Civilization's influence, particularly as manifested in Christianity, was especially evident on the frontier and was a pervasive theme in many of the William S. Hart westerns. The impact of faith was also a recurrent theme in Thomas Ince's productions, as I outline in my biography, and together these elements created a masterpiece. In Hell's Hinges, the theme was vividly demonstrated in C. Gardner Sullivan's script, which is less a western than a religious parable. The saloon owner and a gunslinger (Hart) resolve to undercut any effort to bring the gospel to the town of Hell's Hinges. However, meeting the minister's sister causes a transformation in the gunslinger, and he refuses to allow the first service to be broken up by the lawless men from the saloon. Weakened by liquor, the minister is seduced by one of the dance hall girls, but the congregation remains loyal to their faith. He is killed when the saloon owner torches the church, but in revenge the gunslinger burns the saloon.The whole corrupt city goes up in flames, a cleansing akin to the Biblical flood from which only Noah's ark survived, as the gunslinger and the minister's sister ride off to a new life together. As in Ince's The Wrath of the Gods two years earlier, the clash of faith—and lack therof—can only be resolved by a destructive but cleansing conflagration. However, Hell's Hinges went even farther; as the critic for Photoplay Magazine declared, "In making the hot settlement's only clergyman a negative villain, author and producer did a bold thing; but in making the town's combined destroyer-saviour an out-and-out bad man, they were bolder still." The vivid film, directed by Hart and Charles Swickard in five reels, cost $32,676.43 and was shot from early September to late October 1915.

The silent western has a lot going against it. As a western, the plot is grounded in an exaggerated human experience heightened by a minimised physical environment. The silent film too has to exaggerate the experience, not only in the mannerisms of the actors, but in the setting and props as well. No wonder so many silent westerns are seen as inflated and risibly tiresome.Add a third problem: the religious experience. This too is often exaggerated because of how profoundly inward the process is. So we have a scene with Hart cleaned up, hair combed back, nodding his head as he reads the Bible. Avoidable? Probably, Demille would have been a better candidate. But we can still admire how free of convention the film is in its structure and methods, something Hart would pursue in his more worthwhile works.3 out of 5 - Some strong elements

There is a strong Christian content to the movie that most future westerns would not bring up (at least not like this). The main character, Blaze Tracy, goes from being the toughest, meanest guy in town to a defender of the Christian faith, although in a very individual way, i.e. no church affiliation. The plot centers greatly around faith and lack of faith. The events can be spiritually interpreted in a number of cases. This movie is no simple western.

Though a silent picture, this movie had a huge influence on Westerns after it. It reveals several characters which exist in almost any good Western: the hooker with the heart of gold, the tough cowboy, the religious, weak dude, the petticoat brigade, and the redemptive woman. Though not a great Western, it was exceptional for its time and extremely revolutionary. It's definitely a must-see for anyone studying the Western.