The Last Outlaw (1927) User Reviews

Magic with a running iron

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 25 February 2014]

I've often thought that Gary Cooper's career bears some comparison to Johnny Mack Brown. Both did westerns and other kinds of films during the silent era just like this film The Last Outlaw. But Cooper always varied his output whereas Brown when sound came was relegated to B westerns. With some bad career moves Gary Cooper also could have been relegated as such.

The Last Outlaw casts Cooper as a young sheriff determined to break a cattle rustling ring. But the problem is just who is doing the rustling and why. The 'rustlers' have a very good reason for what they're doing and the real villain of the piece Herbert Prior is a big rancher who does some real magic with a running iron.

Cooper's deterred somewhat from duty by falling for Betty Jewell whose brother is suspected of being a rustler. Later on when brother Jack Luden is killed, that also kills for a time any romance. And Cooper was never in the school of a cowboy whose true love was his horse.

Best scenes of the film are Coop with young Billy Butts. They have a kind of Red Ryder/Little Beaver camaraderie.

The Last Outlaw is a good western, but also barely gives you an idea of the charisma and talent of Gary Cooper.

A swell western classic

[I_Ailurophile · 7/10 · 22 February 2023]

Some silent films have had more success than others in abiding the ravages of time; while this one survives, the fundamental quality of the image is less than pristine. Pardon this as we might, it's also worth noting that whether as a result of brusque direction or curt editing, there's at once both a clunky gawkiness and a swiftness to the plot development, and the basic progression of the viewing experience from moment to moment, that's mildly off-putting. It's not unreasonable to suppose that this is the type of feature best recommended for those already enamored of early cinema; anyone who has difficulty with the silent era may not have their minds changed with this. Still, supposing one can reckon with the idiosyncrasies, there's much to enjoy here. 'The last outlaw' may not carve any new paths - not among its contemporaries or predecessors, and least among its successors - but it's fairly well made nonetheless, and a fine bit of light entertainment for a mere hour.

Led by the reliable star power of Gary Cooper, this is without question a title playing with classic western notions: a small town troubled by ruffians and corruption, an effort to clean the place up, various sundry conflicts to specifically spur the plot. Add light humor to taste (some examples are better than others), and a tiny romantic element that like too many other instances in cinema seems a little forced and contrived (but at least, maybe a tad better than other examples thereof), and we have ourselves a movie. Mind you, it's not necessarily as simple as all that, nor as perfect; there are times when the picture seems so focused in the moment on action, hijinks, and just plain having fun, that it feels like it's sidelining its own story, or not conveying details as well as it could. Still, this isn't a matter exclusive to 'The last outlaw,' and anyway, it only wants to have a good time with the tale blithely serving as a vehicle; the spirit of the proceedings is more important than the letter. That approach may butt up against personal preferences, but there's nothing inherently wrong with it.

Stunts, effects, and bursts of action are executed well; though hampered somewhat by the poor image quality (whether a reflection of degradation over time, or contemporary limitations of technology), I think the cast give commendably strong performances - chiefly Cooper, and primary costars Jack Luden and Betty Jewel, but their fellows, too. As one is quite accustomed to with westerns, the production design and art direction are swell, along with costume design and hair and makeup. I appreciate James Murray's active cinematography that helps to breathe life into the film, and Arthur Rosson seems firmly capable as a director. There is perhaps nothing remarkable about the tale on hand, but John Stone and J. Walter Rubin nevertheless concocted a screenplay that's very suitable genre fare, and sometimes that's all a movie needs to be.

Whatever it may be, one's impression of the feature is cemented rather quickly, and doesn't change through the remainder of the length. I don't think this is anything one needs to go out of their way to see, but despite some rough edges, by and large I believe it's a western that holds up quite well nearly 100 years later. I would also say, too, that to the credit of all involved, I think it's a splendid if imperfect illustration of one of the chief advantages of the silent era: not every movie needs to be filled to the brim with coarse language, bristling emotions or musical accompaniment, or emphatic augmentation of dramatic beats to communicate a tale. Sometimes the most bare, stripped-down essence of a scene, the soundless visual presentation, is all that is necessary to impart its import.

Sure, there are also tinges of sexism present, but even in 2023 that's nothing new; with the image quality as poor as it is, any written words to present before the camera are downright illegible, but so it went with too much of early cinema. No, 'The last outlaw' isn't wholly stellar. But it's surely better than not, with admirable contributions from all involved; I'd go so far as to say that right when it needs to be, in the last 10-15 minutes, it probably finds its greatest strength of all. Provided that one is on board with the film-making style and the storytelling genre, this is well worth checking out on a lazy day.

An Excellent Western!

[stevehaynie · 8/10 · 25 July 2004]

The Last Outlaw is a wonderful western movie. What I found most impressive was the quality of the editing. Unlike other silent films this movie flows without choppy looking scene changes, and there are several short cuts focusing on the characters as they interact with one another. I have seen worse looking movies from the early 30's, but this was a big budget Paramount movie. There seems to be more dialogue to read than in other silents that I have seen. That being said, the dialogue was actually interesting.

Gary Cooper is every bit the actor in The Last Outlaw that he was in his later movies. His acting looks natural, he shows a sense of humor, and he is believable as the hero of the movie, Buddy Hale. For such an early film in his career Cooper looks like he never needed to learn the craft of acting. He apparently had a natural talent that made him a great actor.

The Last Outlaw is not a serious drama set in the west, but it has a story based on the standard formula that was used over and over by the B westerns of the sound era. A crooked judge and sheriff are stealing the ranchers' cattle until a stranger comes to town and takes over as sheriff. All of the elements are there... Buddy talks to his horse in the beginning of the movie to establish the cowboy/horse relationship. Gary Cooper's gun handling was very well done with plenty of twirling. A youngster, Billy Butts as Chick, joins him as a companion. There is a beautiful girl, Betty Jewel as Janet Lane, as a romantic interest whose cattle are rustled and whose trust is almost lost but earned by the end. Of course, the bad guys always have the guns shot from their hands. Even though these western movie gimmicks were to be worn out after decades of use, the movie does not suffer from these clichés.

For the early part of the movie, Buddy Hale has to prove himself to take the job as sheriff as what seems to be the entire town tries to chase him away. Once he secures the job Chick suddenly is dressed in the most incredible cowboy outfit with a hat that is as large as anything Tim McCoy would have worn.

I would like to see other movies with Gary Cooper from this silent period. The balance between high production values and the quality of Cooper's acting made The Last Outlaw worth the hour of my life spent watching it.

Good Western

[djbrown-00897 · 8/10 · 13 March 2020]

I agree with the two prior posters about this movie. I saw it last night online and liked it. My favorite part was Betty Jewell ( or a stuntwoman) on the horse. I have seen this seen this stunt done before but not by a woman. As for Gary Cooper, it is a Cooper movie, but NOT really the traditional Cooper character. You see him dressed like Tom Mix ( big hat and all), and shows off his expertise with guns, something he will only show again in Vera Cruz. ( but for a very different reason). I would rank it the second lightest Cooper Western ( only behind Along Came Jones). For those who prefer the more stoic Cooper, he will be there in his next movie (Nevada with William Powell). I would say, I prefer this movie to Nevada. For the Cooper completist ( like me), it is well worth the hour spent watching. 8 out of 10 stars.