Man with the Gun

Robert Mitchum is......Man With The Gun. Clint Tollinger arrives in a small town looking for his estranged wife and news of his daughter, tho he finds her, the chance of any sort of reconciliation is very slim. Whilst here, the sheriff and the important townsfolk learn of Tollinger's reputation as a pistol specialist town tamer. As they are living in fear of a mysterious landowner who is stripping the town from them bit by bit, they hold a meeting that chooses to hire Tollinger to rid the town of it's unsavoury elements. Man With The Gun seems to be either a forgotten piece or a vastly under seen one, for at the time of me writing this, it has just over 200 votes and a paltry 9 user comments written for it on IMDb. It's a shame on either score because although the production values scream out that this is a "B" movie Western, this is a fine entry in the Western genre. That the piece takes on a rather standard plot theme of an harangued town turning to an avenging dark angel, probably hasn't done the film any favours over the years, I myself read the synopsis and thought it's just another in the line of similarly themed pictures. Yet I was pleasantly surprised to find a darkly dramatic picture boasting many enjoyable moments, both technically and as a functioning story. Robert Mitchum is in the lead as Tollinger, perfectly cast, he strides thru the picture like some brooding menace. We often talk about the screen presence that John Wayne and Charlton Heston had (justifiably of course), Mitchum is right up there with the best of them. One sequence here sees him standing in the shadows at the back of a room as a meeting takes place, we don't see his face, but we can feel that piercing brood staring out at us! The rest of the cast are very much in Mitchum's shadow, so really it's solely with the big man that the films acting credentials are high. Perhaps it's unfair to single out Ted de Corsia for a kick? but Man With The Gun's minor failings are with its villains, and sadly de Corsia is lacking any sort of villainesque menace. The score from Alex North is excellently layered (fans of Spartacus will certainly be pricking their ears up) and the cinematography from Lee Garmes is highly impressive when one realises that the majority of this picture was shot on the studio lot. Directed and co-written by first time director Richard Wilson, Man With The Gun holds few surprises for the genre, but it's dark in tone, violent and above all else, highly watchable. 7.5/10

_**Well done town-bound Western with Robert Mitchum, albeit in B&W**_ A gunman (Robert Mitchum) strolls into town in the Old West and is hired as a town-tamer. Henry Hull plays the aged and cautious marshal while John Lupton and Emile Meyer appear as citizens. Leo Gordon and Claude Akins are on hand as heavies. "Man with the Gun" (1955) is a quality town-bound Western with Robert Mitchum towering as a laconic righteous gunfighter. The stock plot is standard, but the cast, the writing, the performances and the convincing town set make it compelling. Another highlight is the stellar cast of women, including Jan Sterling (Nelly), Barbara Lawrence (Ann), Karen Sharpe (Stella) and Angie Dickinson (Kitty), all stunning. The only issue is the lack of color unless you don't mind B&W. I had no problem acclimating. The film runs 1 hour, 24 minutes, and was shot at Samuel Goldwyn Studios in West Hollywood, California. GRADE: B+

There is something fairly standard about the plot here as a town under the control of a brutal, yet seldom seen, cattle man "Holman" seeks help from the no-nonsense "Tollinger" (Robert Mitchum). There is some uncertainty amongst the townsfolk about the merits of picking a fight with his chandelier-owning henchman "Frenchy" (Ted de Corsia) and his enforcer "Pinchot" (Leo Gordon) but when local farmer "Castle" (John Lupton) goes and gets himself shot while protecting his land, they stump up his $500 fee and find themselves with a new sheriff. "Tollinger" hits the ground running, banning weapons and provoking the complacent "Frenchy", but as the body count starts to rise will his citizenry back him or turn a convenient shade of yellow? Will the enigmatic "Holman" ever show up to face him and, as the prophetic "Doc. Hughes" (Florenz Ames) points out - might their cure end up being worse than the disease? Romance? Well yes, in the form of "Nelly" (Jan Sterling) who runs the team of local saloon "hostesses", but she's long since become disillusioned with her single-minded former lover and though still concerned for his safety, isn't about to help drag this into melodrama territory - thankfully. There's quite an effective red-herring running through the latter stages of this; Mitchum is on good form here with his depiction of a slightly conflicted character and the remaining supporting cast - including some familiar faces including Angie Dickinson, keep the story taut and personable. The other thing you might spot - well hear, really - is an early outing for what went on to be some fairly recognisable "Spartacus" style musical refrains from Alex North's score as the story builds to it's climax. Better the devil you know? Definitely better in black and white.