In the newly founded town of New Hope Valley, Texas (hence the name New Frontier), Stony Brooke (John Wayne), and the other residents plan to set up shop and begin creating a life for themselves and their families. When the government forces their way into town and begins building a dam, residents are unhappy with the fact that their rights, and their well being, is being infringed upon. Brooke, Tucson Smith (Ray Corrigan) and Rusty Joslin (Raymond Hatton) make up the Three Mesquiteers, a group whose goal is to find a peaceful solution to the problem. When local settlers protest the building of the dam, the Mesquiteers find their hands full, but are determined to find a solution. Through some trickeration, both parties find themselves being swindled by the other, creating a spark uproar in the town.
John Wayne is still regarded, by many, to be one of the greatest actors ever to grace the silver screen. He is endearing, and his often bubbly personality is appealing to women, while his ability to stand toe-to-toe with some of the baddest hombres allows him to appeal to men. In the simplest of terms, he is the whole package. That is, he was when he was in his prime. The 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s saw Wayne star in somewhere around one hundred feature films, and, in each one, he stands strong and appeals to those who were lucky enough to see them. Like many things that took place nearly one hundred years ago, New Frontier struggles to remain relevant in modern times. While there are aspects of the film that are slow and boring, it is important to take into account that film making, at this point, is incredibly young. Those watching New Frontier at the time of its release (and shortly after) would have a sincere appreciation for what the film crew is capable of pulling off with what is clearly a low budget. In the eyes of modern viewers, the film falls short of cinematic expectations and causes those viewers to feel a bit dreary and struggle to focus on the content of the story.
The screenplay is constructed by Betty Burbridge and Luci Ward possesses compelling components, but is ultimately fractured. The guts of the story are appealing, as they present conflict that is not far-fetched, but also not too simplistic. There is certainly some relevance to the time period in which the New Frontier is created, but it loses something in translation as modern audiences attempt to absorb the content. With substantial lulls throughout the film, these modern audiences are unable to appreciate what Ward and Burbridge put so much effort into. They focus heavily on dialogue throughout the first half of the film, but manage to hone in on some faster paced scenes toward the end. New Frontier’s denouement pulls everything together and sees the Mesquiteers, and much of the town, hands on, in an attempt to defeat the government driven antagonists.
If audiences can survive the monotony of the first half, the payoff in the second half is significant. Fun fight scenes and a conclusion that is fitting to the story and the reputation of John Wayne rewards viewers for their patience. In general, New Frontier, does not appeal to audiences of the twenty-first century, but, for those who enjoy the talents of hard-nosed John Wayne, it is worth a watch. New Frontier is a quick watch, clocking in at around fifty-five minutes. Viewers do not have much to lose, and I recommend that those who appreciate Wayne’s talent, a good old fashioned western or film in general, give the film a chance.
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