The Gunfighters

Level-headed rancher Art Hindle, his hot-headed younger brother, and their Dutch immigrant cousin are forced into a confrontation with evil land-baron George Kennedy, when Hindle's brother shoots a man in self-defense and is framed by the local authorities under Kennedy's instruction. Soon, the ranch is torched and the whole family is turned into desperadoes.

There's really nothing new here and some of the performances are a little overwrought at times, but the story is straight-forward, unpretentious and entertaining, with a few timeless themes that are worth repeating. If you're expecting something slick though, you may be disappointed.

It's nice to see Canadian character actor Art Hindle in a starring role for once, instead of his usual appearance as second or third banana to some other star.

Some interesting moments involve a duel with whips, the outlaws being forced to birth a baby, and the satisfying, though open-ended finale that looked to me like a setup for sequels, or perhaps a TV series that never materialized.

A direct-to-video pilot for a cowboy series that apparently didn't sell. Pretty conventional TV Western benefits from plenty action sequences and straight-forward acting by all concerned. Improbable plot twists manage to get salvaged by general motivational drive and inherent decency of main characters. Good to see George Kennedy make one last film as a heavy.

Some nice location camera work. Editing is professional and the script not too talky.

One minor drawback: the pacifist character Dutch is a real bore, and played by the weakest actor in the cast. Fortunately his lectures are kept to brief lines about "violence never solves anything." Other than Dutch, the characters are pretty likable and fast on the draw.

Wholly unmemorable, but not a complete waste of time. Still, feels like a throwback to another era - more than a little out of date, even given its release year.

A good movie to watch when you're stuck at home in a blizzard, there's nothing else on TV, and you've seen everything else in your collection. The dialogue is bad, the plot unbelievable, and the ending beyond comprehension, but other than that, it's not bad.

Just watched this on TV and I think it is great! So what if it doesn't look like Kansas, and the jeans aren't 1870. Good grief!! The story line was terrific and I only wish they had made sequels....a whole bunch, as far as I'm concerned. What was happening was typical of the old west and what they did was really unique and made for a great movie. Everyone should give it a chance and not be so "nit-picky". The actors that played the brothers were a perfect combination..they couldn't have done any better..especially Reiner Schone who added such a special twist to the story, with his way of fighting. He is my favorite. I am now going to do my best to track down the DVD and get it so I can add it to my collection, proof I think it is that good.

Several minuses (silly plot, typical TV-movie production values), several pluses (a fight scene in a bar that is truly unique, good Canadian locations), and quick pacing add up to a decent time-waster.

Whatever you do, don't follow the story, actually look at a map, and think about the distances these people need to cover on horseback. It'd be hard enough to do in a Ford Mustang, let alone on a four-legged one. But what the heck.

One big plus is a ripping theme song; might've become a dance-club hit--in some alternate universe.

Overall, this movie is okay.