Tayyab Torres
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
Loui Blair
It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
Isbel
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Spikeopath
The Lone Gun is directed by Ray Nazarro and written by Don Martin, Richard Schayer and L. L. Freeman. It stars George Montgomery, Dorothy Malone, Neville Brand, Frank Faylen, Skip Homeier, Robert Wilke, Douglas Kennedy and Fay Roope. Music is by Irving Getz and cinematography by Lester White (color by Color Corporation of America)."The history of any frontier region . . . such as the great expanses of the new State of Texas . . . offered many examples of the strange way in which a few men of great evil could dominate whole communities of well meaning, but passive citizens......And examples, too, of men who rode out alone for law and order, with badges on their vests and handcuffs in their pockets . . . playing a lone gun against great odds"It is pretty much as one would expect for a 50s "B" Western, there's nothing remotely new here, it's a good old honest Oater where a good man takes up a law badge in a town that doesn't deserve him, he takes on the bad guys and there's a pretty lady on his mind. Cue fisticuffs and shootings (including a particularly cold blooded murder), some nifty ambush sequences, a tension packed poker game and some neat dialogue - "one yell and you'll be waking up in a devil's cookhouse". Cast are fine, with Montgomery doing his usual reliable and likable guy act, Brand doing another in his line of scumbags - backed by Kennedy and Wilke, and even though she's saddled with the token lady role that's sparsely written, Malone leaves a nice impression regardless. Bonus is Faylen, who as card conman Fairweather, shines in a cheeky chappie role, with quips and a glint in his eye even when he's in danger, Faylen enjoys himself in creating this fun character. Some good stunt work rounds it out as a safe and enjoyable Oater for fans of such. 6.5/10Tidbib: Bizarrely the end credits have Wilke and Kennedy listed as playing each others roles?!
zardoz-13
Riding alone across the wide open spaces of Texas, an unshaven stranger, Cruze (George Montgomery of "Last of the Bad Men"), pauses at the camp of a loquacious gambler, Fairweather (Frank Faylan of "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral"), to guzzle a cup of coffee. Fairweather reveals that he has been schuffling cards since he learned to play rummy at age six. The cardsharp wants company to make the miles pass quickly. Cruze accommodates Fairweather, but he refuses to play cards. Suddenly, Fairweather whips out his derringer and fires at Cruze. A brief struggle ensues before Cruze realizes that Fairweather shot a snake. Cruze recognizes the snake as a harmless black snake but admits it could have been a sidewinder. When they pull into the town of Marlpine, Cruze promises to buy Fairweather a drink. Before our heroes arrive in town, the notorious Moran brothers, Tray (Neville Brand of "D.O.A"), Hort (Douglas Kennedy of "'), and Gad (Robert J. Wilke of "The Magnificent Seven") storm into the bar. While Charlie the bartender (Douglas Fowley) is serving drinks to them, he tells them about a hundred head of choice, unbranded calves just across the county line. Tray leaves the saloon and confronts. He claims Fairweather dealt from a marked deck in El Paso and cheated him out of $500. Tray threatens to confiscate Fairweather's buckskin and saddle. Cruze intervenes, and Tray knocks him sprawling. Hort comes out in time to witness the fight. Fairweather warns Cruze about Hort, and Cruze blasts the gun out of Hort's fist. Cruze knocks Tray down as Gad wades in swinging. Cruze punches Hort and disarms him. Hort tries to seize his six-gun, but Fairweather thwarts him.Marlpine Mayor Armand Booth (Fay Roope) offers Cruze a $100 a month to serve as town marshal. Cruze explains that the last time he wore a badge, the townspeople refused to back him up. Nevertheless, Cruze accepts Booth's proposition because he feels guilty about bolting from the last town. Ten days later, Marshal Cruze assures Fairweather that he will lock him up if he receives any more complaints about Fairweather. While Cruze is warning Fairweather about dealing off the bottom of the deck, the Morans are rustling cattle. "This cattle rustling is out of hand," a rancher named Williams complains to Cruze. During his investigation of the Downing ranch, Cruze is taken by surprise when Charlotte Downing blows his hat off. Cruzes see more cattle than Cass Downing is supposed to own and demands to inspect them. Cass challenges Cruze to obtain a warrant. Cruze knows Cass as something to hide and tells him. After Cruze rides off, Cass tells Charlotte he has been helping the Morans rustle cattle. Specifically, he is letting them hide their rustled beef among his stock. He allows them because Tray loaned him $3-thousand three thousand after they defaulted on their payments on the ranch."Six Gun Law" director Ray Nazarro and "Arrow in the Dust" scenarist Don Martin, along with Richard Schayer, who wrote the story for "The Mummy," establish all the basics in