he would already be a pirate and an outlaw for director michael curtiz and but in 1939 errol flynn be cast in the rather unexpected role of sheriff wade hatton in dodge city and part of the western boom of 1939. dodge city be home to practically every western genre cliché in existence cattle drive and covered wagon and lynch mob and bar brawl and so on . it be remark that at the time these weren not clichés and they be fresh idea . but that would be to forget picture such a the big trail ( 1931 ) and the plainsman ( 1936 ) and not to mention a host of silent western and in which all these typical going on be well establish . this isn not a criticism after all genre be build on clichés and and there no shame in that . dodge city merely appear to have be intend a a kind of rough homage to the western rather than try to take the genre anywhere new . these flynn or de havilland or curtiz picture be never mean to be anything more than simple fun . if youre cast errol flynn in his first western after audience have accept him a robin hood and captain blood and youre not go to make something like stagecoach . have say all that and in spite of it lack of depth and dodge city truly be a quintessential western in that it underlying theme be the most common idea that unite virtually every western ever make the friction between the old and the new and and the forging of the american civilization . this be set up in the very first scene and in which a stagecoach and a steam train try to race each other . a the picture progress and the point be make that the price of progress be lawlessness and and that the taming of the wilderness must be couple with justice and education and order . dodge city also represent the high point ( or should that be low point . ) of hay code moralism in the western . at this time hollywood be desperate to ensure the outlaw remain villain and and that no crime go without punishment and and this be one of the strong statement of that . in his struggle to clean up the frontier town and flynn be virtually a puritan and not to mention a strict authoritarian . the line of good and evil be as stark a in any of his early adventure . the trouble be the western genre lack the right feel that make such fairytale ethic enjoyable . you can accept the hissable villain and dashing and perfect hero in an over the top swashbuckler movie and but in the old west set they do not seem to work so well . errol flynn would later play some great role in western ( for example and they die with their boot on ) and but here he be really just play robin hood in a stetson and and only the vague attempt at an american accent ( although and like captain blood and he suppose to be an irishman here and make his plummy english tone even more bizarre ) . dodge city also feature one of the weaker alan hale sidekick role . he a bit too much of a bumbling oaf for the majority of the picture and then suddenly become incredibly competent and authoritative out of the blue for action scene . there be no real standout performance and and even great character actor like henry travers and victor jory be underused here . still and the michael curtiz mark of quality be definitely here . the big crowd shot be perfectly construct a always . however the most breathtaking landscape shot appear to come from matt painting and and curtiz doesn not handle the wide open space of the west particularly well . for me the only real standout moment be a massive barroom brawl and with dozen of participant . curtiz be great at handle these large scale action scene and but none of the small stand offs really get off the ground . dodge city be a certainly watchable film and but there be far good western from this period and not to mention far good errol flynn film .