Four Eyed Monsters
Advertisement
Sign in
Username   Password         Forgot password?
Wanna join? Tour Spout | Sign up
Border Phantom
  • 0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Rate this movie.

Rent it, watch it, find it

Advertisement
Directed by Roy S. Luby
A murdered entomologist, an inscrutable Asian, and a sinister cowboy with rape on his mind are but a few of the many strange characters inhabiting this unusually well-made, Bob Steele Western. Steele plays Larry O'Day, who, along with sidekick Lucky Smith (Don Barclay), comes to the rescue of Barbara Hartnell (Harley Wood), whose entomologist uncle (Frank Ball) has been found murdered at his laboratory near the border to Mexico. If the murder wasn't enough, poor Barbara is in trouble with a strange neighbor, Obed Young (Karl Hackett), who raves about an ancient curse threatening her hacienda. After a mysterious intruder attempts to strangle Lucky, Larry catches German scientist Dr. von Kurtz (John Peters) stealing specimens from the dead entomologist's lab. Barbara, meanwhile, is arrested for the murder by the sheriff (Horace Murphy) but is freed by Jim Barton (Perry Murdock). The latter, a forbidding-looking cowboy, arranges with Chon Lee (Miki Morita) to have Barbara smuggled across the border as a "picture bride," but she is rescued in the nick of time by Larry, who now has proof of who killed Professor Hartnell. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
[More]
All Movie Guide Logo
Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
is neutral about it.
Republic Pictures lavished quite a bit of money on this unusual Western, which came complete with expressionistic touches rarely, if ever, found in sagebrush operas. There are painted shadows in Border Phantom and cinematographer Jack Greenhalgh introduced a couple of neat camera angles as well. Although Fred Myton's screenplay promises a bit more than the film can deliver, the acting is above average and former editor Roy S. Luby manages to build up quite a bit of tension. Border Phantom was one of the last of the "whodunit" Westerns, a subgenre especially popular in the beginning of the sound era. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
 

Community ratings

mavens
Spout mavens
haven't rated it
most people
Most people
haven't rated it

Other opinions