Gunman's Walk (1958) Reviews

• Underrated Western Gem

  emdragon2005-05-15

  Van Heflin played second lead in a score of pictures over 3 decades. In this excellent western he gets to play the lead, and his performance is one of the greatest of his long career. He displays a completely believable fatherly range of emotion and makes the audience identify with his 'how the west was won' mentality. Phil Karlson's deft direction keeps the pacing of this picture very crisp and poignant. The settings and western scenes are also quite excellent. All of this has been said without mentioning Tab Hunter's taught performance, which is really the defining touch that makes this movie great. Surprisingly, Hunter was a teen idol especially developed by the movie studio to be just another screen image. He defied the studios by delivering this amazing performance as a wild and reckless young man growing up in the shadow of his father's hard nosed old western legacy, determined to leave his own stamp on the developing times in the west. Gunman's Walk may be the most underrated western in screen history. It almost feels like a real metaphor for the western motif, and the changing civilization that beckons just over the horizon.

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• Another good Karlson film

  frankfob2002-11-14

  Director Phil Karlson is known more for his tough, gritty, violent crime dramas ("99 River Street," "The Phenix City Story," among others) than horse operas, but this tight little western is reminiscent of the best of Karlson's urban thrillers. Tab Hunter is excellent as the spoiled, egomaniacal, homicidal son of a wealthy rancher, who believes that his family's riches and position are pretty much a blank check that enables him to do whatever he wants to whoever he wants, including murder, because he knows that his father's influence will get him out of trouble. Hunter's tightly wound, controlled performance is a real eye-opener for those who always thought of him as just another pretty boy teen idol who couldn't act (i.e., Ricky Nelson, Fabian, etc.). This is by far Hunter's best work. You can see his internal spring winding tighter and tighter as he pushes the envelope further and further until it's just a matter of time before he explodes. Van Heflin is solid as his father, who's too busy building and maintaining an empire and can't, or won't, see the evil that manifests itself in his son, and veteran character actor Robert F. Simon is very good as the town sheriff and Heflin's friend, who realizes that he's given Hunter one too many breaks and is torn between his obligations to his friend and his duty as a lawman. Mickey Shaughnessy, who often played oafish drunks, dimwitted gangsters or other types of comic relief, strikes just the right note as a sympathetic deputy who doesn't think that Hunter is really as bad as his reputation. Karlson directs with his usual energy, marked by his trademark quick, explosive bursts of action. An intriguing film, despite its potboiler title, and worth a look for Hunter's fine performance and Karlson's vigorous direction.

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• Unique Socio-Psychological Western

  David Elroy2001-12-14

  I give this movie a 9 out of 10 for its earnest (yet not overdone) acting, sympathetic (yet not sappy) treatment of Indians, and exuberant (yet not overwhelming) energy level throughout. The relatively unknown actors and filmmakers really tried hard here. Aside from the family conflict, there is an intriguing treatment of the theme of historical change and how the Old West relates to the New - also seen in movies such as Bus Stop, The Misfits, and Lonely are the Brave. Gunman's Walk is not perfect - things get 'explained' a bit too neatly at the Freudian conclusion, for example - but there is scarcely a dull or uninteresting moment. Don't miss the unique details in this film, such as the instant mood swings that the characters, especially the Father, go through, and the astonishing bar scene where the Big Brother cavorts with hookers and sings "I'm a Runaway." This is a very unusual western and it comes highly recommended.

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• Van Heflin's powerful performance