the first 20 minutes in this 75 minute oater. Cruze emerges as the hero, while the treacherous Morans are the villains. Caught between the heroic Cruze and the evil Morans are Fairweather and the Downings. Charlotte warns Cruze that the Morans will kill him since he poses a threat to their plans. Moreover, she reveals that she and her brother are pawns of the Morans. Gad and his brothers Luke (Chuck Robertson) and Rhett try to dry gulch Cruze as he rides out of town, but they botch the bushwhacking. Cruze guns down Luke and Rhett. Later, Fairweather finds himself accused of a crime that he didn't commit because he helps out Cass. The Morans frame Fairweather for Cass' murder, while Charlotte struggles to maintain the ranch after the death of her brother. Ultimately, Cruze finds himself back in the same predicament that he faces in the previous town. The citizens of Marlpine believe Fairweather killed Cass because he breaks out of jail and kills a Cruze's harmless deputy Tuttle. Of course, we know better because we saw the Morans break Fairweather out and murder Tuttle. Bartender Charlie aggravates the predicament with his constant verbal assault on Cruze and Cruze's allegiance to Fairweather. Eventually, Cruze tracks down the Morans and finds Fairweather by following Charlie the barkeeper. Cruze infiltrates the Moran's camp by masquerading as Charlie. Fairweather comes between the Morans and the lawman. The Morans face off against Cruze with Fairweather as their hostage. Fairweather gets free and grabs a gun. "The Lone Gun" qualifies as a routine but entertaining B-western with few surprises. The performance are solid. Some of the dialogue is really good. Everything about the sets is ordinary enough, except for the funeral parlor that has a coffin displayed on the facade of the building. The valiant lawman finds himself pitted against overwhelming odds. Nevertheless, he doesn't cut and run like he did before he came to Marlpine. Montgomery makes a virile champion of justice, while Neville Brand, Douglas Kennedy, and Robert J. Wilke are low down and greedy. Nazarro keeps things going but the formulaic quality of this western doesn't help matters. Predictably, Cruze clears Fairweather and winds up marrying Charlotte.
silverscreen888
As a writer, I love studying the challenge offered by any "B" adventure. Lack of money to stage huge events usually in such a case of mounting a feature film production forces the producer to rely on dialogue, characters, actors and a choice of a subject that is less pretentious, more about relationship. Frequently, such a choice turns out to be more interesting than epic-sized doings, purposes and cardboard-character melodramatics. This is the case, I claim, with the low-budget adventure "The Lone Gun".This is a powerful storyline with an attractive cast well-directed by westerns' veteran Ray Nazarro. The plot line involves a drifter in the affairs of a small town. A proud young man, Skip Homeier, and his sister played by Dorothy Malone, have had their ranch taken over by a gang of outlaws led by Neville Brand, comprising Robert J., Wilkie, Douglas Kennedy and more. On his way into town the drifter, George Montgomery, meets a gambler well-played by Frank Faylen; later he teams up with a dangerous character played by James Griffith, manages to survive several attacks, solves the mystery and gets Malone back her ranch. By this time, Griffth has fallen in love with her too; but he decides not to press the point and a happy resolution is enjoyed by almost all. The accent in this unpretentious plot is on character; and the screenplay develops several very much more than is usual in an adventure script without sacrificing any of its admirable pace. Art Director Frank Sylos did a very fine job, and everything else works quite professionally. The film has an outdoor feel and the actors do nicely, particularly the loquacious Faylen and the outlaws. This is a good Montgomery vehicle, the sort of picture they do not make any more, one about people of clear purpose, implacable opponents of tyranny over them in its every form; here's one that got made and I suggest made quite winningly indeed.
alexandre michel liberman (tmwest)
The series of westerns George Montgomery made in the fifties had as a basic model the C westerns made by Monogram and Republic, but with the difference they had a bigger budget and a higher quality. They withstood the test of time quite impressively and when you see one today you realize that with all technical progress you cold not make them better or more actual fifty years later. In 'The Lone Gun' Montgomery gets friendly with a card player named Fairweather and when both arrive to a town Montgomery becomes the Marshal after fighting with some bullies. He suspects that stolen cattle is driven to a farm that belongs to a young brunette Dorothy Malone, and her brother Skip Homeier. Skip looks like a young James Coburn or Lee Marvin. Because of his friendship with Fairweather the town people begin to think Montgomery is an outlaw, and he will have to prove his honesty, also to win the heart of Malone. Good entertainment from beginning to end.
