Tramonto di fuoco

Red Sundown is directed by Jack Arnold and written by Martin Berkeley. It stars Rory Calhoun, Martha Hyer, Dean Jagger, Robert Middleton, James Millican, Lita Baron and Grant Williams. Music is by Hans J. Salter and cinematography by William Snyder.

Gunslinger Alec Longmire (Calhoun) decides to honour a promise and change his ways. Arriving in Durango he quickly gets the opportunity to put his skills to good use when he becomes deputy to Sheriff Jade Murphy (Jagger), the latter of which is struggling to control the despotic behaviour of cattle baron Rufus Henshaw (Middleton).

A promise made. A new life…

From the higher end of 1950s Western programmers, Red Sundown couples the action and character staples with smart writing. From the off the pic signals its intentions by pushing some machismo front and centre, only to then add some sombre tones and rueful dialogue smarts. The whole story has something worthwhile to say, some keen observations. Not all gunslingers are the same, some enjoy the killing, some do it by necessity, but the message is clear, don't tar all with the same brush. Another thread deals with impressionable youngsters, where again some smart dialogue is afforded the principal player. There's a code issue that I hadn't heard of before as regards the weapon of choice in a stand-off, and there's some nasty bite that comes by way of how Henshaw treats his mistress, Maria (Baron).

If a man wants to get away from guns then he should get away from them.

As the shoot-outs and stand-offs come and go, as Martha Hyer arrives in a bullet brassiere, story settles into the common good versus bad theme, with a little romance on the side. It's despot and his hired thug, Chet Swann (Williams), against the honest sheriff and his reformed deputy. Arnold keeps things fizzing along nicely and he's well served by his lead cast members, with Calhoun, Middleton and Jagger particularly impressing. Hyer does well with what is a thankless female role, while Williams, who would become The Incredible Shrinking Man a year later, is only just on the right side of lunatic caricature.

Bonus here, though with much sadness, is Millican, who puts in a heart aching performance as a gunman whose time is ebbing away. Millican was dying of cancer at the time and wouldn't see the film released. Poignancy added to what is a film; that while it's far from flawless, earns the right to be better known. 7.5/10

Rory Calhoun has had enough of being a gun man, so he goes into town, looking for a job punching cattle. Sheriff Dean Jagger wants him as a deputy. Jagger's daughter, Martha Hyer, thinks he'll be like all the others, addicted to the high-paying, thrills, and on his way soon. Robert Middleton thinks he's for sale. Sociopathic gun man Grant Williams is gigglingly upset at his lack of professional courtesy.

It's directed by Jack Arnold. He's best remembered for his 1950s scifi movies, monster fare with a tangy soupcon of subtext. It's here in this western programmer, pitched midway between the moribund B Western and the overblown A Western. There's a formality in the composition of the story, with its prologue in which Calhoun is saved by the wily smarts of longtime gunman James Millican. Millican plays his role with a dolorous mien, wishing he had a chance to do it all again, and take a real job. The actor had already received his own death sentence. This would be his last role, and he would be dead of cancer by the time it premiered. Perhaps that informs his performance.

More than that, there's a rigidity to the film's structure: here's a Western, it seems to say. We've been making them for more than half a century, and they all proceed this way: the good bad man, the bad bad man, the rich man trying to make a fortune by pitting one against the other, the sheriff, the pretty girl. How will it turn out? In many ways, it comments on the western itself. Where is it going? Television? Spaghetti westerns? What will become of Calhoun, the sheriff, the whole panoply? It won't mean what it meant to the audience that saw it in the theaters in 1956.

In the 1950's, Universal was cranking out these Audie Murphy and Rory Calhoun Technicolor oaters at a furious pace. Calhoun gets his turn here. He may not manage Murphy's hard-eyed stare, but he does well enough in the grim determination department. Then too, this feature was fortunate to get Jack Arnold away from mutant creatures long enough to lend the proceedings his cut-above-average direction.

So, can ex-gunslinger Calhoun stay away from guns long enough to keep his promise to dying buddy Millican. Notably, this was the latter's final film, and movie veteran Millican departs on a particularly poignant note, rare for any Western, A or B. Anyway, Calhoun has good intentions, but there're always the baddies who've got other ideas. Here, the pudgy but agile Westerfield naturally wants all the land, not just some, and Sheriff Jagger is not quite up to handling his gun-toting crew. So guess who he hires as deputy. Plus the sheriff's comely blonde daughter (Hyer) helps Calhoun make up his mind, despite his earlier promise.

Now Calhoun can handle heavyweight Westerfield as their surprisingly acrobatic barroom brawl shows. But can he handle professional gunslinger Williams (Swann), who appears to have been born with a perpetual sneer. This is Calhoun's real test, after which maybe he can at last keep his promise. But then Swann is one sly gunman. Here Williams goes against type since he usually plays a good guy. But the sneer is a good touch and speaks volumes.

All in all, it's a good little Western even if it never leaves greater LA (Thousand Oaks). Thanks to Arnold, however, the pace never drags, plus there's Millican's truly moving performance, worthy I think of at least a sagebrush Oscar.

