Short Range Feud
Clint Turner (John Wayne - The Shootist) finds himself caught in the middle of a war between his rancher father and neighbouring rancher John Walton (Edward LeSaint) who accuse each other of stealing land and cattle from each other as Clint is sweet on John's daughter Judy (Susan Fleming). Even Sheriff Buck Gordon (Buck Jones) is aware of the rising tension between the ranchers and addresses them in public to keep the peace. When John is found shot following a row with Clint Buck has no option than to arrest him despite having grown up together and face the fact that unless he can prove otherwise Clint is going to be hung.
Back in 1931 when "The Range Feud" was made it would have been Buck Jones who would have drawn audiences to watch yet now over 80 years later the attraction is John Wayne. But like so many of early John Wayne movies this is just Wayne in supporting performance mode as the young man who finds himself not only accused of murder but also unsurprisingly with a girl he is courting.
What does that really mean when it comes to "The Range Feud"? Well of course it is of interest for fans of The Duke although it's by no means a great performance from the future legend. But beyond the appeal of being a John Wayne movie "The Range Feud" is a reasonably entertaining western which comes in at just over 60 minutes. There isn't a great deal of surprises when it comes to the story as it is plainly obvious early on who is behind the trouble between the ranches but it movies along at a decent pace and has just enough action to keep you entertained. In fact aside from Wayne it has some nice performances with Buck Jones striking a commanding figure as the Sheriff.
What this all boils down to is that like so many of these early westerns "The Range Feud" is not a great western but of interest for western fans who are always on the look out for movies new and old they have never seen. But I wouldn't say it is the most entertaining of westerns just a solid one with the extra appeal of featuring a young John Wayne.
