HELL TOWN is a John Wayne western made just before he achieved international stardom as America's primary movie star. He had been working his way through a string of B-movie western cheapies throughout the 1930s and this film is no exception. Wayne plays the usual two-fisted cowboy who begins the film by being wrongly accused of being a cattle rustler before building his reputation and finally taking on a crooked gambler in the climactic moments.
This film is very ordinary for a western of its age and thus not particularly engaging. Not much thought is given to the scenery or the supporting actors and Wayne is the only one you really notice or indeed take note of. A romantic sub-plot threatens to slow things down to a crawl at times, but the gambling plot is better and more interesting.
This film is very ordinary for a western of its age and thus not particularly engaging. Not much thought is given to the scenery or the supporting actors and Wayne is the only one you really notice or indeed take note of. A romantic sub-plot threatens to slow things down to a crawl at times, but the gambling plot is better and more interesting.