A decent and serious western with thrills , noisy action, crossfire, intrigue, duels and suspenseful final . Enjoyable taut minor and nicely done Western has loner gunfighter Alex Longmire : Rory Calhoun , after his life is saved in a crossfire by a fellow pistolero whose life he in turn had saved . After that , he is on the run from a posse and as he must prove he killed in self-defense . Alex is riding into town and meeting a raving nervy old sheriff , Jade Murphy : Dean Jagger , he then takes a deputy sheriff job and meantime , he falls in love for his daughter : Martha Hyer . When promises to give up his way of life. Riding into town he finds the only job available is deputy to sheriff . So Longmire decides to stay and see if he can use his expertise with firearms for good . Out of Texas he rode INTO THE FURY OF DURANGO'S WILDEST HOUR!

Paramount Universal movie with great main and support cast, being well produced and efficiently directed. An attractive Western that works efficiently within its own rather derivative limits . It is a nice rendition based on Lewis B. Patten's novel "Back Trail" with tought-provoking and moving script by Martin Berkeley . Another Western with a great theme song , - what Western hadn't by that time- , in fact there is a moved-spirited ballad song titled Red Sundown written and performed by Terry Gilkyson . It is an usual Western of the Fifities with echoes of the classics as ¨High Noon¨ , ¨Duel at O.K. Corral¨ or ¨Shane¨ . Rory Calhoun gives a nice acting as a gunfighter in a town caught in a feud between a powerful rancher and small farmers. Tall and handsome, Rory starred in over 80 films and 1,000 television episodes. Before becoming an actor he worked as a boxer, a lumberjack, a truck driver and a cowpuncher. Rory benefited from a screen test at 20th Century-Fox, arranged for him by Sue Carol, a Hollywood agent and the wife of actor Alan Ladd, who is said to have spotted Calhoun while he was riding a horse in a Los Angeles park. He debuted on screen in Something for the Boys (1944), with Carmen Miranda, billed as "Frank McCown". David O. Selznick changed his name to Rory Calhoun, and after playing small parts for a while, he graduated to starring in western films, including Río sin retorno (1954) with Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum. Calhoun's better-known pictures include Cómo casarse con un millonario (1953) with Lauren Bacall, Monroe and Betty Grable, and Con una canción en mi corazón (1952) with Susan Hayward. From 1959 to 1960 he starred in the CBS television series The Texan (1958). More than two decades later he returned to CBS for five years as Judge Judson Tyler on the daytime serial Capitolio (1982). His final appearance, 70 years old but handsome as ever, was as Ernest Tucker in Pure Country (1992). Rory played a lot of Western such as : Ride Out for Revenge , Domino Kid , The Hired Gun , Utah Blaine , A bullet is waiting, Thunder in Carolina , Dawn in Socorro , The Yellow Tomahawk , and River with no return with Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum . The film ¨Red Sundown¨ is really buoyed by several familar faces in the supporting cast . Dean Jagger as an honest marshal caught between small farmers and a local cattle baron and look out , in particular the following ones : Lita Baron who at the time married Rory Calhoun , Robert Middleton as a land baron , James Millican , Trevor Bardette , John Doucette , Chuck Howard , Leo Gordon, among others . And special mention for Grant Williams as gunslinger Chet Swann , whom the starring knows from the past , arrives on the scene he has to make a difficult decision , to kill him . Grant plays very well a gunman ; a bit later on , he would play the classic The incredible shrinkring man for Jack Arnold himself .

Furthermore, it contains a colorful and glimmer cinematography , as the brilliant colour cinematography by expert cameraman William E. Snyder . This well-edited motion picture was compellingly directed by Jack Arnold in his best foray into the Western genre. He reigns supreme as one of the greatest filmmakers of 50s science , achieving an important cult popularity with classics as "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," and its follow-up titled "Revenge of the Creature" that was a nice sequel . "Tarantula" was likewise a lot of amusement and of course "The Incredible Shrinking Man" attained his greatest enduring cult popularity , it's a thought-provoking and impressive classic that's lost none of its power throughout the years . Arnold's final two genre entries were the interesting "Monster on the Campus" and the outlandish "The Space Children¨ . In addition to his film work, Arnold also directed episodes of such TV shows . Rating Red Sundown 6.5/10 . Agreeable Western that will appeal to enthusiasts.

After hooking up with old time gunfighter James Millican, younger gunfighter Rory Calhoun decides he'd better look for a different line of work himself. Especially after Millican dies holding off a pair of brothers out to get them. But it's not so easy when the only trade you know is a fast draw.

And in Red Sundown that's just what old time sheriff Dean Jagger needs to stop a range war between the local Ponderosa owner Robert Middleton and a bunch of smaller ranchers and farmers. Land titles aren't clear and Middleton's grabbing all he can.

Also keeping Calhoun in town is Jagger's daughter Martha Hyer, but there's a complication there with the presence of Middleton's mistress Lita Baron who has a history with Calhoun. Her function in the film and her relationship with Middleton make Red Sundown quite the adult western for its time.

In only an 81 running minute time Red Sundown packs quite a bit in what is an above average B western. I do love the way that kid actors David Kasday and Scotty Morrow function as a kind of Greek chorus commenting on the comings and goings in the town and showing the voice of public opinion in prevailing mores. Grant Williams the future incredible shrinking man makes his screen debut here playing a vicious punk gunfighter that Calhoun has to deal with.

Red Sundown is one of the best of Rory Calhoun's B westerns and definitely an above average film for the limited production values it got because of its low priority.