William S. Hart's silent westerns, made for Thomas Ince, are among the most austerely beautiful in their blend of outdoor realism and poetry. Hart's films were made before sentimentality insinuated its way into a genre that demanded harsh realism. "One hates to use a pretentious word where Bill Hart is concerned, but this is virtually the apotheosis of all Hart westerns. It also has more action than most of his films, with an outstanding scrap between Bill and Bob Kortman that won the rhapsodic attention of no less than Jean Cocteau. Bill is the good badman who is reformed (rather too easily considering her decidedly underwhelming features) by his first sight of a fancy lady from the East. He follows her back to San Francisco, where he is disillusioned to find out what her true profession is, but takes her back to the 'clean mountains' so that she can reform too. (Fine location work in San Francisco includes the hills overlooking the Golden Gate, Fisherman's Wharf, and a Barbary Coast saloon.) A well-done horse race is another highlight." -William K. Everson