En 1874, después de darse cuenta de la total anarquía en Wichita, Wyatt Earp acepta de mala gana el trabajo de mariscal y se topa con los peores alborotadores locales.En 1874, después de darse cuenta de la total anarquía en Wichita, Wyatt Earp acepta de mala gana el trabajo de mariscal y se topa con los peores alborotadores locales.En 1874, después de darse cuenta de la total anarquía en Wichita, Wyatt Earp acepta de mala gana el trabajo de mariscal y se topa con los peores alborotadores locales.
- Premios
- 1 premio ganado en total
- Ben Thompson
- (as Robert Wilke)
- Bank Robber
- (sin créditos)
- Saloon Madam
- (sin créditos)
- Hal Clements
- (sin créditos)
Opiniones destacadas
Wichita is an origin story, that of one Wyatt Earp (McCrea), the story is set before he gets to Dodge City, where apparently some famous gunfight occurred. From a narrative stand point it's a town tamer story, Earp arrives in a newly thriving Wichita, at this point he's a hunter of buffalo only. But as the cowboys converge on the town, and things turn very dark, Earp - a bastion of good and just righteousness - finds it impossible to continue in turning down the town superior's offers of becoming the town Marshal.
It's one of those Western movies that made Western movie fans become Western movie fans. A film you would have watched as a youngster and just bought totally into the good guy against the baddies central core. Of course as youngsters we wouldn't have cared a jot about thematics such as capitalism ruling over common sense, or metaphysical leanings ticking away, all while a genius director is composing shots and frames of great distinction. Hell! Even the intelligence and maturity in the writing would have escaped us, the dark passages merely incidents of no great concern...
Wichita is damn fine film making. OK! It isn't wall to wall action. Sure there is a good round of knuckles, a bit of trench warfare and the standard shoot-outs, but these are just conduits to smart and compelling human drama, richly performed by McCrea (brilliantly cast) and company. Tourneur, Ullman and Lipstein make sure there is no waste on the page or via location framing, the costuming authentic and pleasing, and of course the story itself, the set up of the iconic man himself, is as compelling as it is splendidly entertaining.
It be a traditional Western for the traditional Western fan. Nice! 8/10
In a very short time he manages to change completely the life of the town from a very dangerous place where one could be killed or robbed at any moment to the most peaceful town in the wild west.
An interesting western directed by Jacques Tourneur, that revisits some of the used western's cliches, but also contains some spectacular action sequences and some personal Tourneur touches in directing which rise the film little above the average and turn it into a pleasurable viewing experience. 7/10
McCrea is perfect for the quietly resolute sheriff. As expected there's no swagger or bravado in his grim determination to keep other townspeople from being accidentally killed by busting-loose cowhands. When he stands alone, you believe it. It's also a well-stocked production from lowly Allied Artists, with enough extras to make the crowded town scenes credible. Of course, there's a romantic angle with a lovely but heavily made-up Vera Miles (soon to come under the wing of Hitchcock in such thrillers as The Wrong Man {1956} and Psycho {1960}). But the romance is pretty well integrated into the plot, without dangling like a distractive add-on.
All in all, it's a good western drama woven around the quietly powerful Joel McCrea.
To set the record straight, I used to teach US History and much of what's in this film is crap. While it is true that Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson did work together for a bit, it was in Texas, not Kansas. Also, Earp WAS a deputy in Wichita--never the marshall or sheriff. And, although Bat Masterson DID become a newspaper man, that was later--after he was a lawman. I sure wish they'd kept the script and just changed the names--it would have improved it immensely. That's because it really is a very, very good film apart from all the historical confabulations!
In this story, Wyatt is a peace-loving and patient man. He's headed into Wichita to open a business and live a normal life. Unfortunately, the town is pretty lawless--especially when the cattlemen and their hands arrive in town. During one of these times, the guys shoot up the town--and kill a little kid. So, Wyatt is quickly sworn in as sheriff and he takes on these drunken rowdies with only the assistance of young Bat Masterson. You'd think the town would be thrilled, right? Well, this is NOT the case of the rich guys in town who own the saloons and stockyards! They want the sheriff to turn a blind eye to the outrages of the cattlemen because their fortunes depend on cattle. However, Wyatt will only do it his way--the RIGHT way! What's to happen next? See the film for yourself.
Excellent acting, lots of action and a terrific take on the myth of the old west. Yes, I do mean myth as gunfights and much of what we think of as common stuff in the west rarely ever occurred--and more often than not, it was just some guy shooting another guy in the back!
¿Sabías que…?
- TriviaSam Peckinpah played an uncredited bit part as a bank teller.
- ErroresWhen a saloon girl is wounded in the riot, the hotel clerk tells Wyatt there are no doctors in Wichita. But one of the lead characters in the film is town elder Doc Black.
- Citas
Ben Thompson: [examining Earp's revolver] That's a nice gun. Yeah, it wouldn't do for us Texans, though.
[comparing barrel lengths]
Ben Thompson: We like ours regulation size.
Clint Wallace: Yeah, don't ever get into an argument with a Texas man when you're carrying that thing. Must take you a half hour to clear leather with it.
Wyatt Earp: The only arguments I've had lately have been with buffalo and they don't draw very fast, you know.
- ConexionesFeatured in The First Texan (1956)
Selecciones populares
- How long is Wichita?Con tecnología de Alexa
Detalles
Taquilla
- Total en EE. UU. y Canadá
- USD 2,400,000
- Tiempo de ejecución1 hora 21 minutos
- Relación de aspecto
- 2.55 : 1