classicsoncall
I don't want to mis-characterize "The Master Gunfighter" as a bad film, but it will take some patience to sit through. With Tom Laughlin's name attached to the project, I wondered if there would be a Billy Jack sensibility to his character, and it didn't take long to find out. Laughlin generally shows his smug impatience with the bad guys by rubbing his face and head, allowing time to contemplate his next move, which usually involves shooting them, or utilizing a more novel touch, skewering them with the Samurai sword that's part of his arsenal. It might have been cooler to see him kick someone in the head. The cinematography takes a gorgeous turn every now and then though, with location shooting along the Monterey Coast, and if you enjoy this kind of natural beauty, Barbara Carrera's also part of the cast. Dedicated fans of Billy Jack will probably find the picture to be entertaining enough, for myself it was a B Western that didn't have to run two hours to get to the final showdown.
Joseph Salamone
Tom "Billy Jack" Laughlin spends most of his movie speaking in a monotone, wearing silly-looking floppy hats, and either shooting people or hacking them up with a Samurai sword. The exterior scenes (filmed mostly along the Pacific Coast) are often strikingly photographed, but the dialog and acting are stiff and ridiculous. Like the BILLY JACK movies, Laughlin has a lot to say about man's inhumanity toward his fellow man. But, after about 10 minutes of listening to his preaching, you won't care anymore. With just a few changes to the screenplay, and an update to the 20th century, this could have been another BILLY JACK movie. At least the BILLY JACK movies were somewhat entertaining.
wmat
Let me say that I love Westerns and sword-play movies. Then along comes The Master Gunfighter. I'm sure there is a plot in there somewhere. But you owe it to yourself to see one of the worst movies ever. It was not made-for-TV, but a real, live in the theatre experience. People might have actually spent real cash to see this. Sad. The LeMat (pistol) actually existed as a .22 cal,with a .410 shotgun barrel, but was not introduced until the Civil War. A great many men carried Bowie knives at the time that this took place, but I imagine getting an actual Samurai katana would have been very difficult.
widebill
The kind of film one would expect from the genius behind "Billy Jack Goes to Washington," the movie does distinguish itself in the area of weaponry. Apparently set in the era of old California, the gunfighter blazes away with a remarkable handgun called a LeMat--which didn't exist if the period is prior to the Civil War as it seems to be. Nonetheless, bringing this weapon to light is a nice historical touch. While the Union officers in the Civil War used six-shooter percussion revolvers, they were hard pressed if they came up against a Confederate with a ten-shooter LeMat (nine balls plus a shotgun round). The other milestone in weaponry is the use of swords not a la Zorro but in the fashion of Samuri, a ludicrous touch only Mr. Laughlin could have thought up. If you enjoy odd weapons or the odd use of them, you must see this film,
AD
