Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Powerful

One of my all time favorites.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Bad guy, Hammond, (Francis McDonald) doesn't want Idaho to join the Union - there's a public vote coming up - because that might mean more law and order, perish the thought.Standing in the way of the boss crook (and his familiar crew of B western heavies) are brave young government agent Vic Gordon (George J. Lewis) and a mysterious masked avenger, the Black Whip, in reality newspaper owner Barbara Meredith (Linda Sterling).That's about the entire plot actually. Hammond spends much of his time on screen issuing generalised instructions to his snarling henchmen."So, there's a wagon train of settlers coming in, eh? Take some of the boys and make sure it never gets here!" "So, the newspaper office is expecting a new printing press to replace the one we smashed, eh? Take some of the boys and make sure it never gets here!" Etc. Etc.These are not actual quotes but you get the picture, I'm sure.So, no prizes for script, plot or acting but a big star rating nevertheless because Zorro's Black Whip is so brilliant in every other way. As soon as you see Yakima Canutt's name in the opening credits, you know you're in for a treat.Tremendous, brilliantly choreographed fights in every episode with whole rooms full of furniture reduced to rubble and dust; chases on horseback with the horses galloping at around 200 miles per hour - the film may have been speeded up a little at times - shoot outs by the dozen with no time wasted in bothering to re-load and all the usual "impossible" episode endings. Our heroes are blown up, tipped over cliffs, set on fire and subjected to various other indignities, often escaping death only by the insertion of an added sequence in the next chapter. Republic were just so good at this kind of thing! Another reviewer suggested that this was aimed at an audience of 10 year olds. I agree, but that doesn't mean that it can't be hugely enjoyed by those of us who are just big kids at heart.Two final thoughts: I love that recurring shot of the waterfall hiding the Black Whip's secret cave and, er, where did Zorro get to?

Perhaps because it was silent (and the accents nonexistent), the 1920 version of THE MARK OF ZORRO with Douglas Fairbanks still plays well. When Sound entered the Picture (so to speak), the lack of accents was suddenly made noticeable- so the producers of the Zorro serials opted to shift focus to one of his descendants. ZORROR RIDES AGAIN boasted some great action, but the action was actually undercut by a fairly standard storyline (and "El Lobo's" lack of an accent didn't help matters, either). The most telling moment of all, however, comes at serial's end when Zorro's HORSE actually takes out the bad guy... ZORRO'S FIGHTING LEGION was better (one of the stunts was impressive enough to warrant its "re-enactment" in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, decades later), but the best would probably have to be ZORRO'S BLACK WHIP (which must have set the record for the greatest number of times a stock sequence was used during a single serial- though it should be pointed out that at least ONE chapter of almost every single serial was comprised of stock footage from an earlier chapter). While all three of these serials lack the Fairbanks flair, all three are worth a look.

I have no idea how Zorro got to Idaho. Every Zorro fan knows that he never left California. That's not the only thing different about this film - Zorro is a woman! ¡Ay, caramba! Before television, you went to the theater to see "episodes" There were many serials during the 30's and 40's, with a brief revival in the 50's. Zorro was among them. Zorro Rides Again (1937) with John Carroll as the disguised, legendary 19th century title character, the 12-chapter Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939), this series, Zorro's Black Whip (1944), Son of Zorro (1947), and Ghost of Zorro (1949) with Clayton Moore in his first masked-western-hero role.Linda Stirling, who plays The Black Whip, was a leading lady of the era and does a great job here in keeping alive the legend of Zorro, even if the setting is far from home.

This is exactly the sort of Saturday matinee serial I loved during World War II. I was under ten years of age. And that's the audience this serial is designed for. Looking at it now, one must roar at its ineptitude and stupidity. The budget must have been next to nothing, given the shortcuts and repeats. The acting? Well, this is Republic pictures, 1944. They read the lines....and no doubt had one take to make them convincing.One and half stars.