AllMovie

Veteran second-unit director and stunt coordinator Ralph Cedar warmed the director's chair for the 1940 Charles Starrett oater West of Abilene. Frontiersman Tom Garfield (Starrett) and his pals endeavor to save their land from the clutches of slimy easterner Forsyth (Don Beddoe). The villain hires a bit of local muscle in the form of brutish Chris Matson (William Pawley), but he's no match for our hero. Stalwart Columbia contractee Bruce Bennett delivers a nicely understated performance as Garfield's brother, who is also the film's official romantic lead. The absence of such "regulars" as Iris Meredith, Dick Curtis and E. J. LeSaint and the presence of such comparative newcomers as heroine Marjorie Cooley and supporting player George Cleveland was indication enough that Columbia was endeavoring to remove the "rubber-stemp" onus from its Charles Starrett series.