The Fastest Gun Alive

In the small western town of Cross Creek, shy, antisocial shopkeeper Glenn Ford is hiding a secret past. Selling dresses and candy all day proves to be a bore, which leads Ford to some showing off in front of the saloon with gun feats that amaze the locals; unfortunately for Ford, lightning-fast gunslinger and bank robber Broderick Crawford (!) is just outside of town and soon learns of Ford's prowess. Quick, compact western is marvelously well-done, with beautiful cinematography by George Folsey and a tight script (by Frank D. Gilroy, based on his short story, and director Russell Rouse) underlined with a touch of sardonic humor. Crawford, looking like Fred Flintstone in a cowboy hat, is raffish and wily as the brutish villain, though fast-on-the-draw seems a bit of a stretch. Still, the movie is written in such a way that we don't want to quibble, and Ford's unhappy nervousness is something we can relate to (he has some charming moments as well, such as when he compliments wife Jeanne Crain on her earrings). Russ Tamblyn has a lively dancing sequence where he struts his stuff on shovels, and the finale--while probably not realistic--is certainly a crowd-pleaser. *** from ****

Broderick Crawford is great as the criminal leader with a psychopathic ego who must continually show that he is the fastest gun around and Glenn Ford is super as the introverted shy storekeeper with a lightning fast draw. Supporting cast adds good depth and character. The blind man near the start of the movie who states that "no matter how fast you are there's always somebody faster" foretells the moral of the story. Highly recommend that this movie be seen by all fans of westerns.

I am not a fan of Westerns in general. Many have the old predictable clichéd plots and are amazingly dull to me. That's why when I find a really unusual and well-made Western, I try to mention it on IMDb. Although this is not my favorite one (that would go to The Big Country), it is one of the better ones I've seen. So, what makes it so watchable? First, this is no macho shoot 'em up picture--there are lots of quiet moments as well. Secondly, the movie isn't easy to predict and the ending is AMAZING. Third, you can tell that the writers really tried hard to do something DIFFERENT.

By the way, if you like this movie about a fast gunslinger, I also highly recommend The Gunfighter (with Gregory Peck). They have a lot of similarities but are different enough that I recommend you see both.

Glenn Ford gives one of the best performances of his career as George Temple, a quiet, softly-spoken man who is hiding a secret that is slowly tearing him - and his marriage - apart. The screenplay, co-written by Frank Gilroy and director Russell Rouse, tends to spoon feed the audience it's psychology, but it also unfolds in measured doses that slowly ratchet up the tension to good effect. A musical number by Russ Tamblyn is a major misstep which is there for no other reason than to provide a new young talent with some exposure. It certainly adds nothing to the plot.

The Fastest Gun Alive is directed by Russell Rouse and is adapted by Rouse and Frank D. Gilroy from a Gilroy story titled The Last Notch. It stars Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, Broderick Crawford, Russ Tamblyn, Allyn Joslyn, Leif Erickson, John Dehner and Noah Beery Junior. A black and white production out of MGM, it's photographed by George J. Folsey and features music by André Previn.

The town of Cross Creek is home to a very mild man named George Temple (Ford), there he runs the local store and lives in peaceful harmony with his wife Dora (Crain). Then one day the town hears news of how outlaw Vinnie Harold (Crawford) has gunned down Clint Fallon, the once thought of fastest gunman alive. It's not long before the talk of other fast guns dominates discussion, with George becoming increasingly agitated at how the town people view him as meek and mild. With his pride hurt, George sets about dispelling some myths about fast gunmen and his own current persona. With that comes trouble, big trouble for everyone in Cross Creek when Vinnie Harold rolls into town.

By the time of The Fastest Gun Alive's release, the psychological Western was in full flow. Anthony Mann had blazed the trail with his genre defining run of Western's that he made with James Stewart, the last of which would be in 1955 with The Man From Laramie. From there the torch would be picked up with some aplomb by the pairing of Budd Boetticher and Randolph Scott, who began with Seven Men From Now in this same year as The Fastest Gun Alive. Away from those genre legends, many directors were turning their hands to more adult/serious Western's, some successful, some not so and some which have been forgotten, rightly or wrongly, for various reasons, when the subject of psychological Western's arises. Probably on account of it's lower tier director, The Fastest Gun Alive is the latter.

The title actually doesn't help the film, it immediately conjures up images of a man creating death with his whippy pistols. Suffice to say it isn't that sort of film, and those that have previously been lured in by the title, have no doubt felt a little short changed. Rouse's movie is more concerned with mood and the psychology of the principal players in Gilroy's story. Both Ford and Crawford's characters are driven by motives, that although different, inevitably means a collision is unavoidable. But the story isn't just about these two men, it takes time to involve loved ones and the people of the town, all are involved and as it turns out, all are key elements as to why the film is a character driven little gem. While what action there is is competently handled by the director, notably the finale that also comes with an unbearable precursor of tension.

What problems there are in the picture are thankfully only minor. Crawford is just a touch too much one note, but such is his hulking frame he looks the part of a brutish bully and he gets away with it. Tamblyn is seriously out of place, almost as much as his dance number is! It's skillful and delightful: if only it were in the right movie. For it shifts the tone of the film downwards and you have to wonder who made the ridiculous decision to include it in the film. But away from those issues it's all good. Crain looks stunning and plays emotive worry with ease, while Dehner does a nice line in shifty side-kick. But it's Ford who takes the honours, either playing it as a tortured soul who's emotionally conflicted, or as a man who is genuinely scared, Ford convinces and draws the audience into the unfolding drama.

Forget any notion of a stereotype suggested by the film's title and enjoy the atypical way in which the movie deals with its characters. This is a good un, very much so. 8/10