Duel dans la Sierra

This film essentially begins with a gunfighter by the name of "Brad Ellison" (Jock Mahoney) riding into a small town to face another gunslinger waiting for him there. Within less than a minute, gunshots ring out and Brad strolls into the local saloon for a drink. While there, he is told that a man is waiting for him upstairs in one of the rooms. Somewhat curious, he goes upstairs and meets a elderly businessman by the name of "John Forbes" (Carl Benton Reid) who tells him that he is dying and offers Brad $25,000 to go to Mexico and bring back his younger brother who has been living there for almost 10 years. He then goes on to explain that he doesn't know exactly where his brother lives in Mexico and the last two men he sent were killed in the process of looking for him. So, with only a unique silver dollar which might help to identify him, Brad sets off on his journey. To that effect, several days later he rides upon a ranch where he meets a wealthy American named "Michael O'Reilly" (Lorne Greene) who tries to dissuade him from continuing on his journey by telling him that the person he is looking for is dead. Unconvinced, Brad leaves the next morning but, in the process, convinces Michael's foreman, "Miles Lang" (Gilbert Roland) to help him out. What neither of them count on, however, is just how dangerous their search will turn out to be. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will say that this turned out to be a decent Western based largely on the performances of both Jock Mahoney and Gilbert Roland. It also features a couple of twists and turns at the end which benefits the movie as well. Be that as it may, I enjoyed this movie for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

This movie features one of the smartest Western scripts from the time, with a terrific plot line, sharp dialogs, and believable characters. The ending, as has been commented upon, is indeed “short and not settled with firearms,” but there’s three excellent reasons it had to be that way, related to character, plot, and story arch, respectively. I don’t want to spoil any of it, but you’ll see when you see it. You could say, though, that the script’s a little bit too tight-knit/too smart toward the end and maneuvered itself into some predictability. But everything else makes up for it. Another thing I liked about this ’58 movie was that it pretty much managed to avoid stereotyping, endemic to so many Westerns set against the background of the Rio Grande neighborhood. So I guess 9 out of 10 stars would be a fair call.

Jock Mahoney is at his best in this one. Lorne Greene and other notables round this one out

This is a western but the plot could be that of a film noir ,a thriller: a wealthy man in a wheelchair hires a gunfighter to find back his brother and heir;he probably won't live that long and he does not want his fortune to fall into the hands of an unscrupulous associate.

The story is a quest and the identity of the brother which I will not reveal of course, for it's one of the few surprises of the film, is a bit unexpected ,but all in all,makes sense .The female star,Linda Cristal has not really many things to do (except for a bath in her birthday's suit ,but no close shots!);Lorne Greene as his dad has not much to do either.

Classic, archetypal hero. Plot twist at the end, which some anticipate and some don't. One of the fastest draws shown in any film. Ending a bit disappointing, as final confrontation is short and not settled with firearms. For fans of the genre, a must-see.