Riders of the Purple Sage Reviews

This fourth film version of the popular Grey novel is probably the weakest. Montgomery is the cowboy who discovers that the judge, Barrat, is cheating his niece out of a rightful inheritance. What's more, Barrat is the secret leader of a gang of outlaws who pose as vigilantes so they can control the territory via thievery and murder. With the help of love interest Howard, Montgomery stops the mayhem and puts the wrongdoers behind bars. This story, first filmed in 1918, had become somewhat dated 23 years later. The overly melodramatic action and plot implausibilities overlooked earlier just didn't work any longer. The script differs from the novel slightly in an effort to cover some plot holes. But this remake twice-removed displays little difference from any programmer western of the time. Montgomery, a standout as the hero, would soon jump to A pictures and make a second Zane Grey feature, LAST OF THE DUANES.