A Bullet Is Waiting (1954)

Truly Dreadful Film

One of my all time favorites.

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

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is probably as close as you get to Jean Simmons appearing in a Western. Her short haircut makes her look less feminine as opposed to being a tomboy. There's no strength in her, and her English accent is out of place in this gritty world of runaway fugitives.It looks similar to an episode from 'The Fugitive' where David Janssen is held prisoner by a sheriff whilst trekking through mountainous terrain. I think the episode is called 'Passage to Helena'.The only notable thing about this film is the score by 60 year old Dimitri Tiomkin. He is fresh from 'Dial M For Murder', and from the opening scene you feel as though you are back in 'Dial M For Murder'. The score isn't that good, but you recognise the composer behind the music. His music sounds the same, and the 1950s was his best period.Rory Colhoun is not my kind of actor at all.

Not a western but an entertaining if improbable drama set in an isolated area in the west. Jean Simmons is full of guarded, wounded vulnerability, a very fine actress. She and Rory Calhoun make a surprisingly simpatico pairing. Stephen McNally's character is rather one note, a more distinctive actor could have perhaps fleshed it out but it doesn't hurt the film. Makes some observations about a man's true nature even if he has committed a criminal act. Brian Donlevy shows up near the end to act as a sort of catalyst for the resolution and is fine as always but the picture could have done without him. Not a classic but a solid film.

With that title one would expect either a western, a p.i./cop dark streets noir,or a war drama. Well it's in the West on a sheep ranch and Rory Calhoun is the protagonist. Jean Simmons is there to provide the standard romantic figure but is way too sophisticated to be believed as a outland waif. Stephen McNally like his contemporary Charles McGraw just looks of villainy so its surprising when he carries a badge while Mr. Ahearne like his screen daughter just looks out of place. So one gets a character study instead of a shootalot as the title implies. The actors do the script,the director sees his slide continuing,and the viewer wonders why the title wasn't used by Randolph Scott for one of his Ranown epics.

A BULLET IS WAITING - 1954 A small aircraft crashes just off the coast and two men manage to escape the wreckage and reach shore. The two, Stephen McNally and Rory Calhoun, though hand-cuffed together, engage in a good down and dirty kick and stomp fistfight. Calhoun gets the upper hand, gets the cuffs off and heads inland.Just off the beach he runs into Jean Simmons, who with the help of a rifle, asks Calhoun what he is doing on her land. McNally, who has suffered a broken leg during the fight hobbles on to the scene. He informs Simmons that he is cop, and Calhoun a prisoner being taken in on murder charges.Simmons takes the pair to a small isolated sheep ranch were her father, Brian Aherne, and herself live. They must stay for several days since a recent storm has wiped out the only road to town. While McNally is laid up, Calhoun starts putting the moves on Simmons hoping she will help him escape.Simmons falls hard for the smooth talking Calhoun and the tension begins to build. It turns out that Calhoun is charged with the murder of McNally's brother. McNally just wants some revenge and hopes to bump off Calhoun when he tries his escape. Does Calhoun make his break? A couple of weak points in the story are covered up nicely by director Farrow's always reliable hand.A good looking film with five time Oscar nominated, Franz Planer handling the cinematography. Planer is well known to noir fans for his work on, THE LONG WAIT, 99 RIVER STREET, THE SCARF, 711 OCEAN DRIVE, CHAMPION, THE CHASE and CRISS CROSS. He also was the d of p on BREAKFAST AT TIFFANYS, THE CAINE MUTINY, 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, ROMAN HOLIDAY and THE BIG COUNTRY.Nice timewaster.