The Gunfighter

A notorious outlaw in an hour of reflection can't escape the ticking time bomb of his reputation, evocative of the same inevitable momentum as High Noon, but in this case leading to a sort of anticlimax which reveals the hollowness of mythmaking. Peck cuts a lean, square-shouldered figure, but his is only one among a great many of really tremendous performances.

The Gunfighter (1950) is Gregory Peck having to deal with young punks all the time, feeling old and prevented from his true wish of settling down with his family. His legend as the fastest gunman in the west haunts him, one drink at a time. A doomed faith by reputation. It's quite the western.

This is one of the greats.

one of the earliest westerns to be so overtly revisionist; when once myth elevated and immortalised the outlaws of the old west, now it's suffused with the stench of death, a burden passed via bullet from generation to generation. ringo gets a final heartbreaking taste of the life he could once have chosen, but he enters the film already a corpse, each scene heavy with inevitability, pendulum tick-tocking on the wall. a tragic end, later documented on film of course, is what his legend demands.

Brooding anti-Western about the realistic downsides to being a gunfighter. Interesting idea, but director Henry King doesn't add much to the material and Peck isn't at his best.

Absolutely terrific. Pace, direction and cast is impeccable.

Pretty great western with some rough edges. A nicely told, character-centric story about a memorable (anti-)hero.

A great flick, pretty dark too, especially in the end.

Fine Western. This plot has been stolen about 497,063,314 times since this movie came out

Outstanding!

This has been done a million times since, but I believe it was the first (or if not, close to it) instances of the "aging gunfighter regretful of his past" trope. It's surprisingly early for that kind of plot, as many westerns at this point were still a lot more straightforward. Peck is excellent and the rest of the cast is quite good as well. The script is tight, as the run time is well under 90 minutes. Still stands up very well.

A lean and mean Western, just the way I Iike them. After watching 'The Bravados', I was skeptical that King and Peck could create anything other than preachy Western nonsense, but I was wrong. It makes for totally compelling entertainment.

Not only helped usher in an era of film noir style westerns it's also one of the best bottle episode type movies I've ever seen. Peck does serious work in this one, and even makes you like Ringo by the time the movie ends. What a picture.

Viewed January 20, 2022. Henry King’s downbeat western about a legendary gunslinger (Gregory Peck in one of his finest performances, every gesture and line reading so tightly wound) wrestling with the emptiness of his lifestyle.

The anti-cowboy genre done correctly before it even became popular. The best bits are in between the lines - lots of allusions to events we don't see, characters we don't know, and questions unanswered. Wish it had stuck to that subtlety more and avoided some of the more melodramatic bits.

2. Spectacular. I was not prepared and I did not expect to see the absolute masterpiece that this film is. The film has a simple premise, but executed in an insanely effective and efficient manner. Perfect maneuvering around plot points and usage of recurring tropes and motives in what is a textbook example of a perfect script. The execution, with Gregory Peck's sublime performance, tight pace and atmosphere and great supporting cast, make this a masterpiece and a delight from beginning to end.

I was reluctant at first, but this film turned out to be quite good and intelligent.

"Well, there was this movie I seen one time about a man riding 'cross the desert and it starred Gregory Peck..."

Gregory Peck develops Jimmy Ringo into a person that you want to see turn it around.

Star Rating: ★★★★★

Peck is on form as a jaded gunslinger unable to avoid trouble wherever he finds himself. It's rather slow as westerns go, but while there's little action, there's just enough suspense to keep it engaging up until its sad but satisfying conclusion. Mitchell and Malden stand out among the supporting cast.

Almost as if the tale is a post-hoc rationalization of Ringo getting shot by a casual. All the relevant facets, from it being an unfair kill, to Ringo being some tremendously innocent, cursed and wise guy, are stacked in favour of Ringo, when in reality he likely was only slightly less of an idiot than the person who shot him.

The stolid Henry KIng makes an adult Western almost as boring as "High Noon." Peck's solemn integrity--though moving--slows things down, Westcott and Mitchell are too earnest in parts that call for a little star quality, but there are bright spots too: Malden as an oily barkeep, Parker as a fading "saloon singer," and Verna Felton as the custodian of town morality in a welcome scene of comic relief with Peck. The showdowns are fine, though, and the film concludes tragically and effectively.

Klassisk western om den enslige cowboyen som rir inn i en liten by og blir møtt med masse trøbbel. Det interessante her er hvor passiv han forholder seg til det hele, og at han bare vil være for seg selv helt til han får møte den gamle flammen og sønnen han aldri har sett. Godt skuespill og stramt manus gjør dette til en western det er verdt å se.

watched: 2013, 2023

The "bad guy turned good" story may be a terrible cliche but 'The Gunfighter' is a terrific movie. The narrative moves at a speedy pace, especially since the setting is mostly one single room, and the tension is set to 11. I'll definitely be checking out more of Peck's western's after his fine performance here.

Watchable, with fetching photography, but a genuinely bad movie. There's no lamer character than the invincible, ultimate killer, whose only purpose is to preach love and anti-violence.

For a film that is mostly about a guy sitting in a saloon I found this to be a tense and highly enjoyable film.What carries this film is Gregory Peck's laconic dialogue and the interesting townspeople who are either fascinated or disgusted that he's in town.The ending twists the typical ending to these kind of films and is a nice finish to this film's overall message.

Another great western with Mr. Peck - this guy really knew how to pick them!

An engaging Western that's about a gunfighter but not about gunplay. Excellent.

One of the greatest American westerns from the golden age! A true classic...

It's lonely at the top.

Solid film with a very good performance for Peck.

Haven't seen much of Peck but he nailed this and seemed a natural for the western setting. Not an action packed affair but as the story suggests, there was always a chance that would change. Clear message: Being the best sucks.

A mature, serious, Hollywood-western character study. One of King's best films.

Finally, a good movie from Henry King.