STOLEN GOODS is another early western for John Wayne. Like the others I've seen, it does the job ably enough and offers plenty of action in the form of stagecoach and horse chases, fist fights, and corruption to keep the viewer interested. Wayne does his square-jawed hero routine with ease and the film flies along with a short running time. This time around, our star is on the trail of a bandit gang and their job is to save and protect the local townsfolk. The supporting cast give mixed performances but this is harmless enough fun for the era.

Well, I've seen John Wayne's last movie ("The Shootist") and now in "Blue Steel" I've seen not his first by any means but one of his earlier movies and I've seen a few of his roles in between. I still can't figure it out. I can't deny that he was a mega-star, but he does absolutely nothing for me. Wayne aside, this movie didn't come across as a great vehicle for an actor anyway. It's rather dull (especially in its opening) and I have to admit that I never really did figure the details of the plot out, which is probably best explained by the fact that I kept nodding off throughout. In the beginning, Wayne's John Carruthers is mistaken by the local sheriff (Gabby Hayes) for a thief, but the two then form a partnership to stop the real bad guy of the movie from dishonestly forcing ranchers off their land and buying it up so that they can control a major gold mine.Frankly, I found nothing particularly exciting here, except perhaps for the fact that it's mercifully short at less than an hour, and the ending (as Carruthers rides off with Betty to get married) came across as silly to me. It's worth watching, I suppose, only if you're a big fan of John Wayne and want to see an early role of his. 2/10

A few years ago i went on a holiday to wales and in a shop i saw a DVD with 3 films that star John Wayne!Having got round to seeing Blue Steel at last,I have to say i was pleasantly surprised by how good it is. The Plot:During one night in a hotel,a bunch of outlaws sneak in and crack the safe and take all the money.Just after they leave,Wayne wakes up and (having seen the safe left open.)He decides to chase after them (what Wayne does not know is that someone else woke up,and thinks he did it!)Later on that day the outlaws shoot a girls father.With all this happening,can Wayne make the town safe again. View on the film:Direction/Screenplay-The writer and director was Robert Bradbury.One of the things Bradbury does well is to start the film the film off with scenes that feel a bit like the Frank Capra classic classic Arsnick and Old Lace.He also does well in creating other very enjoyable scenes(the barn yard scene and the stuns with the horses are the stand outs.) Final view on the film: A very enjoyable short John Wayne Western.

What's the best way for a bandit to maintain a low profile? How about making noise while robbing a safe, leaving behind an identifying spur, and wearing a polka dot neckerchief. Yakima Canutt is Danti, the Polka Dot Bandit in this 1934 Lone Star Western, but the gimmick is not fully carried out in the film. The central plot involves an unscrupulous town boss Malgrove (Edward Piel Sr.) who schemes to buy out all the local ranchers because of gold discovered in the topsoil (?). John Wayne portrays U.S. Marshal John Carruthers, and he aids a suspicious Sheriff Jake Withers (George pre "Gabby" Hayes), who seems to regularly uncover evidence pointing to Carruthers as the Polka Dot Bandit. Eleanor Hunt is Betty Mason, the romantic interest in the film, who brings to the screen a wide eyed silent film appearance. For fans of B Westerns, there's a lot to study in "Blue Steel"; for starters, it's interesting to see Wayne's character shoot directly into a crowd to knock a gun out of the hand of bad guy Canutt. This technique is used as late as the 1950's in a number of the Lone Ranger TV shows.In another scene, two baddies attempt to get the drop on Wayne's character. As he escapes into a lofty barn, he uses a lasso to scoop up one of his antagonists, but the roped victim never cries out to his partner for help. Similarly, as he engages the other in a fist fight, both remain silent throughout the encounter.Director Robert North Bradbury makes use of an interesting film technique where he fast forwards the motion during an action scene, usually involving riders on horseback in a non threatening sequence. It's effectively done and is also used by director Harry Fraser in some of his Wayne Lone Star films such as "Randy Rides Alone". Pay close attention during a chase scene as the bad guy posse pursues Miss Betty on horseback; when hit by a shot she falls to the ground seemingly unconscious, and as she lands she ever so slightly uses her leg to shift position. Within seconds she's scooped up by the vigilant Marshal aboard Gabby's buckboard, and then she miraculously climbs aboard her own horse to once again gallop away - what a gal!By the time it's ready to wrap things up, Marshal Carruthers and Sheriff Jake lie in wait, six guns trained on sticks of dynamite planted in the side of a rock face. As the bad guys make their way into the pass, their fate is sealed under tons of tumbling mountainside. As in so many of John Wayne's Westerns of this era, his character gets the girl without even trying. The scene fades with the marshal and his future bride riding off into the sunset, until it's time to do it all over again in at least another dozen or so Lone Star films.