Man With The Gun (1955)

When a gunfighter (Robert Mitchum) rides into town, the only thing he's looking for is the woman (Jan Sterling) he once loved. But what he finds is a town in trouble and he is hired by the townspeople as a "town tamer" to get rid of a brutal land baron (Joe Barry). Based on the short story THE DEADLY PEACEMAKER by N.B. Stone Jr. and directed by Richard Wilson (RAW WIND IN EDEN). A minor but very good addition to the western genre. We know where it's going because its narrative isn't all that original. The town that hires a gunfighter to get rid of the bad guys but turn on him when he gets the job done because he is a reminder of their cowardice and guilt in the way it was done. But it's done so skillfully that I didn't mind the retread plot. Western fans should enjoy this one. There's a nice score by Alex North (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE) that elevates the movie. With Angie Dickinson, Karen Sharpe, Barbara Lawrence, John Lupton, Ted De Corsia, Claude Akins, James Westerfield and Maidie Norman.