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In No Name on the Bulllet, Audie Murphy got to star in one of the most unusual and best westerns in his career when he was cast in this off beat tale of a hired killer. As John Gant, Audie reverses type and becomes a coldblooded, yet very philosophical hired killer.

His modus operandi is simple. He gets hired by someone to do someone else in and he goes to wherever his target is, baits him into a fight and then shoots him dead. It's pretty well known in the west that's how he operates.

So Murphy arrives in a particular town, everyone knows he's there to see that someone dies. The town grows crazy with panic and speculation as to who his target might be.

It's a nice original concept for a western and the credit has to go to scriptwriter Gene L. Coon who all Star Trek fans remember as the writer on the original series.

Some of the townspeople are blacksmith R.G. Armstrong, doctor Charles Drake, banker Whit Bissell, mine owner Karl Swenson, judge Edgar Stehli, bartender Charles Watts, and store clerk Warren Stevens. Just who has Audie come to dispatch.

All of these players fill out the roles of the panic stricken townspeople very well indeed. But it is Murphy's film and one of the best westerns ever done and I believe his personal best.

"No Name On the Bullet" marks a role reversal for star Audie Murphy. Normally the soft spoken hero, this time out he is a cold blooded hired killer with little or no redeeming qualities.

John Gant (Murphy) a hired killer, rides into town one day and is soon recognized by the towns people. His modus operandi has preceded him. It seems that he rides into a town, checks into a hotel and then just sits around for days taking stock of the situation and sizing up his next victim, who is known only to him. He then goads his victim into a fight and shoots him down in self defence.

With Gant's arrival several townsfolk begin to get nervous, each believing that they are his intended victim. It seems many of the good citizens have skeletons in their respective closets. Is it the respected town doctor, Luke Canfield (Charles Drake), his father Asa the blacksmith (R. G. Armstrong), gambler Reeger (Simon Scott), "respected businessmen" Stricker (Karl Swenson) and Pierce (Whit Bissell), miner Ben Chafee (John Alderson) or Lou Fraden (Warren Stevens), who has run off with another man's wife (Virginia Grey)?

Well, each begins to think that the other is trying to have him/her killed and they begin to fight among themselves. Only the sheriff (Willis Bouchey) has the courage to stand up to Gant, but Gant shoots his gun hand in a showdown. Through it all Dr. Canfield along with his fiance Anne Benson (Joan Evans) and her terminally ill and crippled father, retired Judge Benson (Edgar Stehlt) try to make sense of it all. Canfield comes to earn Gant's respect for his courage in trying to prevent any violence. The suspense builds, some die until we learn that Gant's victim is........

Normally when you watch an Audie Murphy western, you would expect him to abandon his intended victim and ride away. Not so here. The cold and calculated manner in which he goads his victim into a fight leaves no question that Gant is all bad. Murphy pulls it off. He was gradually becoming a better actor with each film. His performance as Gant is downright chilling. He would follow that up with another good performance in "Unforgiven" a big budget western with Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn the following year.

Universal always populated the Murphy westerns with a cast of seasoned veterans. This film is no exception. Drake appeared in many of Murphy's films on both sides of the law. He gets to be the hero in this one. Stevens as the gutless wife stealer stands out as does Grey as his distraught wife who sees that she has made a big mistake. The ever reliable Bouchey is excellent as the sheriff who is powerless to stop Gant. Stehlt is good as the terminally ill judge and Evans makes an attractive heroine. In fact, there's not a single weakness in the entire cast. Sharp eyed western lovers will spot Bob Steele (mostly from the back) in the card playing sequence.

Great stuff.

One of Audie Murphy's two best Westerns, along with "Duel at Silver Creek." Audie departs from his usual role as a Good Guy, to play a part that is more bad than good, but has admirable qualities as well (honesty & responsibility chief among them). He underplays this role, which is one of the reasons that the movie works so well. It has little action for a B Western, but the action comes in a surprisingly violent sequence. The plot avoids many of the usual Western clichés, instead providing thought provoking dialog. Why do the TV channels repeatedly show Audie's mediocre movies & avoid showing his best? I rate it 8/10.

