Why not explain it to Mathews family properly?
Pop--sidekick (Slim Whitaker) catsup.
As far as B-westerns go, "Bullet Code" is among the best. There are a variety of reasons....but the biggest one to me is that it emphasizes realism compared to films with singing cowboys with idiot sidekicks.
Steven Condon (George O'Brien) is a decent man. However, when one of his range hands betrays him to a group of cattle rustlers, he's able to drive away the rustlers...but THINKS he's accidentally shot the guy who betrayed them. Now, to me, even if he had, it would have been justified...but in reality the rustlers shot him and have convinced Steve he did it. As his friend (and betrayer) lies dying, he askes Steve to go check on his family, the Mathews,....and Steve agrees.
When Steve arrives along with his friend, Pop (Slim Whitaker), the pair soon discover that some unknown person is trying to destroy the Mathews ranch. But who and why? Well, Steve and Pop help out...even when the Mathews family thinks Steve is a murderer for killing that guy at the beginning of the picture...which he really didn't do.
The main plot of a greedy land baron trying to steal a ranch is hardly original, the story is done well. O'Brien is excellent as an 'everyman' sort of cowboy hero and Whitaker is good because he's NOT a dopey sidekick but a very competent one. My only complaint is that when Steve realizes he didn't kill the man, he did a lousy job of explaining it to the Mathews family!
Pop--sidekick (Slim Whitaker) catsup.
As far as B-westerns go, "Bullet Code" is among the best. There are a variety of reasons....but the biggest one to me is that it emphasizes realism compared to films with singing cowboys with idiot sidekicks.
Steven Condon (George O'Brien) is a decent man. However, when one of his range hands betrays him to a group of cattle rustlers, he's able to drive away the rustlers...but THINKS he's accidentally shot the guy who betrayed them. Now, to me, even if he had, it would have been justified...but in reality the rustlers shot him and have convinced Steve he did it. As his friend (and betrayer) lies dying, he askes Steve to go check on his family, the Mathews,....and Steve agrees.
When Steve arrives along with his friend, Pop (Slim Whitaker), the pair soon discover that some unknown person is trying to destroy the Mathews ranch. But who and why? Well, Steve and Pop help out...even when the Mathews family thinks Steve is a murderer for killing that guy at the beginning of the picture...which he really didn't do.
The main plot of a greedy land baron trying to steal a ranch is hardly original, the story is done well. O'Brien is excellent as an 'everyman' sort of cowboy hero and Whitaker is good because he's NOT a dopey sidekick but a very competent one. My only complaint is that when Steve realizes he didn't kill the man, he did a lousy job of explaining it to the Mathews family!