Glenn Ford ("Jubal") plays Lorn Warfield, who returns to the family homestead after having abandoned them for a period. He learns that they were abducted by Apaches a while back, and determinedly searches for them. His companion on this journey will be Owen Forbes (Arthur Kennedy, "Lawrence of Arabia"), the man who married his wife during his absence.
The antagonistic relationship between these two flawed characters forms the core of this interesting combination of character study and action-driven Western. It's appropriately exciting at times, and pretty violent (without being especially bloody), and has a good sense of humor. What's most interesting about it is a skewed "morality", with a less than ideal protagonist and a cohort who does have a good point when he angrily confronts him at the end.
The film is well directed by Jerry Thorpe (son of fellow director Richard Thorpe), whose credits are almost exclusively in television; watching this, one may wish that he'd directed more features. It's nicely scored (by Jeff Alexander) and just as nicely photographed (by W. Wallace Kelley). The eclectic supporting cast includes Dean Jagger ("Twelve O'Clock High"), John Anderson ("Psycho"), a much too briefly seen Paul Fix ("El Dorado"), Nico Minardos ("Cannon for Cordoba"), Harry Dean Stanton ("Repo Man"), Parley Baer ("Gypsy"), Royal Dano ("The Outlaw Josey Wales"), and Barbara Babcock ('Hill Street Blues'). Kennedy is a standout.
I would agree that the best scene involves Warfield & Forbes tied to stakes in the ground, intended to be meals for the vultures flying around. All in all, "Day of the Evil Gun" manages to balance serious and humorous moments while delivering an ending which the viewer may not see coming.
Seven out of 10.
The antagonistic relationship between these two flawed characters forms the core of this interesting combination of character study and action-driven Western. It's appropriately exciting at times, and pretty violent (without being especially bloody), and has a good sense of humor. What's most interesting about it is a skewed "morality", with a less than ideal protagonist and a cohort who does have a good point when he angrily confronts him at the end.
The film is well directed by Jerry Thorpe (son of fellow director Richard Thorpe), whose credits are almost exclusively in television; watching this, one may wish that he'd directed more features. It's nicely scored (by Jeff Alexander) and just as nicely photographed (by W. Wallace Kelley). The eclectic supporting cast includes Dean Jagger ("Twelve O'Clock High"), John Anderson ("Psycho"), a much too briefly seen Paul Fix ("El Dorado"), Nico Minardos ("Cannon for Cordoba"), Harry Dean Stanton ("Repo Man"), Parley Baer ("Gypsy"), Royal Dano ("The Outlaw Josey Wales"), and Barbara Babcock ('Hill Street Blues'). Kennedy is a standout.
I would agree that the best scene involves Warfield & Forbes tied to stakes in the ground, intended to be meals for the vultures flying around. All in all, "Day of the Evil Gun" manages to balance serious and humorous moments while delivering an ending which the viewer may not see coming.
Seven out of 10.