No Name on the Bullet is possibly Audie Murphy's best western. Only Destry is on a par with it. These two films demonstrate clearly that Murphy could give a creditable performance on the rare occasions when he was given a good script, cast, and director to work with. In this film Murphy plays John Gant, an apparently easy going man who, in fact, is a hired killer with a deadly reputation. When he comes to town many apparently-respectable citizens with concealed guilt become panicked, each thinking that he is the one whom Gant is in town to kill. If you think you don't like Audie Murphy westerns, give this one a try. It will probably surprise -- and impress -- you.

When John Gant , a softy-spoken, baby-faced Audie Murphy , rides into Lordsburg, the town's folk become paranoid as each leading citizen has enemies seeking revenge , only none of the citizens know who the intented victim is . As the notorious hired gun whose arrival in town means a mission to kill , but who ?. While a honest doctor : Charles Drake , and a humble sheriff : Willis Bouchey , hope to halt potential bloodshed , but is neighbour's guilty secrets suggest no shortage of possible targets . Meantime , they wait for him to make his move, and John Gant behaves easily . But there are inhabitants capable of using the services of a professional killer for personal vendetta. The strangest killer who ever stalked the West ! Everyone in Town Had a Guilty Secret That Marked Him for Death! Twenty-four "victims" had died before his lightning draw...until he came to the quiet town that had marked him for death! Everyone has enemies, and maybe Gant is in town for them. ... AUDIE...in the most unusual role of his exciting career!

Entertaining B-picture model , including action , thrills , fights , shoot'em up and packing some surprises . An intriguing , twisted story about a professional killer who arrives in a little town , then paranoia starts taking over and although no one knows who he is there to murder , they are all worried . Given the escalating paranoia , you might assume a McCarthyte parable about corruption lurking the community , yet the clever storyline points provocatively at establishment wrong doing. And including a stirring final stand-off that results to be thrilling , charged and riveting with the hired killer taking off surprising contenders using a hammer , too . The story is interesting and mysterious , a strong confrontation with a intrigue behind , including an enjoyable deneoument with twists and turns . An agreeable and slight tale well written by Gene L. Coon , and very interesting , containing some cliches , though paced in fits and starts , at times . Audie Murphy gives a pretty good acting as the cool, cultured gunman , this is undoubtedly Murphy's strongest showing on the saddle , too . Audie is well accompanied by a good support cast such as : Charles Drake , R.G. Armstrong , Joan Evans, Virginia Grey, Warren Stevens , Willis Bouchey , Edgar Stehli , Karl Swenson , Simon Scott , Whit Bissell , Jerry Paris , among others

Being colorfully photographed in Spectacular Technicolor by Harold Lipstein . As well as moving and thrilling musical score by Herman Stein and Irving Gertz though uncredited .This well-edited , compact motion picture was nicely produced by Howard Christie for Universal Pictures and compellingly directed by Jack Arnold in his best foray into the Western genre . Although he is indelibly associated with classy Sci-Fi , this is the fourth and finest effort in his 50s Westerns. Unfortunately , Arnold's final film of genuine worth before a further two decades of TV series , episodes and other minor assgnments . He reigns supreme as one of the greatest filmmakers of 50s science , achieving an important cult popularity with classics as ¨The Incredible Shrinking Man¨, "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," and its follow-up titled "Revenge of the Creature" that was a nice sequel . "Tarantula" was likewise a lot of amusement . This "The Incredible Shrinking Man" attained his greatest enduring cult popularity , it's a thought-provoking and impressive classic that's lost none of its power throughout the years . Arnold's final two genre entries were the interesting "Monster on the Campus" and the outlandish "The Space Children¨ . Rating : 7/10 . Decent and acceptable Western . Well catching for Western buffs .