O Último Tiro

First off, anyone calling this typical, cliché, or done-before wasn't really paying attention. I can't recall any other Western I have ever seen that is as personally intense. I believe if this was a Japanese movie involving samurai, the same reviewers saying as much would have been praising it and it would be hailed as an example of originality and how great many unappreciated Japanese films are.

To really get an idea of what you're going to watch when you watch this film, realize that it is closer to 12 Angry Men and The Crucible than it is to your typical shoot-em-up Western.

I believe that this is an excellent movie for student-actors to watch and study. Stewart and Fonda both deliver powerful, compelling performances. There roles are near perfect classic examples of protagonist and antagonist. Yet, while their respective roles as 'good guy' and 'bad guy' are familiar this is an ultra-intense dive into who their characters are, what has brought them to this point, and the gritty depths to which each is willing to plunge into themselves to win the day. Both characters are inextricably tied to their respective companions with both parallels and extreme contrasts as to why they are so heavily influenced by those around them. Yet each has a core integrity that *seems* unshakable despite constant challenges pushed upon them by the profound flaws that define their respective groups.

If you allow yourself to become immersed you'll discover an inglorious, unflattering, gritty hero versus villain tale unlike the vast majority of movies that exist in any genre, let alone Westerns. A dry, dusty, brutal struggle for survival in an isolated Western scenario. It gives you little hope for positive resolution throughout. You can feel the tension and you'll cringe at what seems inevitable tragedy. Unique, gritty, and intense, I claim without hesitation that this is one of the best Westerns of all time.

This film shows the power of the motion picture. It is entertaining and it sends a strong message about doing the right thing while avoiding stereotyped good and bad characters. It stars Jimmy Stewart as a farmer is also the honorary part time sheriff. A gang of outlaws lead by Henry Fonda rides into town and starts to cause trouble. Stewart and the rest of the town folk want to avoid rocking the boat and figure that the new visitors are none of their business. It is only after a terrible event that Stewart finally realizes the mistake of inaction and understands that it is everyone's responsibility to stand up for what is right. The true beauty of this film is that neither the hero or the villain are common Western stereotypes. They much more resemble real people. The hero is more concerned with his own life and doesn't want to risk bodily harm trying to stop troublemakers that will be gone by morning. The lead villain is a man that seems to be trapped by his own reputation. He doesn't agree with what his gang is doing, but feels that they expect certain things from their leader. He says, "I don't know what to do, I feel like I am on a greased pig trying to hold on." When asked why he doesn't just leave the gang he responds that he spent his whole life building a reputation and he can't go back to being a nobody. The greatness of this picture is that it has the noble purpose of bettering its viewers, but it does not sacrifice its entertainment value to achieve it.

Must take issue with a previous reviewer who characterized Fonda's performance as all bad, all the time. In fact, while Fonda's men are evil incarnate, Fonda's character is more nuanced and complex, and he is as much a victim of his choices and the men he chooses to "lead" as the townspeople they terrorize. In fact, if the movie has a dominant theme, it would be about how people become trapped by their own fears and doubts, and can only break out of their personal prisons by finding the courage to face their fears and overcome them. The movie is dark, and borrows elements from many earlier westerns; especially High Noon. It is not relentlessly negative however, and ends on a positive and life affirming note. While the pace is slow and the plot is derivative, the performances, particularly Stewart's and Fonda's, are superb and make the movie worth watching. The supporting case is a who's who of wonderful character actors and actresses.

I got tired of reading reviews containing either outright misinformation (suggesting the writer saw some other movie) or downright absurdity. From the top notch performances to the stirring Alfred Newman score to the brilliant Vincent McEveety direction to the detailed Calvin Clements script, this a western I can recommend wholeheartedly. This movie finally deserves its due, and a decent DVD release. Rather than falling into the spaghetti western mold popular at the time, this film looks and feels very American, a direct heir to the great Anthony Mann westerns of the 50s.

Jimmy Stewart, mystifyingly maligned in other reviews, gives a sincere moving performance. I wonder if the criticism comes at his farmer character's reluctance towards violence--disappointing no doubt to fans of "cartoon" westerns. The gritty realism extends to the easy, natural relationship among the gang played by Henry Fonda, Gary Lockwood, James Best, Jack Elam, and Morgan Woodward. This gang is the catalyst and their details, ticks and volatile unpredictability are portrayed with beautifully understated precision. And J. Robert Porter as the town simpleton will break your heart.

There's so much fine work by the cast, particularly Stewart, Fonda, Lockwood (who played another superb villain in the electrifying two-part "Gunsmoke" episode, "The Raid"), Best, Elam, Brooke Bundy, Jacqueline Scott, Louise Latham, Barbara Luna and Ed Begley. A dark, gritty, suspenseful western to be sure, but with a warm heart and soul at its center. Seek it out.

Jimmy Stewart gets top billing and a lot more screen time than fellow mega-star Henry Fonda in this early modern western. 59 years old when the movie was being shot, Stewart looks if anything even older as remarked by many others. He is NOT credible as a new father even of his third child.

Fonda was three years older but has aged much better, looking fit, competent, credible even as a love interest for Inger Stevens who is just about half his age.

This movie is driven by character. The story is simple, not very original and quite slow to get going. However, and as one perceptive reviewer noted, Gary Lockwood's performance as a drawling, baby-faced killer is superbly convincing. His character shows a surprising self-possession, too, always giving part- time sheriff Stewart an excuse to keep looking the other way. It makes him dangerous to everyone, the boss of the outfit (Fonda), especially. Veteran western actor Jack Elam--later to appear in a soft drink commercial-- is no self-parody here! Tough, cunning, mature, his character is just amoral enough to be part of the crew of hired guns that the town of Firecreek has the ill luck to play host to.

In this age of dumbed-down scripts, mumbling actors and dialog that rambles on for no apparent reason, the articulately spoken, sharp and memorable lines given to all the characters is a poignant reminder of what movies used to be. They most of all are what make every minute of this picture worth watching.