It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Director: CHRISTY CABANNE. Screenplay: Owen Francis. Original screen story: Ben Pivar. Photographed in black-and-white by Milton Krasner. Film editor: Maurice Wright. Art directors: Jack Otterson, Harold H. MacArthur. Set decorator: Russell A. Gausman. Music director: Hans J. Salter. Sound recording: Bernard B. Brown. Western Electric Sound System. Producer: Ben Pivar.Copyright 8 November 1939 by Universal Pictures Co., Inc. No New York opening. U.S. release: 8 December 1939. Australian release: 13 June 1940. 7 reels. 5,416 feet. 60 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Accused of stealing pelts, an innocent trapper is pursued by the Mounties.COMMENT: A beautifully photographed (Milton Krasner) "B" set in the Canadian Rockies. The story by producer Ben Pivar, as screenplayed by Owen Francis, offers a passable amount of action (though it is not very vigorously staged), but tends to be a bit over-talkative.Director Christy Cabanne's often attractively composed visuals reveal his silent film origins, and this quality alone is sufficient to lift the film out of the rut. See if you can spot the silent stock footage (the use of which is a common feature of Cabanne's later sound films) which is very cleverly integrated with the new material.