Hour of the Gun (1967)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Fresh and Exciting

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I get the biggest kick out of the brief summary of this movie on it's IMDb title page - 'Marshal Wyatt Earp kills a couple of men of the Clanton-gang in a fight'. Really - a fight? Come on - it was the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral!!! Let's give it a little more credit.Well director John Sturges picked up somewhat where he left off with 1957's "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral". That picture did a pretty good job of defining the relationship between Wyatt Earp and his friend Doc Holliday, a case of a square deal as defined by the lawman. That relationship continues here though not without it's abrasive moments. I liked the idea of Jason Robards portraying Holliday even though he was almost a decade older than his real life counterpart at the time. He seemed to have the right amount of ego and attitude to mirror Holliday's temperament.The problem I get into with these films is that I tend to focus in on the historical inaccuracies and this one seemed to have it's fair share. Perhaps the biggest one that could have been easily rectified by simply checking was in the spelling of the name 'McLaury'. When the dead men from the Gunfight are put on display, the names of Frank and Tom are spelled 'McLowery'. Virtually any reference source one could look up uses the 'McLaury' spelling.There are others of course. Students of the Old West will know that Wyatt Earp didn't shoot Ike Clanton in a final showdown; he was killed resisting arrest for cattle rustling some six years following the infamous gunfight. As far as the historical Ike Clanton goes, I don't think you'd have ever caught him wearing a business suit. As a leader of the cowboy faction in the vicinity of Tombstone and along the border to Mexico, Clanton plied his trade of cattle rustling as a rough and tumble outlaw instead of a well spoken citizen.The main idea the story got right, and one that most film treatments never go into, is that the Earp dominance of Tombstone ended following the events of the O.K. Corral. Wyatt stood trial for murder and was exonerated, while brother Virgil was wounded a couple months later, followed by Morgan's murder in March of 1882. Thus came to be what historians call the 'Earp Vendetta Ride', a term curiously not referred to in the story.In general though, this movie is a pretty good Western and James Garner does an admirable job as Wyatt Earp, a characterization that's a lot more grim than that of Bret Maverick. I also refer the reader to one of Jon Voight's early screen appearances as Clanton associate Curly Bill Brocius, particularly to an opening scene when he's shown leaning against the wall of the train station. From a different angle it almost looks like the pose he used for the theatrical poster for "Midnight Cowboy".

It's Oct 26, 1881 Tombstone, Territory of Arizona. Wyatt Earp (James Garner)'s group fight Ike Clanton (Robert Ryan)'s group at the O.K. Corral. Ike survives and Wyatt is brought up on charges with the help of the corrupt local sheriff. Wyatt is cleared. His brother Virgil runs for sheriff and is severely injured in an ambush. His other brother Morgan is elected and promptly killed. He sends his family to California. He gets appointed as a new federal marshal for Arizona. With the help of friend Doc Holliday (Jason Robards) and his supporters, he takes on Clanton and his gang.It's interesting to start the movie where most Tombstone movies end. Supposedly, this is based more on the real events. John Sturges directs this with his steady hands. Most of it rests on James Garner's solid performance. His character is restrained by the law and circumstances. He suppresses what must be overwhelming anger. I would prefer a bit more action to intensify the traditional western and more anger to show Wyatt's emotions. Nevertheless, it's compelling to see this part of the story done well.

Most people know about the GUN fight at the O. K. Corral, but very few knew what happen after the gunfight before this movie was made. That is where this movie begins.James Garner plays Wyatt much like Burt Lancaster did in Gunfight at the O. K. Corral, tight lipped and straight faced. Garner is a great actor but in my opinion he play this just a little to grim. I think I counted Garner smiling twice in the entire movie.Jason Robards plays Doc Holliday in a very cynical way. Reminding Wyatt and hoping that he wont throw all his principles of being a upstanding lawman away. He stays with Wyatt on his vengeful task at getting even with the men responsible for killing Morgan and shooting Virgil.The movie is filled with plenty of action and gun play, what is missing, is a female lead and just a touch of humor, two things that every great movie has and needs. Why these two important ingredients were left out is anyone's guess. I enjoyed this movie, but I do must westerns. The acting was very good and so was the script. But this is not a date movie or one the kids now days would like. It is however a great kick back good old boys shoot um up. So grab a pizza and a beer and set back and enjoy.

The gunfight at the O.K. Corral is just over. Bodies lie in the dust. Now the killing really begins. Please note that elements of the plot are discussed, but first, a civics lesson. Ike Clanton (Robert Ryan) is determined to buy or shoot his way into power in Arizona. The territory sooner or later will be a state. Clanton knows all those "Easterners" are moving in with their own ideas of law, order and who should be in control. Standing in his way is Wyatt Earp (James Garner). Earp is a no-nonsense lawman who'll take down anyone who breaks the law. He's fast enough with a gun and ready enough to use it that he keeps getting in Clanton's way. If that doesn't frustrate Clanton enough, Earp has his two brothers to back him up, along with his good friend, Doc Holliday (Jason Robards). Clanton makes his play to eliminate the Earps with the shootout at the corral. By now the movie is only ten minutes over. The gunfight itself takes 30 seconds, just as it did in real life. Hour of the Gun tells us what happened next. Clanton brings charges of murder against Earp and Holliday. They are narrowly acquitted. Clanton follows up with back shootings of Earp's brothers, leaving Virgil crippled and Morgan dead. Earp is not going to back down and now the grudge is personal. Holliday will stick with Earp. Clanton is going to use the law as well as his gang to run Earp out of the Territory or see him dead. Earp is going to legally go after the men he suspects attacked his brothers. Legally, he has warrants for their arrest. Legally, Doc Holliday points out to Earp, "Those aren't warrants you have there...those are hunting licenses." That's exactly how Earp sees things. There may be a legal posse set up by Clanton to run down Earp, but Earp is on a hunt of his own, aided by Holliday and a small group of "deputies." Hour of the Gun is just as linear as that. It's also one of the grimmest and best directed Westerns most people have never seen. Too bad, because James Garner may have given the best performances of his career. He plays a man of deadly commitment to the law, and doesn't hesitate to use the law to justify his own brand of capital punishment before trial. Robards almost seems to recognize the weight of the role and what Garner is doing with it. There's no competition from Robards, just masterly support. As far as Robert Ryan goes, we don't see much of him, but when he's on he gives a lot of authority to Ike Clanton. Ryan provides the believable ruthlessness that leads to what turns out to be Earp's Vendetta Ride, the hunting down and killing of those who attacked his brothers. Yet toward the end of the movie when Earp is determined to bring retribution directly to Clanton one way or another, Hour of the Gun slips down a notch on the old gun belt. Earp has given up any pretense of enforcing the law. With Clanton in Mexico, Earp is just going to kill him. It depends on Doc Holliday, of all people, to provide a bit of law-abiding morality. "The whole thing's hypocrisy," Doc tells Earp. "The rules they tack on say unless you're wearing that badge or a soldier's uniform, you can't kill. But they're the only rules there are. They're more important to you than you think. Play it that way, Wyatt, or you'll destroy yourself. I know you. You can't live like me." Wyatt Earp shows that he can. This is a good movie that just happens to be a western. John Sturges directed it ten years after he turned out the Lancaster/Douglas big hit, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. As a lean, mean piece of movie making, Hour of the Gun puts the earlier film in the shade. Even so, Hour of the Gun was a flop. It is unrelentingly grim. There is no romance and almost no females, just lots of tension, a number of quick gunfights, several great line deliveries from Robards and Garner's performance. I think it's a better movie.