I honestly didn't know about this Gregory Peck Western before I watched it but having now done so and researched the movie a bit, I'm in agreement with most that this is an undeservedly neglected and little appreciated example of the genre.
As has been stated elsewhere, this does look, feel and sound like a whole new take on the old established cowboy clichés for a new decade (the 50's) and while there would still be room in the firmament for the epic, panoramic, heroic, colourful, orchestrated, even sentimental films of say Ford and Hawks, this low-key black and white piece picks up on the psychological rather than the physical and does so very effectively.
Thus there's no sweeping background music to punctuate the action, very little broad cowboy humour to sweeten the mood (Peck's Jimmy Ringo character's interplay with the womenfolk excepted) although the remaining humour there is, is bleak, indeed black and sentimentality is almost entirely absent, despite scenes involving Peck and his estranged lover and their mischievous child.
For a western you hardly hear a gun go off throughout the entire movie, I can only recall the scene and character-setting duel between Ringo and the latest would-be usurping young-punk, looking to make a name for himself (there's one in every town) at the beginning of the film and the closing scene where the cowardly Hunt Bromley who we've already learned is a rejected past suitor of Ringo's girl, does his Robert Ford bit by shooting Ringo dead in the back.
The grim realism (not to mention plot points) anticipates the more famous soon-come "High Noon" and "Shane" and in their wake the superb Anthony Mann/James Stewart series of the early 50's and in that sense "The Gunfighter" (even the title eschews artifice) was a pioneer of its kind. Peck is superb as the man-out-of-time anti-hero Ringo, invoking stature in his notoriety but also regret at the sacrifices he's made, the latter all the more acute as he engages with the town marshal, an old friend and co-gang member from the past who's successfully gone straight. Above all, he skilfully conveys weariness with the life on the run he's led and almost seems to welcome his death as a release.
In support, high praise must go to stalwart Millard Mitchell's acting as the afore-mentioned Marshal, both sage and confidante of Ringo. Kinda funny to see Karl Malden in an early role, acting all hero-worshipping and feckless - before so-serious stereotyping got him in the end.
The cinematography is excellent, monochrome exactly the right medium here and director King pulls off this almost noir-western with considerable aplomb. As indicated earlier, fans of the more celebrated "High Noon" and "Shane" should watch this trailblazing precursor, not just for reference but for entertainment too.
As has been stated elsewhere, this does look, feel and sound like a whole new take on the old established cowboy clichés for a new decade (the 50's) and while there would still be room in the firmament for the epic, panoramic, heroic, colourful, orchestrated, even sentimental films of say Ford and Hawks, this low-key black and white piece picks up on the psychological rather than the physical and does so very effectively.
Thus there's no sweeping background music to punctuate the action, very little broad cowboy humour to sweeten the mood (Peck's Jimmy Ringo character's interplay with the womenfolk excepted) although the remaining humour there is, is bleak, indeed black and sentimentality is almost entirely absent, despite scenes involving Peck and his estranged lover and their mischievous child.
For a western you hardly hear a gun go off throughout the entire movie, I can only recall the scene and character-setting duel between Ringo and the latest would-be usurping young-punk, looking to make a name for himself (there's one in every town) at the beginning of the film and the closing scene where the cowardly Hunt Bromley who we've already learned is a rejected past suitor of Ringo's girl, does his Robert Ford bit by shooting Ringo dead in the back.
The grim realism (not to mention plot points) anticipates the more famous soon-come "High Noon" and "Shane" and in their wake the superb Anthony Mann/James Stewart series of the early 50's and in that sense "The Gunfighter" (even the title eschews artifice) was a pioneer of its kind. Peck is superb as the man-out-of-time anti-hero Ringo, invoking stature in his notoriety but also regret at the sacrifices he's made, the latter all the more acute as he engages with the town marshal, an old friend and co-gang member from the past who's successfully gone straight. Above all, he skilfully conveys weariness with the life on the run he's led and almost seems to welcome his death as a release.
In support, high praise must go to stalwart Millard Mitchell's acting as the afore-mentioned Marshal, both sage and confidante of Ringo. Kinda funny to see Karl Malden in an early role, acting all hero-worshipping and feckless - before so-serious stereotyping got him in the end.
The cinematography is excellent, monochrome exactly the right medium here and director King pulls off this almost noir-western with considerable aplomb. As indicated earlier, fans of the more celebrated "High Noon" and "Shane" should watch this trailblazing precursor, not just for reference but for entertainment too.