Bulldog Courage

The film begins with a Robin Hood-like bandit fighting the forces of evil (lawyers and the like). When he's shot and lies dying, he passes on his legacy to his son. This kid grows up to become Tim McCoy and carries on his father's one-man crusade against lawyers and bankers and telemarketers (okay, the last one wasn't in the film).

Okay, it's best I admit up front that I am not a huge fan of B-Westerns--especially the series films of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and the like. I have nothing against them, but after seeing just a few I just can't see much difference between them. On a lark, I decided to watch my first Tim McCoy film and found that it really wasn't any different. Like the typical series film, Tim never seems to shoot anyone except in the hand, he catches people trying to murder him and takes their guns--then lets them go, and never slugs anyone unless it absolutely can't be helped. Now I understand that he's playing a good guy, but this routine is ridiculous. For example, in one case, a man shoots at him as he's riding his horse. McCoy pretends to have fallen off the horse and died. And, when the perpetrator comes to look for the body, he's caught by Tim. Tim doesn't hit him, shoot him or even yell at him--just takes his guns and tells him to git! No one is THAT wonderful! If Gandhi had lived in the Old West, I bet he would have plugged a guy who tried to bushwhack him like this--or at least busted him up a bit!! The complete and total lack of realism or violence of any kind make this a film only for the most undemanding audience.

The bottom line is that although in real life Tim McCoy was a great guy (look at his WWI and II record for proof of this) but he has all the on-screen charisma of a block of blue cheese! By comparison, he makes Autry, Rogers and the Lone Ranger look like Howie Mandel on crack--he's THAT dull! It's like he's just walking through the film, trying to be sure to keep his blood pressure under 100/70. Heck, the guy never even breaks a sweat!