With Gary Cooper I've always marveled at how when sound came along he had a voice that perfectly matched the characters he was playing in westerns. It was deliberately planned that his first all talkie film was that first of pulp western novels, The Virginian. This film Nevada is also taken from a western novel written by the best in that genre, Zane Grey.As the subtitles are flashed for Cooper's character your mind clicks on to the voice you know so well from sound films. That is also true of William Powell who plays the villain, his voice is also a familiar one as well. Two stars who thrived when talking pictures came around, although Powell never played villains in sound films the way he did in silents.Gary Cooper and sidekick Ernie S. Adams are a pair of roughneck cowboys who after a narrow escape from the law decide that maybe they ought to go straight. In the new town they arrive in they save Englishman Philip Strange from a beating and he hires them for his ranch, specifically to keep an eye on his sister Thelma Todd.Which is a job Cooper learns to love, but not love William Powell who is another rancher, the richest one around and who also likes Todd. Powell is also the secret leader of a gang of rustlers who has been plaguing the other ranchers for years. It's why he's the richest guy around. Nevada was remade twice, once with Buster Crabbe and later with Robert Mitchum in Cooper's part. It's not a great western, not near the standard of the westerns Cooper later made, but it's entertaining enough. It's also the only time you'll see two screen icons, Cooper and Powell in the same film.Nevada is in bad need of restoration, the print I saw was barely watchable at times. Calling Steven Spielberg.

This is NOT a great film, probably on the bottom of the Gary Cooper Westerns, and it is not a great print, but it should be a must see (Which I did on Youtube). The reasons are it is a William Powell Paramount Picture which are extremely hard to find, and most pictures with Cooper are worth watching (Particularly Westerns (And I have seen 22/30 of them)). The story is basically about two cattle rustlers named Jim (Cooper) who is called Nevada, and Cash who decide to go straight and work for Ben Ide (Phillip Strange), who has a beautiful sister from England, Hettie (The extremely beautiful but tragic Thelma Todd). They are dealing with a band of rustlers who even the gang is unaware they are run by one of the richest men in the territory Clan Dillion (Powell). Perhaps the best part is (Spoilers ahead) When Dillion murders Cash in cold blood, and although Nevada wants to kill him, he does not, because Hettie wanted him to have clean hands. Which is why when a wounded Nevada caught Dillion, he says to him, "You can thank Hettie for your life". Of course, Nevada and Hettie live happily ever after. I give it 6 of 10 (4 for Cooper, 1 for Powell & 1 for seeing any Pre-Warners Powell)

Gary Cooper is just beginning his starring film role career , but he already dominates a scene . He has not gotten to the familiar 'aw shucks -casual approach ' to every circumstance . Here he is straight up and he is good in this mode . When he displays vengeance , you feel it . Even a casual observer could tell this was a star who would be around for a long time .Thelma Todd was beautiful as ever and she too could take over a scene . She more than held her own against Cooper in their better scenes together or maybe it was the other way around . But she could get the viewer into her thoughts . William Powell did an adequate job . He did not have that same charisma as Cooper and it was apparent in his and Coopers scenes together . Eyes followed Cooper . Powell was starting to exhibit his urban , sophisticated charm , but it too was not developed in this stage of his career .Ernie Adams does a creditable job. He would be part of the Gower Gulch Gang that would make him recognizable to every B western fan during the Golden era of B westerns . The photography is excellent and showcases the locations very well . The action is good until the last part of the film . Then the pace crawls . Some scenes at the end are so predictable and are far too prolonged . It would have been better with more taut editing .It really lost its way in the scene for having Cooper go on the raid . This was extremely weak in why he wasn't at the front .Although this was an A western for Paramount , it has a B western feel to the plot . But it has to be accepted for being just that - a well made , above average B western . Paramount would excel in this with the William Boyd ( Hopalong Cassidy ) series . No Cooper fan should miss seeing this film . It is good also for a Thelma Todd fan . It is even good for a William Powell fan . It is good for a western film fan , but there have been much better westerns made on a much smaller budget . This is a rare film and should be in every western collectors library .