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Sam Martin and his wino mate, Harvey, run fishing expeditions out of Key West. However, Sam has run into bad times, and, with mounting debt, he is threatened with losing his boat and, thus, his livelihood. When a seeming tourist named Hannagan with a Swedish blonde in tow hires Sam for a quick and illegal trip to Cuba, Sam needs the money and agrees, unaware of the true nature of the cruise. Adapted from Ernest Hermingway's novel, To Have and Have Not, which was previously filmed in 1944 with Humphrey Bogart, "The Gun Runners" is a tight, engaging B film directed by veteran action director Don Siegel.

While Audie Murphy as Sam is no Bogart, he is adequate in the part, although his romantic scenes with Patricia Owens as his wife are awkward and unconvincing. However, Eddie Albert as Hannagan, the duplicitous gun runner, is colorful, and his performance stands out. Everett Sloane as Harvey is also good. Hal Mohr's crisp black and white cinematography is another major asset, especially in razor-sharp close-ups of the principals.

While not on a par with the Bogart classic, "The Gun Runners" is closer to Hemingway and restores the Key West locale, although the action is updated to feature the Cuban Revolution. The relatively short low-budget feature is worth a look and should appeal to fans of Audie Murphy and, especially, to followers of Don Siegel's career.

WWII hero and busy actor stepped into Bogart and Garfield's shoes for a third version of a Hemingway story, "To Have and Have not." The film is bare-bones, budget-wise, but makes good use of its Florida locations to tell the story of gun runners and romance among the the coastal folk. Murphy isn't half-bad in the lead role of a charter boat captain caught up in a smuggling scheme, although I could not quite get used to Murphy in a boat captain's hat (I was so used to seeing him in Army helmets and cowboy hats). Eddie Albert plays a very convincing bad guy, and the film is loaded with familiar faces of the period, including Paul Birch, John Qualen, Jack Elam, Herb Vigran and Everett Sloane. Worth a look, mainly for Murphy/

Sometimes you see a film and wonder why it was even made in the first place. A great example is "The Gun Runners". It's based on a Hemingway story and was already made a couple times before this...and the most famous is "To Have and Have Not"...one of Humphrey Bogart's better films. Now I have nothing against Audie Murphy, but I would never imagine wanting to see him starring in a movie instead of Bogart. After all, this IS Bogart...one of the finest actors who ever lived. The only big difference is that the film is partially set in Cuba, as the Cuban Revolution was in full swing.

Sam Martin (Murphy) is in dire straights. His boat charter business is having a slow patch and creditors are threatening to seize his boat. Because he is so desperate, various crooks try to get him to agree to some illegal activities...such as running guns. But Sam is ademant...at least for a while. But when some rich guy (Eddie Albert) charters his boat and then asks him to take a side trip to Cuba, he's so desperate that he'll do it. What's next? See the film...or not!

So how is this film different from the Bogie version? Well, apart from the Cuban angle, the changes are minor...such as Sam having a wife. As a result, the story is interesting like the original but not especially so. The basic story is still quite good. My advice is to watch one or the other....not both. And, of them, I'd pick the Bogart one simply because he was pretty amazing in the lead.

Most Decorated War-Hero of WWII...Audie Murphy...by 1958 had a Decade Long Career in Mostly Westerns,

would Go On to 50 Roles in Movies and TV, took the Challenge of Comparison to Humphrey Bogart and John Garfield. Both Considered Class-A Actors, and Enjoyed Great Popularity.

Murph was Never in Their League, but a Proven Fighter Nevertheless,

was Up for a Choice Icon of Literature, Ernest Hemingway, and Americana and the 2 Aforementioned Top-Notch Performers Did Not Dissuade the "Medal of Honor" Recipient and the Opportunity to "Be All That He Could Be" as an Actor.

Audie Murphy is Quoted Deep in His Career..."Acting was a battle I never won."

This Version was Directed by the Great B-Movie Director Don Sieger, who Populated the Picture with a Talented Cast. And the Script was Written by Another Proven-Pro, Daniel Mainwaring.

It's Got a Lot of Siegel's Style, of Pulp-Panache,

He Could Get "Bang-for-the Buck", and Impressed Critics and Fans with His Hard-Boiled, In-Your-Face Action, that was Economy Film-Making at its Best.

Murphy Did His Best and it's a Solid Outing. Film Critics were Never Kind to an "Audie Murphy" Movie,

with the Exception of a Few Big Pictures Like His Autobiographical "To Hell and Back" (1955) and "The Red Badge of Courage" (1951).

His Filmography is Full of Under-Rated, Low-Budget Gems, and those Critics, it can Now be Said, Historically, that His Huge Fan-Base was Right.

Most of His Movies are Above Average and Murph Always Delivered.

While this Film will Always Rank 3rd Behind "To Have and Have Not" (1944) and "The Breaking Point" (1950), but a Respectable 3rd.

It is a Fine Film and is a Must-See for Audie Murphy and Don Siegel Fans.

For All Others, it's...

Worth a Watch.

Ernest Hemingway's classic short story To Have And Have Not gets yet another remake, an independent production for Seven Arts that stars Audie Murphy taking the place Humphrey Bogart and John Garfield as Hemingway's iconoclastic fisherman/charter boat skipper.

No Lauren Bacall like slinky low voiced siren to take our hero's mind off business. In fact Murphy is happily married to Patricia Owens. But while he has a happy home life he owes some big money around Key West. His boat isn't even completely paid for and the bank is breathing down his neck.

Eddie Albert maybe the answer to his financial prayers. He wants to charter Murphy's boat for mysterious reasons for a trip to Cuba and remember this is 1958 and the Cuban government is rightly suspicious of strangers without proper clearance going to their island. In fact Albert is a gunrunner looking to sell to revolutionaries at a nice profit.

The film takes no political sides as to whether it favors the Batista government or the Castro revolutionaries. All you gradually learn along with Murphy is that Albert is one ruthless individual and quite the user.

Director Don Siegel shot this film on location in Newport Beach, California, curiously enough exactly where Michael Curtiz shot The Breaking Point, John Garfield's film of this story. Bogart's was done on the Warner Brothers back lot, none of them got anywhere near Papa Hemingway's beloved Caribbean waters. Siegel did keep the action going at a good clip.

Audie Murphy showed a bit of versatility here as an actor, taking a break from the B westerns he was doing at Universal. But Eddie Albert who when he does play a villain does remarkably well as he did in The Longest Yard and Attack. One never thinks of him that way, his image is forever fixed with Green Acres, but he was a favorite of mine and his range never ceased to amaze me.

The Gun Runners is your average B picture film about a controversial political issue in which it takes absolutely no sides.