Normally I'd never call out one person and say that a film stank because of them, but such is the case with Reb Russell in "The Man from Hell". It seems that Russell was an All-American football player in college and this and his youthful looks made him a natural for westerns. Sadly, however, after a dozen films, it was obvious he just wasn't cut out to be an actor. I assume he was a swell guy....and I've never heard anything bad about the guy aside from his inability to act...and it's obvious here in his first starring B-western. When he delivers lines, they sound flat...as if he's reading them instead of acting them. And, despite being a decent looking guy, he has less charisma than a bilious frog!
It's sad, as the basic plot is pretty good and the film could have been good with a different man in the lead. It seems that Clint (Russell) was just released from prison for a robbery he still claims he never committed. He also is committed to staying out of trouble...which is tough. For instance, in the opening scene, a local jerk is in a fight and ends up slapping around a little boy in the process. When Clint calls him on this, the jerk takes a swing at him....and Clint knocks him down...only to get yelled at and threatened by the local marshal. Why Clint never tried to explain WHY he decked the guy, I have no idea...nor did it make any sense that no one in the crowd said a word about WHY Clint slugged the man. This isn't great writing and seems odd. Can Clint manage to avoid breaking the law AND proving he was innocent in this awful town? See the film to find out...or, don't bother, as there are hundreds (if not more) better westerns waiting to be seen.
The bottom line is that putting a terrible actor in the lead will doom a low-budgeted film. After all, it already had a few strikes against it due to the cheapness of the production. The only bright point is that like many Bs of the early to mid-1930s, you get to see George Hayes before he developed his 'Gabby' Hayes persona. Yep, gone is his grizzled beard and he looks downright respectable in this and a few other westerns!