MartinHafer
Tim McCoy B-westerns are quite a bit different from a Gene Autry or Roy Rogers flick. Tim isn't quite so pretty and his films almost never include singing. And, more importantly, he occasionally does what Roy, Gene and the Lone Ranger rarely do--kills bad guys if necessary.While the plot of "Frontier Crusader" isn't all that novel, even for a Tim McCoy film it's pretty violent. One scene in particular surprised me. Tim was having a good old fashioned fist fight with one baddie and when he hits him, the guy goes flying down a well to his death. A couple other times, he simply shoots the bad guys. To me, this is a major plus in the film--after all, heroes can't always shoot the guy out of a villain's hand! The plot involves a town where lawlessness abounds. The sheriff of Monument City calls for Tim Rand (McCoy) who comes to enforce order. But he doesn't plan on staying--that is, until a cute lady comes to town and Rand decides to stick around a bit. Aside from the actions of a few drunk rowdies, however, the real problem is a gang of evil bandits who jump claims, steal strongboxes and kill--all in secrecy. Rand at first thinks the bartender is behind all this--but the conspiracy goes a lot deeper.Overall, a pretty good B-film. Despite being made for PRC (one of the crappiest little studios in Hollywood at the time), it's got some dandy action and a decent script. Well worth seeing.
