Dotsthavesp I wanted to but couldn't!

Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Scott LeBrun Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn do well in this rather over looked Western from acclaimed director John Sturges. While it doesn't really aspire to greatness, it's an appealing, compelling, nicely acted story of two old friends reunited under unfortunate circumstances. Kirk is Marshal Matt Morgan, whose Indian wife Catherine (Israeli actress Ziva Rodann) is raped and murdered by two men. One of them is Rick Belden (Earl Holliman), weakling son of Quinns' small town boss Craig Belden. When Matt figures out whodunit, he becomes determined to bring Rick to justice, no matter if it means going up against a former comrade.Even though suspense is limited (there was never any doubt in this viewers' mind as to how things would develop), it's a pleasure to watch Kirk and Quinn square off. Appreciably, Quinn isn't portrayed as a purely one dimensional villain. At times he is likable, and he does appear to genuinely care for his son, even if he does think he is foolish. The supporting cast is equally strong, with Carolyn Jones of 'The Addams Family' fame in one of her better big screen roles, as the local gal who sympathizes with Matt. Holliman is fun as the weaselly Rick. Also appearing are Brad Dexter and Val Avery, whom Sturges directed in "The Magnificent Seven" '60, future director Brian G. Hutton ("Kelly's Heroes") as the sleazy Lee Smithers, Bing Russell (the deputy on 'Bonanza' and the father of Kurt R.) as Skag, and Walter Sande ("Bad Day at Black Rock") as an ineffectual sheriff. Among those in uncredited bits are William 'Billy' Benedict, Dabbs Greer, John Anderson, Ty Hardin, and Glenn Strange.In addition to having an antagonist rather than a true villain as Matts' opponent, we get a hero whose dedication and sense of purpose are admirable, although he could also be seen as being just plain stubborn.Pleasing VistaVision photography and a rousing Dimitri Tiomkin score make this entertaining to watch, and there's a mildly exciting set piece involving a burning building.Seven out of 10.

LeonLouisRicci A Stiff and Super Clean Look is What You Get From the Overrated Director John Sturgess Once Again. The Man Wouldn't Know Grit if it Covered the Bottom of His Elevator Boots. The Strong Acting from Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn with the Radiant Beauty of Carolyn Jones Cannot Save Another Clunker from Sturges and His Bland Direction.There is Some Tension from the Script, Borrowed from and Almost Identical to Other Recent Movies of the Era, the Shallow and By the Numbers Style of So Many Fifties Westerns Renders the Suspense Somewhat Anemic.The First Act is the Best and it All Goes Down (Gun) Hill From There. The Cinematography is Lusciously Competent but Nothing Different from a Thousand Other Professionals, and the Dimitri Tiomkin Score is Intrusive and Overdone Frequently.Worth a Watch with Low Expectations but for Those Looking for One of the Better Westerns from the Many in the Decade of "The Western", Need Look Elsewhere.

dougdoepke Despite the big names—Quinn, Douglas, director Sturgis—the western's nothing special. The story starts off powerfully with the assault and murder of Matt's wife; at the same time, the suspense is built into the soured friendship between Craig and Matt since it's Craig's son Rick (Holliman) who's perpetrated the assault. Now Matt wants to bring him to justice despite dad's opposition. On the other hand, Carolyn Jones' shady lady fits in somewhere. Trouble is that like too many A-oaters of the time, this one suffers from bloat as producers load up with stars and extended runtime, likely to compete with TV. Then too, the plot's clearly derivative from the preceding year's 3:10 To Yuma, as other reviewers point out. And that's even down to the extended hotel scene, which unfortunately sags the middle part. All in all, it looks like the production may have been a hurry-up since the action is mainly confined to Paramount's backlot.That's not to say the movie is devoid of positives. Douglas brings his usual intensity, while Quinn makes a persuasive adversary. But I especially like the underrated Earl Holliman who was so good at callow youth. Then too, it's the most glamorous I've seen Carolyn Jones who usually got supporting roles. Anyhow, the suspense is dragged out not too effectively right down to the clichéd showdown. Frankly, it's oaters like this that make me appreciate the small-budget Ranown series of tight, taut, Randolph Scott westerns, e.g. The Tall T (1957). Perhaps that's why-- unlike the Ranowns-- this A-List effort has since drifted into obscurity, despite the big names.

spelvini Last Train From Gun Hill announces its intentions early on as our hero Marshal Matt Morgan (Kirk Douglas) retells an embroidered tale about a showdown with trail criminals. His audience is a small group of young boys who have all heard the story before and know the story but enjoy the performance of the storyteller.Conversely we know the tale in the film well as one of Old West justice and we are certain that regardless of the obstacles presented to our hero he will triumph in bringing the bad guys to pay for what they have done.Director John Sturges may have been painting by the numbers in many of the films places. The casting is good, but with could have been better with another actor in as Greg Beldon- not that Anthony Quinn is not a powerful figure, but I'm not sure he fits as the father of the spineless Earl Holliman.John Sturges had made Gunfight at the O.K. Corral 2 years earlier, and that film had carved into stone the legacy of Western justice against the outlaws of the land. Perhaps Sturges was warming up his palette for The Magnificent Seven that would come just a year after Last Train from Gun Hill, although for my money Magnificent Seven covers over the gunslinger myth with such Teflon veneer that it almost feels like cowpoke porn.Last Train from Gun Hill automatically mythologizes its action with the initial set piece which includes children as ready participants and audience for the lore of the West, and this child-like way of viewing the narrative colors the entire story.Women characters in the film fall into easily classified categories. The good woman, the Indian wife of Matt dies at the outset and sets into motion the chain of events that force the Matt to confront the racial bias in the western community, forcing him to eventually choose between revenge for good, or allowing the bad elements to remain. The rest of the female characters from the start are broken into two kinds of one type. The saloon woman who services the men is played by Carolyn Jones, a character who formally worked in the saloon and now was pure at heart. Her back-story as the love of the morally conflicted Greg Belden diverts our attentions, but when it becomes clear that Belden has not the depth of character to sustain a healthy relationship, it is distinguished.The film ultimately is one of revenge for the betterment of the community, and that the mythic West still stands tall as a place where one regards the legacy over the truth. Still, it delivers a satisfying finale to the Douglas-driven angst of his character and reaffirms the poetic justice of the Old West.