Sun 4 Sep 2016
A Western Movie Review by Jonathan Lewis: THE GUN THAT WON THE WEST (1955).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , Western movies[3] Comments
THE GUN THAT WON THE WEST. Columbia Pictures, 1955. Dennis Morgan, Paula Raymond, Richard Denning, Chris O’Brien, Robert Bice. Director: William Castle.
The gun may have won the West, but the movie quickly lost my interest.
I won’t go so far as to say that the William Castle’s The Gun That Won The West is the worst Western I’ve ever seen, but it’s probably the most lackluster and altogether uninspiring. The characters are poorly drawn, there’s a fair amount of what appears to be stock footage of marauding Sioux on horseback, the fight scenes are poorly choreographed, and the ending is … well, let’s just say the ending leaves you wondering what the point of it all was.
Here’s the thing. It didn’t need to be this way. Sure, Castle is known more for his later horror/schlock films, but he was certainly capable of competently directing a slightly quirky B-Western such as Conquest of Cochise that I reviewed here. As for Dennis Morgan, he’s not the best actor ever cast in Westerns, but he was more than competent in the surprisingly enjoyable Cheyenne, which I reviewed here.
But in this tired affair, the real star of the film was the shiny and new Springfield rifle that allowed the film’s protagonist and his allies to defeat the Sioux. Trust me when say that unless you are a William Castle completest, there’s no reason to go out of your way to watch this forgettable matinee Western.
September 4th, 2016 at 3:50 pm
Jonathan
Dennis was done when he made this film, and had been several years. Too bad, had been more than pleasant. As for Castle, many admirers, but I believe he was not more than a craftsman skilled at vulgar exploitation.
September 4th, 2016 at 7:20 pm
Sitting in the Pending folder for this blog is my review of PEARL OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC, which also starred Dennis Morgan and was released the same year as this one. Another rather tired affair, I’m sorry to say. I’ll see if I can’t get the review posted soon.
September 4th, 2016 at 8:16 pm
Tired is being kind to this one. Not a lot going on one way or the other.