The Gunfighter [DVD]

Henry King was a film director of great longevity. He directed his first film "Who Pays" in 1916 and made his last "Tender is the night" in 1962. That he survived in the film industry this long was testament to his durability. Sadly most of his films are very forgettable affairs indeed. Amongst his large body of work he made two startlingly good films which stand out like shining beacons from the rest. In 1949 he made "Twelve O Clock High" set in the second World War, which has long been used as an example of the pressures that leadership can bring. In 1950 he made "The Gunfighter". He also made one interesting film in 1958 called "The Bravados", a film that highlighted the perils of taking the law into your own hands. All these films starred Gregory Peck. My Mother would argue vociferously that "Love is a many Splendoured Thing" is an all time great. I dont suggest you watch it to find out!

"The Gunfighter" is a very bleak and desolate film. The sort of film that has storm clouds and birds of prey hovering over it. The stark black and white merely accentuates that. It is full of forboding and menace. Gregory Peck plays Jimmy Ringo a a gunslinger unable to escape his reputation and a target for every two bit gunny. At the start of the film he is forced to gun down a very youthful looking Richard Jaeckel who taunts him into action. But he has three brothers who will be after his blood, so he is forced to move on yet again. Ringo is aging and he is tired of this hunted existence. He stops in the town of Cayenne where he sees his wife who has changed her name and his young son with whom he was unable to enjoy any sort of relationship. You realise early on that there can be no happy conclusion and that Ringo will never escape his past. We head inexorably to a tragic finale.

"The Gunfighter" is one of the great Westerns. It bears great similarity to "Shane" made three years later which also features a gunfighter unable to escape his past. A great film but I will commit heresy by saying "The Gunfighter" is the greater work for its downright honesty. Peck is excellent in the role that John Wayne coveted. The musical score fits the tone perfectly. If you like happy endings dont bother watching this film. If you like a brilliantly crafted and thought provoking film that has aged extremely well, then this is the film for you!

Through the history of film there have been a few classic pairings of director and actor that have produced some out and out great films - Anthony Mann/James Stewart, John Huston/Humphrey Bogart, John Ford/John Wayne for example. I would humbly add Henry King/Gregory Peck to that list.

Though (as far as I know) they only made three films together, The Gunfighter, Twelve O'Clock High and Bravados, all three stand as some of the best work in the canon of either man, and all three were great movies that had that extra something that set them apart from the herd.

The Gunfighter is a tale of a hardened old west gunslinger, Jimmy Ringo. Once a hot headed young blood, he is older, wiser, and weary of the life he has chosen. Weary of being challenged in every town by some young squirt who wants to make a name for himself by beating the fastest gun in the West. After being forced to kill again in self defence he heads for a town where he hopes he can find salvation. Soon the entire town is on tenterhooks as his very presence in the saloon brings the entire community to a halt. What follows is a great tale as Ringo tries to keep out of trouble and make amends with his estranged wife.

Peck excels as Ringo, a man with a dubious past but now trying to do the right thing. He brings a gravity to the character, and turns him from being a mere archetypal gunslinger into a very real human. His quiet dignity as he faces all that he is trying to escape is the best part of the film.

Also of note is Millard Mitchell as an ex member of Ringo's gang, now sheriff of the town. He understands just how things are going to play out, and with out fear or favour does his best to keep the town in control and keep both Ringo and any ambitious young guns alive. The finale, where Ringo lays a heavy doom on one of the young squirts and the Sheriff sees it through is one of the best endings of any film. Mitchell plays it through with a commanding, authoritative yet understanding air.

This is a film that had a wide impact - I recall hearing (though this might be pure hog's wash) that Ringo Starr of Beatles fame took his name from Peck's character here. And Bob Dylan even wrote a song about his experience of going to see the movie (Brownsville Girl) in which he compared his own place in the music industry to that of Jimmy Ringo in the old west - THE man that anyone wanting to make a name for themselves has to shoot down.

This Studio Classics release from Fox is pretty good, with an excellent transfer and picture quality. I have been impressed with all the DVD's I have had from this range. Highly recommended purchase to those who like action and a bit of thought provoking. 5 stars.

The name Nunnally Johnson on the credits as producer (also uncredited writer) should alert you to the fact that you're likely to get a literate film with left-ish leanings (not easy in 1950 Hollywood). In this era there's a lot of overlap between film noir and Westerns, and the theme of a man haunted by his past is common to both genres. The gunfighter trying to escape his past is not exactly an original idea, but what gives it depth is the portrait of the community which is disrupted by the arrival of the man on the run. Everyone down to the barber is deftly portrayed, and the conflict between the outsider and the settled community is the stronger for it. Most of the action is internal, in the mind of the man trying to change, trying to avoid conflict, but inevitably drawn into it. Gregory Peck gives a strong and subtle performance, and is matched by Millard Mitchell as his former gang colleague, now gone straight, who is trying to hold the town together and protect his friend at the same time.

Anyone looking for an action pic is likely to be disappointed, because the gunfights are few and over in a flash. But that doesn't make it any the less dramatic or tense. Unlike film noir, however, the film ends on a note of redemption. It is possible to break the cycle of violence, and end the corrupting myth-making of the gunflighter as hero - I told you Johnson was a leftie.

Not quite a classic, because it's badly let down by Helen Westcott as the love interest. Westcott manages to be both frumpy and a bad actress. Thankfully she's not on screen for long, but it still makes the central plot point of why the incredibly handsome Peck is in town rather incredible.

But if you can ignore this, you will be well rewarded.