WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Eric B I found Good Day to be a really entertaining B movie for weekend afternoon viewing. Like many B movies, it has a fairly simple plot (pretty similar to an episode of Bonanza or Big Valley but that's good enough for me). No major spoilers in this review but hit a few plot points.The plot involves a group of bank robbers that hold up the local bank and kill the sheriff as they escape. Fred MacMurray reluctantly assumes the role of sheriff and captures a young former resident who was a friend of his daughter and arranges for him to be hanged.The cast is a solid one. Besides MacMurray, there is Robert Vaughan in a pre- Man from UNCLE role. Others notable costars include popular western star James Drury,Denver Pyle, Bing Russell and Howard McNair (Floyd from Andy Griffith). Like many B movies, this strong cast overcomes any drawbacks from a fairly routine Western plot.The mood of the townspeople plays a protagonist against MacMurray. They want blood at first, but then sour on the idea of hanging a former resident.I always liked Fred MacMurray's more serious roles form 40s and 50s before his Absent Minded Prof roles and My 3 Sons. He is excellent in this movie.It's not as complex as a John Ford, Mann or Sturges "A Western", but it is a B Western that most Western fans should enjoy.

benfourtwoday There is some reason why I like this movie. Why I don't know but it sure wasn't for the writing or Robert Vaughn's acting. It's easy to see why they never gave him much as far as big parts or too many lines to speak in scenes in a movies when you watch this. Why they even kept him around in Hollywood is beyond me; this was terrible acting. The writers also must of forgot what they had wrote as well being the man in the beginning who tells Ben the new marshal to be(Fred McMurray) that they should hang the kid, while Ben is trying to tell him how important justice is then a little further into the movie this guy all of a sudden gets oldstimers disease or something because he is now going around saying what a awful guy Ben is for basically telling the truth. It's like they forgot what they wrote in the beginning of the movie. Plus the towns people goes Stepford Wives on us and forgets that their beloved marshal is killed and the poor old sweet lady now widow everyone just seems to forget about and they take up signatures to make sure the guy Robert Vaughn's character the killer doesn't hang, who cares about the poor old lady widow right? Come on now. This would definitely not happen in old west. What really makes me mad is Ben never once defends himself when Vaughn's character basically calls Ben a liar through the whole movie accept for in court of course.Plus he chickens out when they find a gun in the food container his daughter takes in to the jail and doesn't say a thing to the killer of what he's done to his daughter. You disappoint me Fred. The girl all i can say is had it bad. To dis her dad though for a whimpy let me die from these little scratches I want attention chew on the jail bars baby i don't get it but i see that in the real world to so when in Rome i guess. The part where Ben talks to his son to be is touching and i wonder if the guys from My Three Sons picked him because of that scene. With all this inconsistencies in this movie and Robert Vaughns terrible acting there is still something about this movie i like. Maybe because other than Robert there was some good acting going on. Ben the critic

MartinHafer Towards the beginning of the film there is a bank robbery in this western. As the criminal gang rides out of town, a local citizen (Fred MacMurray) shoots one of the thugs and then joins a posse. Some of the gang get away but a young gang member (Robert Vaughn) is captured. In the process, the Sheriff is killed.Later, Fred is convinced to become the new sheriff. Soon afterwords, the town becomes like Bizarro World (ask a die-hard DC Comics fan about this if you are curious) as the citizens start to inexplicably turn sympathetic to Vaughn who is awaiting trial!!! This make little sense--he clearly was guilty and the Sheriff was killed and half of the money (the townspeople's money) was not recovered. How many of the folks came to become sympathetic is inexplicable. What is also annoyingly inexplicable is how MacMurray's daughter becomes infatuated with 'that poor boy'!!! Are the people in this town using peyote?!?! I completely agree with bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York--this just didn't make sense and is a huge problem with the movie--especially since the town becomes so hostile towards the law and the prosecution! The town of idiots seem to think that if, perhaps, Vaughn did not personally kill the Sheriff then he's not responsible! And, by the way, MacMurray testifies that he SAW Vaughn kill the Sheriff!! Heck, the folks in this town are so fickle (as well as stupid) I was almost expecting them to give Vaughn a medal and convict MacMurray instead!!!! In reality, this is all irrelevant and Vaughn would have been strung up with all deliberate speed! It's a shame the writing was so terrible in this film, as MacMurray was particularly good in the film--even if he didn't like making westerns and looked a tad out of place at first. He simply was too good an actor to let a bad script completely ruin the movie! So, if you do bother with this film, watch it for Fred--otherwise, you are bound to be disappointed as this film is a stinker.

silverscreen888 It's hard to say enough good things about this script. "Good Day For a Hanging" as about a man who tries to warn a town that makes him sheriff when their sheriff is killed during a robbery that if he starts to do his job he will see it through. He was once a robber with the same gang years since, and the sheriff helped him to go straight. They do not believe him; even his daughter turns against him to side with her ex-boy friend, who swears he innocent but was identified by the man as a murderer whose deed was seen with his own eyes. The young man is ordered hanged, and the sheriff stands his grounds, and is vindicated. To this very strong storyline are added many townspeople on both sides of the argument, mostly against the sheriff, played with honesty by Fred MacMurray. The leader of his opponents is played by Edmon Ryan, the sheriff's wife played by fine actress Maggie Hayes and the boy played by Robert Vaughn. The production values are the best of MacMarray's three major westerns, with script by Daniel Ullman, John Reese and Maurice Zimm, taut direction by the great Nathan Juran and cinematography b y Henry Freulich which looks very well. Among the others in the large cast are many familiar actors of quality, including Denver Pyle, Joan Blackman, Kathryn Card, Wendell Homes, Stacey Harris, James Drury, Bing Russell, Russell Thorsen and Howard McNear. There is one good scene after another in this remarkably dramatic and entertaining script; MacMurray is all right but the part could have benefited from a performance by someone with a stronger theatrically-trained voice. The slow build of resentment against the sheriff whose stubbornness may bring the gang down on the town again sets up a grand climactic confrontation and a satisfying ending, vindicating the Sheriff's judgment. A nearly-great western.