vincentlynch-moonoi
Although I grew up in the 1950s loving Westerns...but at that time, who didn't...it's a rare Western nowadays that can hold my attention. However, this Western is clearly a cut above the average, and despite a few clichés, it's very watchable.Kirk Douglas is the sheriff who has an Indian wife and young son. The wife is raped and murdered by Earl Holliman, the son of a land owner (Anthony Quinn) who controls a huge ranch a couple of towns over. Douglas sets off to bring the rapist/murderer in, which won't be easy since Quinn controls everything in his town. The twist is that Douglas and Quinn were once closest of friends. We know, of course, that Douglas will be successful in his attempt to bring about justice (with a little revenge mixed in), but how will he do it. Well, it's pretty interesting.Kirk Douglas had an on-screen personality which was often too big for the movie screen. But he was best with he controlled himself and slightly under-played his roles...and that's what he did here. It's a very good performance.Although Anthony Quinn had been making movies for over 20 years, when he made this film he was yet to hit his stride as a confident leading actor. He does nicely here, although I would not consider his acting here particularly noteworthy.Carolyn Jones plays an odd character -- one who can't quite leave Quinn's character, even though he abuses her. I'm rarely impressed with Jones, but she's good here as the key to Douglas succeeding in his quest.Earl Holliman is another actor I've never been overly impressed with. I would say he usually did his job...as he does here. Definitely a supporting actor, and not a star.This is a Western worth watching, although it is certainly not in the realm of say a John Ford Western. Solid entertainment, though.
kcterrell-25046
A Sturgis masterpiece. The story and the soundtrack are somewhat contrived, But outstanding performances by Douglas, Quinn, and Jones. The sets, the costuming, and the makeup in this film are all perfect. The accessories are all true to the time, and kudos to the gaffers, leaving no stone unturned to making this nice movie completely believable. The only scene to the contrary is the bar room scene when Douglas fires six shots and yet forces all of the men at gunpoint into the next room. Jones' performance is greatly unappreciated as the femme fatale to both protagonists. At times, the makeup accentuates her wide white eyes, and in the final scene, the eyeliner lets her blue eyes be captured on the wide screen like the movies of an earlier era. I only wish I could see this movie on a big screen, because that is how Sturgis directed the movie to be seen. It is refreshing to see so much attention to detail in a Western movie, that should be admired and seen more than once to fully appreciate the small things.
Jeff (actionrating.com)
See it – A man with high ideals stands alone in a town that's sitting around, waiting for him to get killed. We've seen this premise before with movies like "High Noon" and "3:10 to Yuma." But each one has a unique plot in its own right, and the similarities that exist are the vital basics that make a western great. In this western masterpiece, Kirk Douglas plays a sheriff who seeks vengeance against the men who murdered his wife. When he tracks them down, he discovers that one of them is his best friend's son. His friend, played beautifully by Anthony Quinn, owns the town and will do everything in his power to make sure Douglas doesn't get on the last train from Gun Hill.
kenjha
Marshal tracks down the man who raped and murdered his wife. This is a tightly constructed and suspenseful Western with the plot having parallels to "3:10 to Yuma" and "The Bravados," both released in the couple of years preceding this one. While Douglas had a tendency to overact, here he gives a controlled performance as the marshal seeking vengeance. Quinn is equally effective as the powerful father of the murderer. Also good is Jones as a tough broad who has connections to both men. This is one of several fine Westerns Sturges made during the 1950s, including "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" with Douglas, and his direction is quite efficient here.
AD
