Saddle The Wind (1958)

An ex-gunslinger (Robert Taylor) has raised his kid brother (John Cassavetes) since he was four years old. When the younger brother brings a saloon girl (Julie London) home and presents her as his fiancee, the older brother disapproves. But he's more concerned with the brother's penchant for being trigger happy and he's right to be concerned. This modest western is a nifty little effort that concentrates more on characterization than most westerns. It's a morality tale that has no fat and doesn't waste its time (it runs around 84 minutes). Taylor is one of those actors who became a star in the 1930s because of his looks but learned to act eventually and by the 1950s was a solid actor. Cassavetes is problematic because he seems out of place here. He plays the trigger happy cowboy like a teenage rebel a la THE WILD ONE or REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. His performance stands out like a sore thumb. Directed by Robert Parrish with a score by Elmer Bernstein. With Donald Crisp, Charles McGraw, Richard Erdman, Royal Dano, Ray Teal, Jay Adler and Irene Tedrow.