Richard Chatten The relevance of the title is anybody's guess; but slickly directed by Irving Cummings and fluidly shot on location by veteran cameraman George Schneiderman (who with leading man George O'Brien had worked on John Ford's 'The Iron Horse' in 1924), 'A Holy Terror' ambles along agreeably until an abrupt and surprising ending that anticipates 'The Empire Strikes Back'.That this is a pre-Coder is signalled by the scene in which hero George O'Brien crashes his plane into Sally Eilers' bathroom while she's in the shower. James Kirkwood brings his usual gravitas to the role of the film's villain, and not surprisingly proves to be a far from run of the mill baddie. But the reason this film is remembered today is the presence of Humphrey Bogart in a ten gallon hat as Kirkwood's principal henchman, fourth in the cast list and far more relaxed in front of the camera and like his later sardonic self than he is in most of his other early talkie roles; he and third-billed Rita La Roy as the 'other' woman with boyishly short hair make a far more interesting couple than the nominal leads.

utgard14 Unholy bore is more like it. Creaky western about a greenhorn (George O'Brien) who heads west to find some answers surrounding his father. It's a "modern western" meaning it takes place during the era in which it was made, not the 1800s. Notable only for an early appearance by Humphrey Bogart (his first western). It's interesting to see Bogie still wet-behind-the-ears, acting-wise. He does nothing to impress here, really, but nothing to embarrass either. George O'Brien is as exciting as tooth decay. Sally Eilers plays the girl O'Brien and Bogart both lust after for reasons unknown to me. This is a really boring movie, even for a B western made during this period. Add to that the usual negatives that burden early talkies and you've got a dud on your hands. Favorite scene is the most moronic meet cute ever: O'Brien crashes his plane into Sally Eilers' bathroom!

adrianswingler I'm beginning to think that the biggest haters of Spaghetti Westerns are the fans of Hollywood Westerns. It would explain the mediocre reviews on this one. I'm just the reverse, and really enjoyed this movie.An early "talkie", there's no soundtrack as that concept didn't exist yet. Bogart's fifth full length movie, I liked his character in this one much more than usual. I'm not a fan of Bogie movies. Having him as the villain of the piece and a nasty one at that fits him much more, imho. He's constantly rejected by his love interest, not swooned over. Much better!I would argue that this movie shows that the Spaghetti Western style of Western was the natural progression, but that was derailed by the Hollywood Production Code and those in Hollywood that thought they had to be the conservative moral saviors of the country. It's not so much the cinematography and there's no musical score, it's more the way common Western elements are handled. I got a DVD with some Spaghetti Westerns on it the other day and an insert had some classic Western characters on it with the caption, "My heroes have always been cowboys". That made me realize how that's so Hollywood and very much the opposite of the Spaghetti genre. Bogart plays a SW type cowboy, not a Hollywood styled one. Revenge and mystery are the plot drivers, so, I really don't think it's a stretch to compare it to the Italian variety. The plot is solid and moves the action along. The acting is good. Being 85 years old it's interesting just to look at things from the point of view of a picture that was totally contemporary at the time.

Ale fish The only reason that most people will track down this minor Western is the presence of Humphrey Bogart in one of his earliest roles. The Old West was never really looked right on Bogie and this performance, his first with Stetson and Six-gun, could be seen just as a dry run for his appearance as Whip McCord in the James Cagney vehicle 'The Oklahoma Kid'. In fact it was the first time Bogart ever appeared on the wrong side of the law and his depiction of a violent, shiftless man with no moral centre shows that he had this kind of role down pat five years before his breakthrough in 'The Petrified Forest'. He even manages to engage a little audience sympathy when constantly rejected by the virtuous heroine, a fact that also provides a little character motivation, unusual in a picture of this type. It almost goes without saying that he is really the only reason to watch.Elsewhere George O'Brien tries hard to be handsome and charming in the lead role but is merely stiff and wooden, whilst Sally Eilers does a little better as the heroine. The story holds few surprises, and very little in the way of action or thrills, but the resolution is more original than expected. Technically, it's a little basic but some location work and the use of a few crane shots help a little.If it weren't for Bogart this picture would probably be long forgotten and it really won't hold much appeal outside of his loyal fanbase.