ever been made. Some others are enjoyable but perhaps best described as "simpler entertainment for a simpler time." Somewhere between those two points on a spectrum are titles that are undeniably less sophisticated and more straightforward than pictures that followed in subsequent years, but which are nonetheless characterized by wit, charm, and plentiful hard work and admirable craft to well deserve remembrance. 1927's 'No man's law' quite fits within the latter category: it may not be an exemplar of the medium, but it's suitably well done and entertaining on its own merits, and a fine watch for something so quick.

As one rather expects from westerns especially, the filming locations are gorgeous, and all the labor poured into realizing the setting produced fantastic results. The costumes and sets bring a distant time and place to vivid life, and all the stunts and effects that are employed look terrific. In this case that includes fancy footwork from early equine star Rex the Wonder Horse, whose swell training under Jack Lindell made him an excellent addition to no few flicks in the 20s and 30s. (If anything, I rather wish that Rex had more of a presence here, for his is a relatively small supporting part.) Whether it's a question of an issue with surviving prints or the work of editor Richard Currier in the first place, one might note a couple instances where the sequencing seems a tad disjointed, yet by and large all involved did a fine job, and as director, Fred Jackman's orchestration of every shot and scene, and his oversight of the production, turned in a feature that's consistently fun and light on its feet.

To be sure, the tale that F. Richard Jones penned may be plain and uninvolved compared to even some of this movie's contemporaries, let alone fare that would follow in the decades to come. Yet just as plainly is there a bounty of joy to be had as a viewer from such pieces, and moreover, between Jones' story and Frank Butler's subsequent screenplay, there's a fair deal of detail that helps even such an abbreviated film to pop out. Both the intertitles (specifically those conveying dialogue) and scene writing are filled with cleverness and sharp minutiae that lend to minor thrills and a measure of humor. For that matter, so shrewd is the writing and Jackman's direction that there's little need for substantial text, for the preponderance of the narrative is carried out sans exposition or imparted dialogue. To that point, the cast also give splendid performances to actualize their characters, demonstrating some of the more natural, nuanced acting that modern viewers are accustomed to today rather than the more exaggerated expressions and body language that very early cinema utilized. There are but a handful of folks involved, but Theodore Von Eltz, Oliver Hardy, Barbara Kent, and James Finlayson all deserve much credit for the vitality they inject into the course of events.

To be honest, save for particular imperfections in the sequencing, I don't even know that I could say this has any real faults. Be that as it may 'No man's law' still isn't anything that wholly demands viewership, and for those who have a harder time engaging with older movies, this won't serve to change anyone's mind; leave this for cinephiles who are already enamored of the silent era. Still, in less than one hour we're treated to exposition that is curt but more than adequate, followed in short order by a steady stream of action, and all garnished with dashes of levity to balance the harsher moments. Not all films are made equal, and not everything from the silent era holds up, but when all is said and done I'm pleased to say this joins some of the more upstanding company of the early twentieth century. Don't go out of your way for it, but if you like titles of silent cinema and have the chance to watch 'No man's law,' this is well worth a mere 52 minutes of one's time.