The Gunfighters

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.

I really enjoyed watching this film - it had a lot going for it. I particularly liked the piece of instrumental music playing and the song - Gunfighter (?). If you're at home and simply wish to chill out, grab this film as I'm certain you'll enjoy it - especially if you like Westerns. Earlier oaters are my favorite (eg. Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, Tom Mix, and early John Wayne), however, for a change, I bought this film on DVD and was not disappointed. Boy! Was the West tough.

The actors were good - I especially liked "Dutch" and "Matt" Everett. The film is pretty well fast paced and some of the filming techniques are unusual. There is quite a lot of scenery for those who enjoy the great outdoors and the horses were nice to look at. The film brings up some good moral dilemmas, as too issues somewhat relevant still today.

The Canadian TV movie "The Gunfighters" was apparently made to also be a pilot for a prospective weekly television series. Apparently the network decided against this, and I have to say, "Thank goodness!" This is a really bad TV movie, pilot or not. The production values are really poor, ranging from clothing that looks nothing like cowboy garb found in the 1800s to cheesy indoor sets. The musical score is sour, and at one point plagiarizes several bars from Ennio Morricone's score for "A Fistful of Dollars". The acting is sub par, with even George Kennedy (who obviously knocked off his scenes in a few days) unable to generate much enthusiasm. But the worst thing about the movie has to be the script. It is filled with one cliché after another, from the actions of the characters to their dialogue. The icing on the cake is the unbelievable final few minutes that gives us a deus ex machina resolution of sorts (though leave some plot points unresolved.) I find it hard to believe any western fan would be entertained by this.

Canadian-filmed television western which fails to make the most of its lush location and attractive cast. In Kansas, hunky young Tony Addabbo (as Matt Everett) visits a girlfriend; there, in self-defense, he shoots the man he finds in her boudoir. Unfortunately, the lass happens to be the sheriff's daughter, which contributes to Mr. Addabbo's becoming the outlaw known as "The Kansas Kid". Soon, he is joined by brother Art Hindle (as Cole Everett) and cousin Reiner Schoene (as Dutch Everett). The Everett Gang's main adversary is gravitas-lending veteran George Kennedy (as Deke Turner). Addabbo and duplicitous pal Howard Kruschke (as Jake Morant) lead the players in having excellent hair days.

**** The Gunfighters (10/27/87) Clay Borris ~ Tony Addabbo, Art Hindle, George Kennedy, Reiner Schoene

Look at any western and you can tell when it was made. How? Simply look at the haircuts and judge when they were in style. Two of the protagonists in this movie have eighties-style hockey-hair, and the older protagonist has kept his hippie-days hair. That means the film was made in the eighties. The costumes and makeup are also terribly anachronistic with Matt wearing a Levi's low cut jean jacket and tight jeans and his old girlfriend wearing lip gloss. And is that Ronnie Hawkins singing a nauseating bluesy crossover country tune from the start of the film to the end? Did they sing like that in 1870 which this film is trying to depict? The story jumps from one melodrama to the next, bouncing from a power hungry evil villain stopping honest cowpunchers from watering their cattle, to a bar fight with whips, to a self-defense killing, to stage-coach robbing, to train robbing, to jail-train breaks, to... well, when the three are assisting a birth for a hapless woman on a runaway stagecoach you get the feeling you are watching a combination of ER and the Titanic, with horses floating around in the background. One asks when they might resort to yelling "Code Blue, Ranch Shack Six, Stat" with the jiggle-cam jumping to odd corners of the room at violent jerky angles. Everything in this movie was done before, in several genres! Like Sam Goldwyn said, "Gimme some new cliches." I must find a hobby. One which requires the usage of glue and unusable DVD's. It would be a better way to spend my time.