My first movie of 2021 was a B western, and my first for 2022 is one as well. John Wayne stars as Captain John Ashley, a veteran of the Civil War who fought in the Union Army and returns to Texas to find a chilly welcome from former friends and neighbors, and even from the woman who was once his sweetheart (Ann Rutherford), and also a region oppressed by the depredations of a carpetbagging local official and the murderous thugs who serve as his “troopers,” driving the inhabitants to the brink of insurrection. How Ashley navigates among the contesting parties makes for a fairly engaging little film, helped out quite a bit by Wayne’s charisma.

  Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is worth a look for fans of the genre or the star.

Movie 1 for 2022.