La première balle tue

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.

To his friends and neighbors George Temple (Glenn Ford) is a mild-mannered store keeper. But, unknown to all but his wife, George is obsessed with guns because in his youth he lacked the courage to go up against his lawman father's killer. Through years of secret practice George has become the fastest draw in the west, but he is still afraid of drawing against a man. When a ruthless gunman (Broderick Crawford) comes to town and threatens to burn it down Temple is forced to overcome his fears and try to stop him. This finely-crafted western deserves more recognition than it has received. If you like westerns, try to catch this one.

Directed with poise and aplomb by Russell Rouse (an illustrious unknown to me), with very good B&W photography, and terrific performances by Glenn Ford, Broderick Crawford and John Dehner, what I particularly like about this movie is its script (apart from a dancing number featuring Russ Tamblyn that has no connection whatsoever with anything else in the film).

THE FASTEST GUN ALIVE is built upon an unusual premise: Crawford wants at all costs to be the fastest gun alive, but Ford knows he is it - even though he has not killed a man yet.

The sequence in the church where people initially do not want Ford to go out and meet Crawford because they value his life, then want him to do it because Crawford orders the town's shops doused with kerosene, comes across as remarkably human and true.

There are sound moral values to this film, excellent cinematography, and believable characters. 8/10

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.

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 ****