Since the flick Sunset Pass (1946) is based on a Zane Grey novel, can it be regarded as a good Western? Yes.

I’m not quite sure why the movie’s hero, Rocky the cowboy detective, and his sidekick fail to protect from thieves a load of bank cash on a train, but they do. Acted by James Warren (not much of a Western lead), Rocky’s not a loser, however, and is determined to get the cash back. Along the way he romantically falls for the sister (Nan Leslie) of one of the thieves, Ash (Robert Clarke), a comparatively decent guy. In fact two of the thieves, both cold, try to pin a murder on Ash, now on Rocky’s side.

Seen by me on Tubi, the movie is only 59 minutes long, and though surely a low-budget product, it is without a cheap or crude look. With action scenes which were state-of-the-art for 1946, it is acceptably directed by one William Berke. Also, Jane Greer is on hand with her lovable good looks, and both she and Harry Woods, as the criminal Cinnabar, give agreeable performances.