The Gunfighter (1950)

★ 7.3 1h 25m IMDb

Western

The fastest gun in the West tries to escape his reputation.

Where to Watch

Checking 300+ streaming services for this title. Check back soon.

Rent / Buy

No rental or purchase options available yet.

Cast

Gregory Peck as Jimmy Ringo Died 2003 · La Jolla, California, USA Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-g...

Helen Westcott as Peggy Walsh Died 1998 · Los Angeles, California, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Helen Westcott (born January 1, 1928, Los Angeles, California — died March 17, 1998, Edmonds, Washington) was an American stage and screen actor and former chil...

Millard Mitchell as Marshal Mark Strett Died 1953 · Havana, Cuba From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Millard Mitchell (August 14, 1903 – October 13, 1953) was an American character actor whose credits include roughly thirty feature films and two television appe...

Jean Parker as Molly Died 2005 · Deer Lodge, Montana, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jean Parker (born Lois Mae Green; August 11, 1915 – November 30, 2005) was an American film and stage actress. She landed her first screen test while still in hi...

Karl Malden as Mac Died 2009 · Chicago, Illinois, USA Karl Malden (born Mladen George Sekulovich; Serbian Cyrillic: Младен Секуловић; March 22, 1912 – July 1, 2009) was an Serbian-American actor. He was primarily a character actor who for more than 60 ye...

Director Henry King

Cast Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell, Jean Parker, Karl Malden, Skip Homeier, Anthony Ross, Verna Felton, Ellen Corby, Richard Jaeckel

Wuchak 7/10 Feb 02, 2019

***Dramatic B&W Western starring Gregory Peck in the titular role***

Released in 1950, “The Gunfighter” stars Gregory Peck as a middle-aged quick-draw gunfighter who rides into a Southwestern town where his fame excites the populace and attracts young bucks wanting to make a name. Millard Mitchell plays the sheriff, an old friend, while Helen Westcott appears as his former babe. Karl Malden plays the bartender while Jean Parker is on hand as a saloon singer.

The movie starts great with a saloon confrontation and a chase in the desert wilderness. Too bad the B&W photography renders the awesome locations flat.

From there the story turns dramatic and it’s done well as we get to learn about the gunfighter through his conversations with peoples he’s known. There are a couple of hokey elements but, for the most part, this is a potent Western drama. I didn’t like the ending though; I think it was a cop-out and something better could’ve been scripted. For one thing, a certain character wasn’t a criminal (that is, if the dialogue is to be believed); he only shot others in self-defense, about 15 people, which is even illustrated in the opening scenes.

The film runs 1 hour, 25 minutes and was shot in California and Arizona.

GRADE: B

CinemaSerf 7/10 Nov 22, 2023

A moustachioed Gregory Peck is the renowned, but now reformed, gunslinger "Ringo" who rides into his hometown hoping to meet up with his old flame "Peggy" (Helen Westcott) and his young son - whom he has yet to actually meet! The locals are less than enthusiastic at his arrival - especially the prudish elder women, but then neither is "Peggy" nor the fair-minded sheriff (Milllard Mitchell). Indeed, once news of his arrival spreads he becomes a magnet for people keen to have a pop at this legend. The most irritating of them proves to be "Bromley" (Skip Homeier) and with tensions rising we wonder just how long "Ringo" can use his wits instead of his guns. Karl Malden is quite good as the barman who shares quite a bit of the accruing danger and as Henry King keeps us interested for just shy of ninety minutes, we are taken on a trip that gradually and effectively builds the sense of imminent peril. Peck is on good form and Homeier also rather good as the youth with the scent of blood and fame in his nostrils. It's quite sparingly scripted; well scored by Alfred Newman and paced slowly but deliberately as we think we know what's bound to happen - but will it?