AllMovie

Universal's crack Western team of director Edward Sedgwick and star Hoot Gibson crafted a fine little silent oater about a returning war veteran who lands in the middle of a range feud. On the train bound for home, Gibson renews his friendship with the daughter of a neighboring rancher (Laura La Plante), only to find that their fathers are fighting over water rights. The returning vet is declared a coward by the citizenry because of his natural reticence when a nasty villain (William A. Steele) threatens to blow up a dam. Gibson overcomes his condition in time to save the girl from the ensuing flood, however, restoring his heroic image for all time. The usually comedy-prone Gibson kept his preference for slapstick to a minimum this time around and Shootin' for Love emerged as one of the star's better vehicles.