  westerner3572003-07-31

  Unlike sandcrab's bitter politically-correct review below, I happen to put this one on my A list for 50s westerns. Van Heflin plays a hard cattle rancher who wants the best for his two boys. One (Tab Hunter) is wild, spoiled and bitter about following in his father's shadow, the other (James Darren) is soft, gentle, not prone to gunplay like his older brother is. Heflin is very effective at playing the overindulgent father, blind to the realities that both boys are dealing with. The conflict begins when Hunter and a half-breed Sioux (Bert Convy) that his father has hired, race after a prized white stallion that they've been trying to catch for some time now. Hunter runs his horse into the Indian, forcing him off a cliff into an arroyo, plunging to his death below. Two other Indians witness this and will later testify against Hunter at his trial. At the trial, a drifting horse trader (Ray Teal) testifies in favor of Hunter for a price of 10 mustangs and the white stallion. Heflin catches on to Teal's game and agrees to it in order to protect his son, but warns Teal to get out of town and don't come back or else. In the meantime, Darren has fallen in love with the dead Indian's sister (Kathryn Grant) which also further complicates things between himself and his father. As Hunter sees Teal riding the herd including the white stallion through town, he goes down and confronts Teal and demands the white stallion back. When he refuses, he draws on Teal and shoots him off his horse, severely wounding him. Hunter is placed in jail but once again daddy Heflin covers up for him by offering Teal a bribe he can't refuse. But it all doesn't matter because Hunter breaks out of jail, killing the unarmed deputy (Mickey Shaughnessy) in the process, and forcing the town to form a posse to go after him. Even Heflin can't save his boy at this point, but he knows where he's headed and he gets there before the posse does, thereby provoking a showdown between father and son. With taught direction by Phil Karlson, an excellent script and tight story by Frank Nugent & Ric Hardman along with a powerful performance by Van Heflin, this one deserves to be in any western film buff's collection. I recommend it wholeheartedly. All I hope is that it will be released on DVD, someday. 8 out of 10

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• outstanding movie which requires more thought than you may think

  drystyx2008-02-20

  "Gunman's Walk" is not only outstanding on the entertainment level, it also presents what could be clichéd material in a superbly directed and written comment on many issues. The story is an action Western first. Van Heflin, easily one of the greatest of all Western actors, plays a rugged Western hero of the old pioneer days, who participated in many wars against the Native American. Unlike the more sugar coated stories of many Westerns, he is not forgiving of his enemy, and his character is still much the same man when he enters a new era. Heflin's character is now a big man in his territory, respected and feared by all. Heflin gives this character an incredible likability, which in retrospect, makes him even scarier. It is easy to compare this man with Anthony Quinn in "Last Train to Gun Hill", another impressive performance by another great actor. Except this man is much friendlier and less menacing, yet he commands the respect for his abilities with guns, fists, and bravery. Heflin now has a big ranch and two sons. The older one, Tab Hunter, wants to be the big hero his father was, but lives in an era when the Native American is not at war with them. In fact, Ed Platt plays an Indian agent who tries to protect the native population from Hunter's outbursts, to no avail. The younger son, James Darren, is perfectly cast as the dove of the family, who abhors violence. To make matters worse, he is attracted to a beautiful Native American girl, which puts him as the one bearing the brunt of suffering in the middle from both sides. Heflin is going along with the times, but not by conventional means. he hangs on to his valor by recalling his feats in the past. Hunter constantly hears the exploits with other older men in the saloon, speaking as if they were in Floyd's Mayberry RFD barber shop. Exploits against the native Americans that aren't allowed any more, but Hunter wants to have such stories told about him some day. Heflin's character hasn't moved with the times. He simply laughs at them. He raises his sons to be fighters and the end result is that the oldest son steps way over any civilized line. The climax is not exactly hidden. We know that Heflin must confront himself, and he does this by confronting his sons. One he admires, and the other he disowns midway through the movie. By the end, he realizes his mistake. But all through the movie, characters remind us that Hunter isn't the one who caused it all. It is actually Heflin. Yet Heflin's performance is so great that instead of seeing him for the evil man he is, we pity him, and don't blame him. Much like the crafty Fred March in "Hombre", one of the evilest men in Westerns, yet able to snake oil his way through it. Heflin's attitude and character is in the oldest son, and he was responsible. In the end, Heflin admits this, and we forgive him at first, when we see him break down. However, this movie requires much thought. It gives a very frightening picture of the truth about prejudice, and about the evil that is allowed to pass on through cultures and generations, and the way it is done. It is a movie we should watch and learn from, and it is done in a very sneaky way. A must see movie.

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