The inexpensive minimalism of the film forces William Wyler to bring this much-filmed chestnut to real emotional life, utilizing simple "man against nature" vignettes, and the power of the camera to capture human faces in peak moments as they become icons. The picture, although barely out of the silent era, looks quite modern, like a western of maybe ten years later. It's a simple redemption tale given excruciating poignancy by the natural starkness of the Mojave, and an unrelenting march toward death. Well worth seeing if only to catch Wyler at the leading edge of a great career.
Review of Hell's Heroes
