Of all the westerns cranked out by the Hollywood film factory over the years only a few have become classics. This is possibly the best one of them all, much better than such highly touted items as John Ford's "The Searchers." And Gregory Peck plays the gunfighter to perfection. Peck was such a creative and brilliant actor, one wonders why he was so under appreciated. "The Gunfighter" gives Peck his best movie role, even better than his marvelous Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird." Almost matching Gregory Peck is a stellar cast with stand out performances by Karl Malden, Millard Mitchell, Jean Parker, and Helen Westcott. Of special note are the characterizations by Skip Homeier as the wannabe gunfighter, sort of a carbon copy of Jimmy Ringo (Gregory Peck) when he was wet behind the ears, and Richard Jaeckel who makes the most of his brief part.
What really makes this movie shine is Henry King's direction. When the movie opens, we see the gunfighter riding across the prairie as if pursued by the devil. One is reminded of the blues classic by Robert Johnson, "Hellhounds On My Trail." It is obvious that the gunfighter is running away from something hellish but it is soon revealed that he is also riding toward something, a lost dream, a life that could have been had he followed a different trail. The gunfighter thinks he can still grasp this life, that it is not too late. But deep in his psyche he knows it will never be. He holds on to the dream but is satisfied just to see his wife and little boy one last time, for the hounds of Hell are about to catch up with him.
What really makes this movie shine is Henry King's direction. When the movie opens, we see the gunfighter riding across the prairie as if pursued by the devil. One is reminded of the blues classic by Robert Johnson, "Hellhounds On My Trail." It is obvious that the gunfighter is running away from something hellish but it is soon revealed that he is also riding toward something, a lost dream, a life that could have been had he followed a different trail. The gunfighter thinks he can still grasp this life, that it is not too late. But deep in his psyche he knows it will never be. He holds on to the dream but is satisfied just to see his wife and little boy one last time, for the hounds of Hell are about to catch up with him.