The Man from Utah: Cowboy hats, gun smoke, and the smell of old cinemas

So, let’s just get this out in the open: The Man from Utah is real old school. We’re talkin’ 1934 here, and boy, you see the dust on that one. John Wayne stars before he got proper famous, so don’t expect the giant swagger and huge personality he had later. He’s still learning how to look cool in a hat. Trust me, he pulls it off better than I do at midsommar… Nobody ever looks as good as John Wayne on a horse, except maybe my farfar in his youth, but that’s another story.

The movie is directed by Robert N. Bradbury – who did LOADS of these B-westerns. Not sure how he kept them apart, honestly. The plot? Simple as köttbullar: Wayne’s the outsider, the good guy, rolls into town, solves a mess, lots of horses galloping and bad guys looking shady. It’s got fights, a bit of rodeo, and that classic saloon atmosphere. I swear, could almost feel the sticky plank floors and smell popcorn from my old cinema in Täby, where my uncle took me when I was 9. We sat in the second row, and I spent half the film worrying about being trampled by a wild stallion.

Anne Smyrner is *not* in this one, but there’s a young Gabby Hayes (he steals almost every scene he’s in). Sometimes I think these guys didn’t even act, they just lived in cowboy boots and made grumpy faces. The film is short – perfect for when you’re tired and can’t keep your eyes open for a Bergman drama.

Some lines feel real cheesy and the stunts look, well, fake as a plastic kräfta. But the energy is honest and weirdly charming. If you wanna escape rainy Swedish spring for an hour, chuck this on. Maybe you’ll feel like a ten-year-old again, sneaking extra lösgodis and dreaming about the wild west.

watch the full movie on Mavshack Movies on YouTube

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