Reviews of silent film releases on home video. Copyright © 1999-2025 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

The Law of the Plains (1929)

This late western feature, directed by J.P. McGowan, stars Tom Tyler and Natalie Joyce, with J.P. McGowan, Al Ferguson, William L. Nolte, Bob Parrish, Cliff Lyons and Al Heuston.

In a bit of a B-western twist, Dan O’Brien (Tyler) owns a modern day ranch in a South American country. Frankie Darro substitute Bob Parrish is O’Brien’s son. “Renegade” Americans ‘Limpy’ Seagrue (McGowan) and Juan Sepulveda (Ferguson) want to acquire the ranch through disreputable means. (You know J.P. McGowan is a truly bad dude from his very first shot in the film and from the intertitle that tells us he is “deformed in mind and body.”) Upon the delivery of $200,000 in gold, O’Brien will transfer his ownership and leave the country that is in the throes of civil conflict. Utilizing the distracting mayhem of the revolutionary war beginning around them, Sepulveda’s men attack O’Brien’s compound and Dan is fatally wounded.

Many years later, Sepulveda (now known as George London) is enjoying his seizure of the O’Brien ranchero. Seagrue, having shaved his head and assumed the name Serrano, is dealing with both securing his wealth and controlling his unruly niece, Natalie (Joyce), with Simon Legree fierceness. London intends to marry Natalie over the objections of Serrano who is himself controlled by the existence of an incriminating document that London could turn over to authorities at any time. He makes no secret of his intention to be heir to Serrano’s fortune. With friends like these . . . Eh?

Meanwhile, grown-up Dan O’Brien Jr. and his cowboys are driving a herd of cattle near his former ranch when he sees Natalie fleeing from London and his men. Natalie is rescued but Dan’s partner Perry Standeven (Nolte) is captured. In a hostile meeting with London and Serrano, Dan is recognized, captured and imprisoned at the ranchero. Perry is released and suddenly Natalie is about to be married to London! But two-fisted Dan escapes in time to unravel the tangled skein!

For a low-budget western, we are impressed by the sheer number of extras on horseback and the use of real navy sailors in the revolution scenes, also by the number of animals in a single cattle drive establishing shot. Prolific director McGowan continues to impress us with his ability to give us a little something extra in his lean programmers otherwise full of familiar western tropes. This fun film also prompts an unintentional hoot as we see Nolte’s character helping drive South American cattle while sporting a white bowtie and a pocket kerchief. Ultimately, we are left pondering the film’s title when there are clearly no plains to be seen.

— Carl Bennett

The film is accompanied by a fine music score composed and performed on authentic-sounding virtual theatre pipe organ by Ben Model.

Supplemental material includes another 1929 Tom Tyler-J.P. McGowan western (review here); and the slideshow featurette “Tom Tyler: A Life in Pictures” (4 minutes).

This is our enthusiastically recommended home video edition of the film.

This Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc (BD-R) edition is available from UNDERCRANK PRODUCTIONS through . . .

The film is accompanied by a fine music score composed and performed on authentic-sounding virtual theatre pipe organ by Ben Model.

Supplemental material includes another 1929 Tom Tyler-J.P. McGowan western; and the slideshow featurette “Tom Tyler: A Life in Pictures” (4 minutes).

This is our recommended DVD home video edition of the film.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from UNDERCRANK PRODUCTIONS through . . .

Other WESTERN FILMS of the silent era available on home video.