No Name On The Bullet (1959)

A professional gunfighter and assassin for hire (Audie Murphy) arrives in a small western town. His reputation precedes him and the terrified town wonders who the person is that he's going to kill. But it seems a lot of the townspeople have secrets and suspect they might be the assassin's target. Tensions simmer as each person desperately tries to avoid the gunman's bullet. Directed by Jack Arnold (INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN), this is a nifty little western thriller. It has a short running time (one hour and 17 minutes) but it could have expanded the narrative even more. In a way, the movie is sort of a western PEYTON PLACE: a seemingly quiet little western town hiding the rot of its citizens. Perhaps not the most expressive of actors, Audie Murphy is wonderful here. His tight lipped mask coolly hiding his reasons for being in town while the townspeople whip themselves into hysteria. It's a unique western more concerned with the psychological underpinnings of its narrative than a traditional shoot 'em up. Its reputation has grown in the years since its release and I suspect will continue to grow in the decades to come. If you like westerns, you can't miss this one. With Joan Evans, Charles Drake, Virginia Grey, Warren Stevens, Edgar Stehli, Jerry Paris and R.G. Armstrong.