The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958)

In this western remake of Kiss of Death (1947), a convicted bank robber serving his sentence, and wishing nothing more than to finish his time and get back to his family, gets involved with... See full summary »

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writers:

Harry Brown (screenplay), Philip Yordan (screenplay)

Stars:

Hugh O'Brian, Robert Evans, Dolores Michaels

Cast

Cast overview:
Hugh O'Brian	...	Daniel Slade Hardy
Robert Evans	...	Felix Griffin
Dolores Michaels	...	May
Linda Cristal	...	Ellen Hardy
Stephen McNally	...	Marshal Frank Emmett
June Blair	...	Saloon Girl
Edward Andrews	...	Judge Parker
Ron Ely	...	Deputy Jim Dyer
Ken Scott	...	Paul Finney
Emile Meyer	...	Ames
Gregory Morton	...	Defense Attorney Gage
Shari Lee Bernath	...	Janie Hardy

Storyline

In this western remake of Kiss of Death (1947), a convicted bank robber serving his sentence, and wishing nothing more than to finish his time and get back to his family, gets involved with a psychotic, homicidal inmate who turns on him and winds up terrorizing his wife and murdering his friends.

---

Plot Keywords:

b western | b movie | b remake of major film | remake | damsel in distress | 

---

Taglines:

DON'T BE ASHAMED TO SCREAM! Everyone in the theatre will be screaming with you!

---

Genres:

Action | Horror | Thriller | Western

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le tueur qui murmure

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In his autobiography, "The Kid Stays in the Picture," Robert Evans says that this movie had the following working titles: "The Hell-Bent Kid", "Rope Law", "Enough Rope", "Quick Draw", "Quick Draw at Red Rock", and "The Hell-Bent Kid II". This mistakenly created the impression that Evans was appearing in more films than he actually was. The final title came from a marketing exec trying to cater to both western and horror film audiences.

---

Connections

Remake of Kiss of Death (1947)

User Reviews

A very unusual and interesting western

Much of this film will seem familiar to anyone who's seen 1947's "Kiss of Death", which plotwise it closely resembles, and some of the theme music heard over the opening credits was borrowed from 1951's "The Day The Earth Stood Still". That having been said, however, this film has much to recommend it on its own. Most critics disapproved of Robert Evans in the title role, but I found him very impressive: funny and likeable one minute, menacing and really frightening the next; the stuff of any true psycho. The film isn't without flaws; the direction is frankly uninspired, and several opportunities missed. But Evans (in one of his last roles before giving up acting to become a producer) remains fascinating to watch; he's very unlike any other western villain you've ever seen. Emile Meyer (as a brutal prison guard) and Stephen McNally (as a good guy for a change) offer strong supporting performances; Hugh O'Brien is his reliable self as the hero.