Four Boys and a Gun

Watchable but not very involving drama. Aside from Frank Sutton none of the eponymous actors gave especially memorable performances and the writing and direction lacked impact, as well. Everything just seemed to hover around the cliche line, not descending into caricature but certainly not rising to Scorsesian or even Levinsonian levels. Kinda like a mid level episode of "Naked City", actually (appropriate since James Franciscus was the precursor of Paul Burke on that series). Give it a C.

I saw this film as an adolescent, among many I saw those years in my small mid-west home-city. This was a "great" film for me in that, as a naive (and I still consider myself such), even I discovered that there was such a thing as BAD film. This realization developed in later years into the idea that each movie-going is a gamble, in which I stake my money & time on the prospect of a good entertainment experience. And naturally, sometimes I lose. This realization put the onus on me for my own experience. I oughtn't be angry with the film for being bad. Put another way, as surely as there are great films, there HAVE to be duds. I'm almost tempted enough to rent FBAAG again, a)to see Jas. Franciscus, and b)to see if it really was all that bad. Tho, upon reflection, I'm fairly sure that it was.

There's only five reviews on this website as I write this, and they ratings span from a hot mess to very good. In truth, this deserves a 5 to 6 rating, but I'm bumping it up to a 7 for the following reasons.

The script is adapted from a 1940s novel. Released in 1957, the movie shows that the story concept held up for a minimum of ten years.

While James Franciscus is best remembered for his work in television, he had a few roles where he had his moments in the sun. While his screen time is limited here, it's entertaining to see the early performances of the up and coming.

And while Frank Sutton will forever be remembered as the sergeant in the Gomer Pyle TV series, he cuts his teeth pretty good on his role in this film.

Again, it's entertaining to be reminded that an actor pigeon-holed into a recurring TV role actually has talent beyond the scope one expects.

If you have an aversion to storytelling that relies on flashback, this film will probably get on your nerves. A bit implausible and with dialogue that suffers in several scenes, it's the film's last 15 to 20 minutes that win me over enough to bump my rating all the way to a 7 out of 10, despite an unsatisfying ending.

Four Boys And A Gun is the story of four 50s urban youths who get themselves in a financial jackpot and decide to stick up a sports arena on the night of a big prize fight. One of them has a gun and a police officer dies in the holdup. The four kids are Frank Sutton, James Franciscus, Tarry Green, and William Hinnant. As you see two of the four had substantial careers. Probably a miracle after this film.

After showing the holdup and the capture of the kids, we see a story of how each got to the position they're in. They're offered a deal if the one who actually had the gun and did the shooting confesses the others will get life sentences.

These four are really a quartet of losers. Some people never do catch a break nor see and seize it when it does come.

Shoddy camera work, poor direction and an idea that is preposterous for a premise.

Similar to the Mickey Rooney vehicle "Quicksand", this movie shows the slippery slope of young crime. Frank Sutton is good as the wannabe gangster in over his head. Enjoyable.