As anyone who lives in Texas will tell you, small town Americans loves killing outlaws. The same goes for the citizens of Stone Junction. But outlaws aren’t always guilty and, unlike everyone else, U.S. Marshal Johnny Reno is more enthusiastic about justice than he is about lynching. He takes on the system and fights the people of Stone Junction, in order to re-establish law-and-order. As the introductory text explains, “this is a chronicle of but two days in his two-fisted fight to establish truth and justice.” Reno’s one of the good guys and this film is designed as a tribute to all the good, idealistic U.S. Marshals that existed in the Old West. All four of them.

Johnny Reno is an extremely old fashioned western — it probably felt dated when it was released in 1966 — but dedicated western enthusiasts should appreciate its rigid observance of genre conventions. It’s from the High Noon, man-of-honor school of western, complete with corrupt, torch-bearing townspeople. It also co-opts the lawmen-under-attack approach of Rio Bravo to good effect. The only really modern contribution to the genre here is that, rather than demonize Indians, Johnny Reno portrays them as protectors of right and good, upholders of the law. There’s nothing uniquely impressive about this film — Lon Chaney Jr. gives a good supporting performance, the score is occasionally quite lively, there’s some polished widescreen photography — but it all goes down easy enough. — Jonathan Doyle