Reviews & Ratings for
Gun the Man Down More at IMDbPro »

10 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Unexpectedly Good B-Western, 18 January 2011

Author: ksneath from United States

This little B-Western with James Arness in one of his last non-Gunsmoke starring roles seems to have been heretofore almost forgotten, judging by the lack of ratings and reviews here. I recently happened upon it on Netflix and decided to give it a try. While perhaps not deserving of a spot among the great westerns, it surprised me because it was truly quite good and deserves more attention than it's received.

The plot, in short, involves Arness as one of three men who decide to hold up a bank. Arness is injured in the robbery, and subsequently left behind by his compatriots and, reluctantly, by his girl as well (Angie Dickinson, looking radiant in her first billable role). After being caught, convicted, and serving time for his part in the hold-up, he goes seeking his "friends" and his girl, bent on revenge.

The biggest thing that struck me about this little "BATJAC" western was the steady, deliberate pacing of the story and the focus on characters more so than on shoot-em-up, chase-em-down action. There's more tension than action (in fact, one could legitimately call it a suspense film), and I appreciated the refreshing change of pace from most B westerns (or westerns in general, for that matter). Besides, at a slim 74 minutes, it simply can't drag on forever.

This is a very thoughtful western in many respects. Characters are given much more life than you might expect. In particular, we see some interesting interaction between Sheriff Morton (Emile Meyer) and his deputy (Harry Carey, Jr.). The sheriff, who obviously is well past his gunslinging years, handles violence in his town sagely, keeping a close watch on events, while not putting himself in a position where his age would certainly compromise his life or his ability to do his job.

Again, it's not a perfect movie, but I was quite pleasantly surprised, and it's probably one of the best b-westerns I've seen. I recommend it.

4 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Gun the Man Down , movie comment, 21 August 2009

Author: ljlangham from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I remember this movie from long ago & have read comments on it & must agree it is boring & predictable, however i would watch it again because i am a fan of James Arness & like nearly all western movies. It is rather comical that they were so cheap on the making of the film & that John Wayne produced the movie is most remarkable. James Arness I think did his best work on Gunsmoke anyway, & he was not destined to became a major movie star. I think with Angie Dickinson & Wilkes the other co-star that the movie could have been much better & should have had lots more western action in it. But alas it will be just another B western movie. Thank you

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