AllMovie

Never taking itself too seriously (Maynard, for example, at one point escapes his pursuers by rolling down a steep hill in a barrel), Phantom Thunderbolt is perhaps the best of the eight Westerns Ken Maynard would make for low-budget producer Sam Bischoff. Although consistently funny, the Western does not eschew action and there are several well-staged fights between Ken and the always watchable Bob Kortman. Using his usual pseudonym of Alan James, veteran director Alvin J. Neitz keeps things moving at a fast clip and everyone involved seems to be having as good a time as the audience.