The Last Outlaw (1936) User Reviews

"Last" but not least !

[revdrcac · 7/10 · 26 August 2006]

Before John Wayne, there was Harry Carey. Carey was a mentor to John Wayne early in his career, with Duke adopting many of Carey's mannerisms and acting style. This film, which also features Hoot Gibson, Tom Tyler and Ralph "Dick Tracy" Byrd, is a wonderful example of the great western films that Harry Carey starred in over the years.

In this film, the outlaw/protagonist leaves jail after a long hitch to find a world which he no longer recognizes. Cars & street-lights have replaced lanterns & horses. Harry Carey is wonderful in this moving western, which was written by the great Director John Ford!

Many folks nowadays shy away from these early westerns...... don't make that mistake, this film will appeal to all fans of great stories and wonderful acting !

"The Last Outlaw" (1936) Is Notable Entertainment

[glennstenb · 7/10 · 21 April 2022]

"The Last Outlaw" is a tasty feast for fans of B-westerns, for it has the grit and rough-hewn feel of a B but seems just a tad weightier than most. The most exciting component of the offering is to see two of the venerable long-term stars of silents and early 30's talking B-westerns working together in one picture, namely Harry Carey and Hoot Gibson. Carey may have been the most serious-demeanored of the era's important cowboy stars and Gibson perhaps the most comedic. But "The Last Outlaw," although a few lighter moments arise here and there, is a venture fairly serious in its outlook.

Playing the villain in this one is another B-western star of the era, Tom Tyler. It is as if these three stars took time off from their regular turns at grinding out B-pictures during the 1935-36 season for their respective low-budget studios to come together and make a B+ picture for RKO. Many in the excellent cast are known to movie-goers, including the prolific A-picture character actor Henry B. Walthall in a key role.

This picture is also different in that horse-riding and gunplay is kept at a minimum, the picture relying instead on strong story development and subtle turns of humor to propel the proceedings forward. Acting is charmingly simple but so very well done, while the imaginative story (John Ford) and dialog are affecting and a pleasure to witness. Carey even gives us his traditional crossed arm stance near the end. Finally, the 1930's urban scenes are effectively juxtaposed with the depictions of a still rural and more traditional western setting.

There still weren't many polished big-studio westerns being made in the mid 1930's, so this one looks good for its time, even without a substantial budget, which it obviously didn't have. Don't miss out, as "The Last Outlaw" is a good entertainment, particularly for fans of the western genre' and its stars.

Love this movie, a good introduction to Harry Carry

[frankenstein-42983 · 9/10 · 12 December 2023]

'The Last Outlaw' (1936) directed by Christy Cabanne (The Musketeers of Pig Alley, The Goddess of Sagebrush Gulch, The Mummy's Hand, and almost too many movies to watch in one life, much less direct). Evelyne Murray Campbell came up with the original story. John Ford directed the original in 1919 (I understand only one reel still exists). Featuring performances by Harry Carey as Dean Payton, Hoot Gibson (this may be my favorite Hoot Gibson role) as Chuck Wilson, Russell Hopton as Sheriff Arthur Billings, Tom Tyler (!) as Al Goss, and Fred Scott as Larry Dixon, Singing Movie Cowboy (I think this may have started Scott on his way to be a singing cowboy. The footage isn't from one of Scott's films, but I think it served as a test reel to his series of cowboy movies). I love how the theater scene pays off when Gibson emulates the fancy cowboy look, after making fun of same look, to impress a gal. Dead accurate reflection of Male insecurity.

Carey ends up helping his old sheriff pal with catching a bank heist kidnap crew. The low key shootout (kinda an anti-shootout), and the whole picture in general, calls out the 'go in guns ablaze' stuff so common to westerns (Cry Macho did much the same thing in a different way).

Harry Carey is completely bad ass in this, and most of the townies are boorish snobs (a good mix). He accidentally jostles a guy in the street. Guy says, "For a nickel, I'd slug you!" Carey reaches into his pocket and hands the guy a nickel. A police officer breaks up the eminent fight, and Carey takes his nickel back. "You didn't earn this." I wish humor were a more common spice in modern westerns.

Why isn't this on home media?