The Gunfighter

The Gunfighter (1950) is one of the most mature, well-made Westerns Hollywood ever released. Gregory Peck and Henry King had already proven a winning team on 1949's Twelve O'Clock High, and they create a memorably unique oater here.

Jimmy Ringo (Gregory Peck) is a legendary gunfighter who only wants to escape his past. After killing Eddie (Richard Jaeckal), a young man who challenges him to a duel, Ringo flees the man's brothers and visits the town of Cayenne. He soon learns he's not welcome: his old buddy Mark (Millard Mitchell) is now the town Marshal, old flame Peggy (Helen Westcott) doesn't want to see him and various townspeople want him either run out of town or dead. Among the troublemakers are Jerry Marlowe (Cliff Clark), who has a score to settle with Ringo, and Hunt Broemley (Skip Hoemier), a cocky loudmouth who yearns to be "the man who killed Jimmy Ringo."

The Gunfighter is a key title in the "psychological Western" subgenre which flourished in the '50s. High Noon, The Man from Laramie and The Searchers get more acclaim and attention but King's film is even better than those classics. Hitting on a "death of the West" theme much expanded on by Mann, Peckinpah and Eastwood (among others), King shoots the gunfighter myth full of holes without getting wrapped up in "revisionist" posturing.

The Gunfighter scores points for its sober realism and well-observed drama. Ringo is a radical departure from the standard gunslinger, a not especially likeable character worn down from endless challenges by cocky "squirts." When The Magnificent Seven complain about how tough it is being a gunfighter, it seems like callow whining, but Ringo, not even welcome among friends and lovers, definitely earns the right to complain. He doesn't even get a showdown with Eddie's vengeful brothers, Fate and the screenplay dealing him a most ignoble death.

This complexity extends to other characters, too. Peggy is a most unusual love interest, holding onto some affection for Ringo but initially refusing to see him, let alone their son. The conflicted Marshal, a "singer" friend of Ringo's (Jean Parker) and the friendly barman (Karl Malden) also make strong impressions. Thrill-seeking kids swarm Ringo wherever he goes, similar to The Wild Bunch, making him a walking spectacle. There's some light comic relief, especially when Ringo confers with an unknowing gaggle of old biddies intent on running him out of town, but the film remains consistently down to earth. Nothing strikes a false note, and even the sentimental ending seems appropriate.

King's direction is fairly restrained. Most of the movie is town-bound, relying on Arthur C. Miller's moody photography for affect. There's not much gunplay, and the film is talky by Western standards, but King keeps things interesting by consistently avoiding cliches. Obvious confrontations are aborted and the characters develop in unexpected ways. Alfred Newman contributes a nice score reminiscent of later work on The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Gregory Peck gives what might be his best performance. He makes Ringo believably coarse and bitter with just enough hope to keep him going. Helen Westcott (God's Little Acre) gets a memorable part, tough-minded but soft enough to (almost) forgive Ringo. Millard Mitchell (The Naked Spur) does fine work as the Marshal, and Karl Malden (On the Waterfront) shines playing a chummy bartender. Jean Parker (Rasputin and the Empress) has a nice bit as an old acquaintance of Ringo. Skip Homeier (The Tall T) and Richard Jaeckal (3:10 to Yuma) are appropriately snotty as the "squirts" seeking a name for themsleves.

The Gunfighter is one of the all-time great Westerns. With its closely-observed drama, well-rounded characters and avoidance of cliche (if not convention), it's definitely an interesting and unique film.