Gun Fight (1961)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Gun Fight doesn't exactly have great production values. Nor does it have a well known cast. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen any of these actors in anything else (if I have their roles were inconsequential). It doesn't boast a great script, or great direction, either. So what does it have?Well, it's got a fairly good story (nothing especially original or outstanding, but a good, solid storyline) and a cast that is honestly doing their best to give good performances. It also has a short running time (69 minutes), so it doesn't drag at any point. Ultimately, Gun Fight is an anachronism in filmmaking circa 1960 (when it was filmed). It plays out more like a Western from 1941 than 1961 (when it was released). The style of storytelling (the direction, acting, dialogue, and plotting) is a much closer match to what Hollywood was putting out in the early 40's than in the early 60's, so it was already outdated when it was released. And yet, there is an earnestness about the movie that makes it hard to completely dislike or dismiss. No one will ever confuse Gun Fight with the great Westerns of the pre-Spaghetti Western era, but it isn't quite as bad as many people make it out to be.Gun Fight is mildly diverting and somewhat entertaining for fans of the genre who are looking for something new that they haven't seen before. It isn't far removed from the kind of Western that a Poverty Row studio might have made in the 40's, and maybe that's part of it's charm. With the right expectations Gun Fight can deliver an entertaining one hour and nine minutes. With the right expectations...

Had this been a grainy 1930's Western with someone like Buck Jones or Tom Mix in the lead it might have been almost interesting. As it is, I can't believe stories as bad as this were being made as late as 1960. Can you think of anything goofier in a Western flick than having the nominal hero Wayne Santley (James Brown) and his girlfriend Nora Blaine (Joan Staley) stand at a distance to simply watch a sheriff's posse take down brother Brad's (Gregg Palmer) gang in a shootout at their cabin? And what's the deal with the Trading Post - there's a nicely furnished room in back of the merchandise area that no one seems to be living in, just waiting for a couple like Wayne and Nora to show up? I don't know about you, but it looked to me like the actor playing Brad Santley was in pain throughout the story by the grimaced expression on his face most of the time. He probably had good reason with the tortured script that had him for and against his brother as the picture progressed. There's an anomaly, there wasn't much progress in the film at all to speak of, and only true Western movie addicts should give this one a try, and then only if you want to catch former 'Rin Tin Tin' TV hero, Lieutenant Rip Masters once again.

This movie was a remake of the Buster Crabbe, Ann Robinson western titled "Gun Brothers". It was as bad or worse than the original, which was probably a remake of an earlier B-Western. Anyway "Gun Fight" was made almost word for word and scene for scene from "Gun Brothers" with James Brown and Joan Staley taking the Buster Crabbe and Ann Robinson roles. Gregg Palmer (who appeared in a lot of John Wayne's later westerns after gaining about 70 lbs and a beard) took the role that Neville Brand had in the original, and doing a fair job, as he did in "The Creature Walks Among Us" sequel to "The Creature From the Black Lagoon". Ron Soble's character was played by Michael Ansara (T.V.'s "Cochise") in the original. Worth watching if you remember James Brown as Lt. Rip Masters in the "Rin Tin Tin" T.V. series.

Okay Western.made on a minuscule budget with a no-name cast. Actually the script is better developed than expected with a few surprising twists and turns, though you may need a score card to keep up. Palmer and Brown make convincing brothers with lots of the right chemistry, while plug-ugly Ron Soble looks the bad guy part, but has problems in the acting department. Joan Staley is lively as Brown's girl even though she suffers from a severe case of blonde hair. I wish the producers had earmarked more money for some of the sets, especially in the last half. Blending those cheap exteriors with actual location shots is clumsy, at best. Nonetheless, there's plenty of action and intrigue along with a spirited cast, as the brothers try to overcome their differences and settle into a regular family life. All in all, it's one of the better small budgeters made during that period when Westerns were all over both the little screen and the big one.