Search - Gene Autry: Twilight on the Rio Grande on DVD

Unusual, and entertaining

Wayne Engle | Madison, IN United States | 09/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This, the second to last film Gene Autry ever made for Republic, has an intriguing plot concerning Autry and his friends' going back and forth across the Rio Grande to try to find out who killed his partner (Bob Steele in a late-career cameo) and stole some very valuable jewels. Dorrell and Stuart McGowan wrote an excellent screen play (as usual) with unusual plot twists concerning a beautiful cantina singer (Adele Mara) who is an expert at knife throwing. The blades fly thick and fast at times in this story, with a surprising and effective denouement involving them in the climactic scene.
Gene does a creditable job in this movie, although you can tell he's already looking forward to his move to Columbia Pictures later that year. I gave this one four stars instead of five because of the fight scenes; Autry's portions of them involve too much jump cutting which indicates that it's a stunt man and not Gene Autry in at least some of the shots (whenever his hat never comes off during a fight, you can bet that the master shots were done by a stunt man, not Autry.) I've never understood why some of Gene's fight scenes were shot this way, because he gave ample proof in other films that he could do his own stunt work very skillfully when required. I guess it all depended on who the director was, when the fight scenes were shot, and so forth. And I also realize that many other screen cowboys didn't do their own stunts all the time; some seldom did. I guess I hold Autry to a higher standard because he's always been my hero.
A good movie, nevertheless. The songs are tuneful and pleasant, and well placed so that they complement the story instead of slowing it down.

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