mark.waltz The sins of one generation will not fall onto the sins of another. That is the theme of this B western where the ward of a wealthy man goes out to search for the rightful heir to the estate that he has been promised, and finds his own heritage. Johnny Mack Brown risks everything but wins it all by proving his integrity. His father ran off, being accused of a vile murder, and the wealthy patriarch of the community takes him in, having just rejected his own daughter for marrying against his will. He knows that he has a granddaughter somewhere, and Brown intends to reconcile them. When he gets too close, he is accused by the girl's own ward (William Farnum) of being a member of a group of bandits, and after only much violence occurs is he able to prove his innocence. Ironic coincidences occur, and wrongs are righted. Interesting for having a stronger story than normal, and in spite of minuscule budgeting, it comes off pretty well. Beth Marion is a decent heroine, but it is Farnum and Lloyd Ibgraham as the gruff but kindly grandfather/mentor who win acting honors.

MartinHafer This film begins with a fight. In the process, one of the guys shoots and hits the other man's son, Johnny. The father thinks the boy is dead and shoots the other man dead as he tries to speed away from the ranch. For some odd reason, now the father is wanted for murder (this charge seemed odd considering the circumstances and witnesses). So, Dad goes into hiding and a neighbor by the odd name of 'Sir George'(?) raises the boy.Twenty years pass. The boy is now grown and played by Johnny Mack Brown. He loves his adopted father and wants to help Sir George locate his long-lost granddaughter. So, he leaves for New Mexico and finds the lady is now being harassed by an evil galoot (Trent). In the process he also unexpectedly finds his father--but neither knows the other at first--but Dad knows he doesn't like this stranger! What's next with this weird and rather contrived plot? See the film for yourself! Like other Johnny Mack Brown films, it's NOT of the singing cowboy variety nor is he some pretty-boy cowboy. It is a compactly made B-movie--solid and done on the cheap. Now this does NOT mean it's a bad film but it lacks the polish, big name stars and background music you might get in a higher budgeted movie. But, like many Bs, it does have the occasional bad actor (the lawyer could barely deliver his lines). It also saves on money by having the actors actually fight it out without the use of stunt doubles--which actually improved the quality of the film. Overall, it's pretty good but there are LOTS of pretty good westerns out there---and most likely this one will get lost among the crowded genre.

kidboots From All American to leading man in such films as "Our Dancing Daughters" (1928) and "Coquette" (1929), Johnny Mack Brown always felt more at home in Westerns. "Between Men" seemed to have a more complicated plot and better production vales than many of these western oaters.Wellington (William Farnum) is trying to bring up his little boy alone. When a fight breaks out among some cowboys, his little boy is shot. He, thinking his son is dead, kills the shooter and goes on the run. The son, Johnny, (Johnny Mack Brown) is not dead and takes on his father's blacksmith shop. He has been bought up by Sir George (Lloyd Ingraham), whose daughter eloped the same dayas Johnny was shot. Johnny overhears a conversation. Lawyer Wyndhamis disputing Sir George's decision to leave everything to Johnny.He feels an effort should be made to find the missing grand-daughter, Gail. Johnny vows to go to New Mexico and leave no stone unturned in his effort to find her.Gail (Beth Marion) and her father live in the desert and are terrorized by Frank, a rogue cowboy, who works for Rand. When Gail's father is killed, Rand (Wellington has a new name and he is now a rancher) vows to teach Frank a lesson. Johnny who has arrived long enough for a shoot-out between himself and the cowboys, rides off with Rand, promising Gail to look out for him. Gail and Johnny fall in love but Rand is not happy. He wants to send her to school, so she can have a better chance in life. Johnny then realizes Gail is the grand-daughter of his guardian.It is really action packed - there are several fight scenes and a chase involving a runaway wagon that ends in a gunfight along a mountain top. During the fight Rand realises that Johnny is his son (Johnny has a burn mark on his chest) and so sacrifices himself so his son can start a new life with Gail.William Farnum has such a commanding presence - even though he chews up the scenery, you can't take your eyes from him.Recommended.

Leslie Howard Adams A film somewhat overly-ripe in melodrama and acting (not unexpected with William Farnum in the cast), but that is more than compensated for in the overall style, content, intent and sincerity. The contrast between the tree-shaded civilization of Virginia and the stark vastness of New Mexico makes it one of the most visually interesting B-western ever made; the skillful blending of pure action and story progression is about the best to be found in any of the Johnny Mack Brown or Bob Steele westerns from producer A.W.Hackel and, not to take anything away from cameraman Bert Longenecker on this film---and the great Archie Stout on many others from the same director---the outdoor photography here serves as further proof that cigar-chomping director Robert North Bradbury had an eye for composition.