Johnny Mack Brown was a bit on the chunky side by the time he starred in Canyon Ambush, though his excess poundage never impedes his performance. This time Brown comes to the rescue of imperiled
Phyllis Coates (who'd just spent 26 weeks as Lois Lane on the TV series
Superman). The bad guys just plain haven't got a chance against the slow-talking, fast-triggered Mr. Brown from Alabama. Brown's Monogram westerns of the early 1950s were hampered by severe economical limitations, and Canyon Ambush is hardly an exception. The film manages to coast on the sheer star power of its veteran leading man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide