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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: I enjoy this western every time I see it., 27 May 2001 Author: segstef
This movie follows basically the same theme as "Stagecoach Kid". where a lady dresses as a boy and tries to pass as a boy briefly. Also, this movie has Richard Martin playing the character of Chito Rafferty. Unlike "Stagecoach Kid",Pecos doesn't realize that the "boy" is really a lady for a while, whereas the character played by Tim Holt in "Stagecoach Kid" plays along with the act. This movie has no surprises, the good guys win and the hero gets the girl at the end,but the characters are likeable,the story flows well.
5 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Barbara Hale steals the show, 6 May 2003 Author: Don W from Long Island Motor Parkway
This was an enjoyable movie, but I expected more from a 1945western with Robert Mitchum. The theme (a women dressed as aboy) has been handled better, both before & after this movie. Evena lower budget Cisco Kid movie with Gilbert Roland did a betterjob. What makes this movie enjoyable is the performance ofBarbara Hale. I didn't know she had it in her, but here she's cute,funny, & a good actress. I'd go so far as to say that she stole theshow from Robert Mitchum, which is a very difficult feat toaccomplish. I rate it 5/10; it would have been lower without Hale'sexcellent performance.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Masquerade on the Mexican border, 16 August 2005 Author: Igenlode Wordsmith from England
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I encountered this little B-Western in its natural habitat, as the bottom half of a double-bill on the big screen, and enjoyed it enormously. 'West of the Pecos' has its perfunctory genre moments, such as the 'dying cowboy' scene and the final shoot-out and siege, but at heart it's a cross-dressing comedy, based around the masquerade of star Barbara Hale in boy's clothing and the consequences that ensue when 'he' crosses the path of amiable but unobservant cowboy Robert Mitchum. It's not exactly intellectually demanding -- true to the tradition of farce, Mitchum, as Pecos Smith, discovers the youngster's true sex only when her long hair falls out of her hat, despite having rescued her from drowning and carried her soaking wet in his arms from the river! -- but the comic potential is brought out to the fullest extent, while the spitfire secondary romance between the French girl and the half-Irish Mexican sidekick provides a very funny counterpoint.It has to be said that the hilarity subsides somewhat once the sexual confusion is sorted out -- like Pecos, we rather miss the tomboy 'young squirt' -- and all the loose ends are tidied away with implausibly convenient ease for the finale. But I came out of this one with a broad grin from ear to ear and an added bounce to my step, in the awareness of having been thoroughly entertained. It's silly but it's fun.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: marvellous film, enjoyed every minute of it., 2 January 2002 Author: pamela7223 from england
I saw this film many years go at the local picture house in Birmingham. Can't wait until it comes back on television.I think Barbara Hale played her part very well. Also, her maid was also a good addition to the plot. I also think Pecos's side-kick gave a good backing.Hope they put it back on bbc soon.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Early Mitchum starring role worth a look., 15 February 2009 Author: bill-790 from California
"West of the Pecos" is not to be confused with any of the great westerns of all time, or even of the 1940s. It is, nevertheless, a competently done little RKO-Radio Pictures western that reaches a surprisingly high level of quality considering its undeniable B-picture status.First and foremost is the performance of the great Robert Mitchum in one of his earliest starring roles. I can't imagine how anyone would not be charmed by this seemingly laid-back, I-don't-give-a-dam young actor who offered viewers a persona pretty much unlike that of any other star. What was it about Mitchum that so many, me included, find so appealing? I guess it was his plain spoken, down-to-earth manner; totally unaffected, totally at ease regardless of whatever predicament he found himself in.The plot is somewhat routine, that's true. But the actors are all more than competent, and we are also treated to some beautiful outdoor photography. The film was shot on location near Lone Pine, California, an area that has appeared in many, many movie productions over the years.My only complaint, other than the fact that the script offers no surprises, is that there is almost too much comic relief, supplied mostly by Richard Martin, an actor who played a Mexican in many films despite the fact that he obviously never got beyond Spanish 1 in school. (I'm a Spanish teacher with over 30 years service, so take my word for it, the guy's Spanish accent is far from native.)I suggest you take a look for yourself. "West of the Pecos" is not a bad way to spend a bit over an hour. Especially if you are a Mitchum fan.
Great fun, 30 August 2007 Author: rick_7 from Harrogate, England
Superior B-Western with Bob Mitchum in his second starring film. Lots of action and plenty of plot as Barbara Hale, her father and their French maid relocate from Chicago to Texas, stumbling across Pecos Smith (Mitchum) as he exacts revenge on the crooked vigilantes who killed his best friend, then hides out, just trying to stay alive. Hale spends a good portion of the film cross-dressing, so if you've ever wanted to see Mitchum invite what he thinks is a teenage boy into his bed for a cuddle, then this is the film for you. Bob is laid back, compelling, sometimes cool, just a few months away from the first great characterisation of his career in The Story of G.I. Joe.(3 out of 4)
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