Gun Duel in Durango

Sad to say that a cheap production characterizes this George Montgomery B western. With some color and a few more touches Gun Duel In Durango might have rated a bit higher. It also would have been nice had the hero who of course is Montgomery and chief villain Steve Brodie actually had a classic gun duel in the middle of street as per the title.

Even so Montgomery turns in a fine performance as an outlaw who wants to quit his gang and go straight, straight to Ann Robinson an old girl friend and marry her. But the gang won't leave him alone and the current leader Steve Brodie has a notion he can take Montgomery.

In addition to Robinson, Montgomery also picks up orphan Bobby Clark and the three do become a family after a few rough patches. George must have felt like Michael Corleone the way his old crew wants to drag him back in.

Western fans should be pleased with this one.

Never heard of Director Salkow but he does a decent job with this B pic, and cleverly allows child actor Bobby Clark to steal the spectator's heartstrings.

Montgomery is not a great actor but he is effective as a gun hand trying to reform and stop killing. Ann Robinson is a dish, so they make a great couple. Steve Brodie is a convincing villain, and the action is somewhat slow and frustrating because initially Sabre wants to take on the identity of Bobbly Clark's father and allow killer Sabre to be reported dead but then he dithers and goes back on his plan, when all he had to do was to shoot all the members of the Sabre gang dead and the sheriff would not be able to identify him.

At one point he tells lovely Robinson that he has switched names because he does not want to kill anymore but, after much hesitation, he goes ahead and kills three or four gang members for good measure.

So go figure that contradiction. Apart from that, it's a touching and entertaining B pic.

Gun Duel in Durango is directed by Sidney Salkow and written by Louis Stevens. It stars George Montgomery, Ann Robinson, Steve Brodie, Bobby Clark, Frank Ferguson, Don Barry, Henry Rowland and Denver Pyle. Music is by Paul Sawtell and Berts Shefter and cinematography by Maury Gertsman.

Standard 50s Oater as per formulaic story, but it's spiritedly played and it's not without emotional hefts. Story has Montgomery as Will Sabre, who has had enough of the outlaw life and quits the gang that are titled in his name. Only the gang wont let him quit and he has 30 days to change his mind or else! Not good since under an alias he's landed a nice job in Durango, become a surrogate father to an orphan, and if he can stay straight he'll get the hand of his honey, Judy (Robinson).

It starts with a callous murder and from there we are in no doubt that the one time Sabre Gang, now the Dunsten (Brodie) Gang, are bad dudes and Will Sabre (alias Dan) has his hands full from a number of angles. It's the various active threads that keep the pic from falling into mediocre hell, with Montgomery finding believable chemistry with both Robinson and young Clark. Action scenes are well staged, the Simi Valley and Chatsworth locales are nicely present and Gertsman's crisp black and white photography is most pleasant.

No surprises in store but this is above average and better than the plot would suggest. 6.5/10

George Montgomery plays Will Sabre--an outlaw. However, he's sick of the life and wants to retire--but his gang vows to kill him if he does. But, they like him so they give him 30 days to change his mind...or else.

On his way into town, Sabre happens upon an orphan. Robbie's father is dead and he's stranded along the trail. Sabre feels sorry for him and takes the boy with him into Durango. There he gets a job and tries to make something of himself--renaming himself Dan Tomlinson. But the gang is an ever-present threat. What is he to do? As is the case with all of George Montgomery's westerns I've seen, this is a very very competent and well made lower-budgeted film. Montgomery is excellent as always and they manage to make rather ordinary stuff a bit better than it should be. Well worth seeing.

By the way, the trivia section on IMDb is mistaken. It says that the boy Robbie was played by a 20 year-old. Bobby Clark was only 12 or 13 when the film debuted, as he was born in 1944.

OK, that's a pretty good time waster, but there were dozens, or even hundreds like this one where a former outlaw wants to redeem himself, forget his past and have a new life, facing his former associates. It is well done by a very professional Sidney Salkow, but the plot is sooo predictable and boring. I hardly made it concerning the viewing, me who likes being surprised. Here, not at all. This was actually not a deception because I am not naive enough to expect anything more. I had seventy four minutes to waste in my sunday afternoon and that's why. But, I insist, it will please to most western fans. I have seen far far worse.