AllMovie

An early William S. Hart 2-reel western, The Taking of Luke McVane featured the star as a miner who spends his fortune on drink and dames in an Arizona frontier town. A nasty gambler (S.C. Smith) does his best to benefit from the miner's windfall and is killed for his efforts. The miner, Luke McVane, flees to the desert with the sheriff Clifford S. Smith in hot pursuit. The sheriff is wounded in an ambush, but Luke -- "not a bad sort at heart," as a title explains -- nurses him back to health. The recovered lawman promises to put in a good word with the judge if Luke will surrender. On their way back to town, the two men are attacked by Apaches, and both lose their lives. Hart excelled in playing the good-bad man and this otherwise minor effort is typical of his output. Co-star Clifford S. Smith, later a noted western director in his own right, functioned as Hart's assistant in the early years. The leading lady of this film, Enid Markey, is best remembered for playing Jane in Tarzan of the Apes (1918).