Another of the terrific comedies that Hoot Gibson starred in for Universal before they dropped his contract in a panic at the dawn of the sound era -- I suppose as he wasn't a relative of Carl Laemmle, it was ok. this one shows Hoot displaying his easy-going charm as he and two other claimants compete for a valuable gold mine. There are a couple of brilliantly composed scenes, particularly the Mexican fiesta that turns into a duel, but it all comes down to good writing and Hoot Gibson's star power, and it delivers.
Some of the joke may be considered offensive today, although given who utters them -- vile, despicable claim jumpers -- jokes that the gold vein is so deep that "It goes to the roots of the chop suey tree" can be viewed as in character. Besides, standards of decency have not universally risen -- there are no bullet-ridden corpses oozing sticky blood here. What use is a movie without people oozing blood? Well, there are a few laughs, a plot that makes some sense an some good thrills here that don't involve computer faking. Take a look.
Some of the joke may be considered offensive today, although given who utters them -- vile, despicable claim jumpers -- jokes that the gold vein is so deep that "It goes to the roots of the chop suey tree" can be viewed as in character. Besides, standards of decency have not universally risen -- there are no bullet-ridden corpses oozing sticky blood here. What use is a movie without people oozing blood? Well, there are a few laughs, a plot that makes some sense an some good thrills here that don't involve computer faking. Take a look.
