Bullet Code (1940)

Memorable, crazy movie

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

"Bullet Code" was another in George O'Brien's "B" western series for RKO. This one has a formidable trio of bad guys, Harry Woods, William Haade and Walter Miller.Young Bud Matthews (Kirby Grant aka Robert Stanton) is acting distant and staying to himself. Steve Holden is moving his cattle to market and is concerned. Rustlers Cass Barton (Woods) and Scar Atwood (Haade) lead a gang planning to rustle Steve's cattle. It turns out that young Bud is working with them.During the rustling attempt, Steve unknowingly shoots at Bud while at the same time Barton shoots him in the back. Since both shots were fired at the same time, Steve believes that he shot Bud even though he believes that he fired over the boy's head. Bud dies and Steve is distraught.Steve and Pop Norton (Slim Whitaker) set out for the Circle M ranch owned by Bud's family in an effort to explain the tragedy. On arriving, the pair meet ranch owner John Mathews (Howard C. Hickman) and his young daughter Molly (Virginia Vale). Steve learns that Mathews is unable to keep ranch hands, they being driven away by thugs working for Sam Gorman (Miller). Gorman prizes the Circle M because of it's proximity to the Mexican border in an area that is not patrolled.Barton and Atwood arrive on the scene and tie in with Gorman. They go to work for the Circle M in order to keep their eyes open for Gorman. Atwood accidently reveals that it was Norton who shot Bud and not Steve. Norton fearing exposure to the Mathews, shoots Atwood to keep him quiet. But Atwood survives and confesses to the Sheriff (Bob Burns) and Steve that it was Barton who did the killing.Gorman becomes nervous and decides to take over the Circle M by force. Steve and Pop arrive at the ranch and with Mathews and Molly, barricade themselves inside of the house. Gorman, Barton and their gang attack and...................................................................Plenty of action, hard ridin' and treachery abound in this story. And yes O'Brien gets to romance the heroine Vale too. O'Brien also has an entertaining fight with Woods along the way.Harry Woods, one of the longest serving western villains is at the top of his game in this one. I mean, Woods just looked evil. He had a lengthy career that lasted into the 1960s. Walter Miller too, had had a lengthy career beginning in 1911 silents. Unfortunately, he passed away the same year this film was released. Kirby Grant had a moderately successful career ending up as TV's "Sky King".

George O'Brien stars in this RKO B western Bullet Code which is a remake of another film Melody Of The Plains. Somehow I doubt the movie-going public noticed it back in the day. Plots were continually getting recycled in the B picture market.Despite that it's a compact little western that gets right down to the business of the plot with little frills. O'Brien thinks he shot young Kirby Grant, the future Sky King, who was actually killed by the gang he was really working for while in the employ of O'Brien. Filled with some remorse O'Brien and sidekick Slim Whitman who usually was a western villain travel to see Grant's family which consists of sister Virginia Vale and father Howard Hickman.They've got troubles of their own with a gang of rustlers who seem to be targeting them exclusively in the area. If you're a fan of B westerns I don't think I have to go to much further into the story.George O'Brien who was a John Ford favorite and had an A film career in silents had slipped into the B film cowboy market and more than held his own there. Later on Ford would use him in Fort Apache, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, and Cheyenne Autumn. Bullet Code packs quite a bit into its slightly less than an hour running time, enough riding and shooting for western fans to enjoy.