Leofwine_draca SAGEBRUSH TRAIL is one of the many B-movie westerns that a young and strapping John Wayne made at the outset of his career. In this one he plays a wronged man (hence the UK re-titling of AN INNOCENT MAN) forced to hide out and take up with a gang of outlaws in order to avoid capture by the authorities. Problems arise when Wayne's generally kind nature sees him stepping in to prevent the outlaws committing various crimes, and they soon become suspicious of this good-natured interloper. This film is a B-flick through and through, but it has a nice, fast-moving plot, some good fist fights, and a great little stagecoach chase with some fine stunt action. Wayne makes for a warm and charismatic figure even at this stage of his career.

Bill Slocum Wading through the chum bucket that is John Wayne's Lone Star legacy is no easy task. That makes "Sagebrush Trail" all the more pleasant to discover, a roughhewn gem with plenty of flaws but a good deal of sparkle, too.John Brant (Wayne) is a man on the run for a murder he did not commit. Wandering out west one step ahead of the law, he narrowly escapes a couple of trigger-happy lawmen and winds up rescued by a fellow who calls himself "Jones," and dubs Brant "Smith," making the pair quick pals on the lam."Strikes me the boss can use somebody like you," says Jones (Lane Chandler), who as it turns out knows something that might interest Brant, provided that nasty Boss (Yakima Canutt) doesn't figure him out first."Sagebrush Trail" does have flaws. Canutt was not a very good actor, nor was Nancy Shubert, who plays a storekeeper Brant and Jones both fall for. Both are asked to handle too much dialogue. The storyline does creak a good deal, as Brant has a habit of slipping off to undo the gang's machinations while somehow not being caught. Too much business revolves around the store where the girl works. But this is one time what's good outweighs what's bad, not by a lot, but by enough.Director Armand Schaefer worked cheap but with considerable smarts, here as in the earlier serial featuring Wayne, "The Hurricane Express." The twist involving Brant and Jones's secret identities isn't hard to spot, but it's still effectively delivered. I like a scene where the sheriff ponders what might happen if the two happened to meet. "I'll bet he would have made it plenty hot for him," the sheriff says, staring at wanted posters of the two outlaws.Cut to a two-shot of the outlaws, facing just like in the posters, with Brant pouring Jones a cup of joe. ""Sure made that plenty hot for me," Jones says cheerfully.It's a cheap laugh, but a very good one. There are more here, and some other nice surprises. The lawmen are treated in an interesting way, not exactly seedy (some lawmen come off worse in other Lone Star pics) but lazy and prone to shooting first, which makes it easier rooting for the nominal bad guys this time out. There's also some nice camera-work. Wayne hides from pursuers in a pond by using a hollow reed to breathe from, and we see him underwater while a lawman's boots appear in the foreground for added suspense.The resolution of the Brant-Jones situation is a trifle too neat, but give Wayne and Chandler both credit for playing the emotions so well. Wayne wasn't as subtle as he'd become, but he's good at developing our empathy. Chandler, even less subtle, does fine work as the foil of the piece.Even the bad guys' lair, which would become a stock set in later Lone Star works, has the right air of menace and mystery here, with a tunnel that becomes a centerpiece for some 180-degree camera shots.The biggest problem with "Sagebrush Trail" is its one time where there's more story than the producers could handle. Yet the film manages to score points most of the way through, making this one time Wayne got to star in a movie worth remembering during his Poverty Row days. "Sagebrush Trail" is one Lone Star I don't mind watching again.

arfdawg-1 Imprisoned for a murder he did not commit, John Brant escapes and ends up out west.After giving the local lawmen the slip, he joins up with an outlaw gang. Brant finds out that 'Jones', one of the outlaws he has become friends with, committed the murder that Brant was sent up for, but has no knowledge that anyone was ever put in jail for his crime. Willing to forgive and forget, Brant doesn't realize that 'Jones' has not only fallen for the same pretty shop girl Brant has, but begins to suspect that Brant is not truly an outlaw.Some decent fight scenes.But let's be honest, this is a B picture. Better than a lot of westerns made for no money and not just because Wayne is in it.

e_tippett I enjoyed seeing a very young John Wayne, before he had developed his signature speech, moves, etc. Sure, it was pure B Western schlock, but I had to check here before knowing for sure he was in this movie, it does not look like him at all. A must-see for all fans of John Wayne and westerns. The one thing I liked most about this movie is that even amongst the so-called "bad guys" in black hats, it half-heartedly explored the reasons why some guys joined these gangs-bad raps, wrongful imprisonment, bad choices that left them nowhere else to go and so on, so that even some of the villains elicited sympathy. The only jarring note was the blatant 30s flapper hairstyle and exaggerated eye makeup of the main female character, they didn't even make an attempt to make her look like a storekeepers daughter in the late 1800s.