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An excellent late-50s MGM oater, this one stars Glenn Ford as Jason Sweet, a ex-gambler who's come into town with a trainload of sheep he won in a card game. He knows there's going to be opposition since this is cattle country, so he strikes the first blow by letting the town know he's here to stay and that he plans on sharing the rangeland with his sheep. The beginning scene with slow-witted Jumbo McCall (Mickey Shaughnessy) in the Chinese restaurant is a hoot.
And by coincidence (?) his main opponent is none other than an old nemesis turned cattle baron named Stephen Bedford (Leslie Nielsen) who knows more about Ford's past than anybody else in town. And vice-versa. It turns out that Stephen Bedford used to be known as Johnny Bledsoe, a notorious card shark and gunman who's now gone into the respectable cattle business. He's also planning on marrying the town airhead, played by Shirley McLaine who will later fall in love with Ford.
It now turns into a battle of wits between Sweet and Bledsoe to see who will win out. Bledsoe has the upper hand at first because the town's behind him. But Sweet won't be rattled so easily so Bledsoe brings in Choctaw Neal (Pernell Roberts) as a hired gunman to do the dirty work.
Choctaw isn't so tough when his two fellow gunslingers aren't able to back him up in a gun duel with Sweet. They being held at gunpoint by McLaine and Edgar Buchanan (as the town sage) so Sweet will be able to have a fair fight. I like the unsure look on Choctaw's face as he's forced to draw on Sweet alone. (laughs) Good scene.
The ending shootout in Nielsen's study is also well done as he attempts to fool Ford into thinking that his show pistol is unloaded and that he's just playing around with it. Both of them fire simultaneously killing Nielsen and wounding Ford. There's more to all this than what's been described, so you'll have to see it for yourself.
Another enjoyable western from director George Marshall (DESTRY RIDES AGAIN) with good comedic touches (especially Mickey Shaughnessy's part) that aren't contrived or forced upon the audience in any way. It all blends in neatly with the story.
8 out of 10
score 8/10
westerner357 28 July 2003
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0065730/ |
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20-1-2021 00:48:07