classicsoncall Review of Gun Fight

Gun Fight (1961)

"I'd hate to see a man die with his pockets empty."

[5/10 · 29 September 2012]

Had this been a grainy 1930's Western with someone like Buck Jones or Tom Mix in the lead it might have been almost interesting. As it is, I can't believe stories as bad as this were being made as late as 1960. Can you think of anything goofier in a Western flick than having the nominal hero Wayne Santley (James Brown) and his girlfriend Nora Blaine (Joan Staley) stand at a distance to simply watch a sheriff's posse take down brother Brad's (Gregg Palmer) gang in a shootout at their cabin? And what's the deal with the Trading Post - there's a nicely furnished room in back of the merchandise area that no one seems to be living in, just waiting for a couple like Wayne and Nora to show up? I don't know about you, but it looked to me like the actor playing Brad Santley was in pain throughout the story by the grimaced expression on his face most of the time. He probably had good reason with the tortured script that had him for and against his brother as the picture progressed. There's an anomaly, there wasn't much progress in the film at all to speak of, and only true Western movie addicts should give this one a try, and then only if you want to catch former 'Rin Tin Tin' TV hero, Lieutenant Rip Masters once again.