User Reviews

If you have the opportunity to pick this one up for a buck like I did, it won't be the worst dollar you ever spent. Not only that, but it was packaged on a DVD along with "The Gun and The Cross" starring Marjoe Gortner, so in a two for one deal, it stacked up for an entertaining afternoon.

One curious thing though, the DVD sleeve described Steve Forrest's character James Devlin as having the power to read minds after surviving a lynch mob hanging. I was paying attention, but never really came up with that conclusion. In fact, the one supernatural reference had to do with a tarot card depicting the 'hanged man', signifying one who changes his way of life by surrendering to a higher being. This Devlin does after surviving the gallows, playing out the remainder of the film as Jack Palance, wasn't that an uncanny resemblance? I kept thinking Curly Washburn from "City Slickers". The other unintentionally distracting element for me was the name of the town where the story takes place called Goshen. That's a small town in New York not far from where I live, and I had to picture it being further out West.

Something I never thought about, and maybe it was made up for the picture, but up until the point Devlin is declared legally dead, there's some discussion about whether he might have to hang again. At one point it was mentioned that the steps up to the hangman's noose numbered thirteen, unlucky in itself, but with added symbolism regarding a death sentence.

Along with Forrest, you have decent support from Dean Jagger, Will Geer, and Devlin's nemesis Halleck, portrayed by Cameron Mitchell. Probably unintentional, the movie's fiery finale envelops Devlin in an eerie glow hinting at some Ghost Rider imagery, a comic book character that started out as a Western. You can pretty much see the ending coming from a mile off, and in that respect, you'd have more of a mind reading ability than Devlin. Still, it's not the worst Western you'll come across, and along with it's DVD counterpart, makes for a couple of hours of satisfying Western diversion.

The Hanged Man is a pilot to a proposed television series (executive produced by Bing Crosby!) about a godless gunfighter who miraculously survives his own execution and goes on a spiritual journey through the desert where he comes to the aid of a widow and her young son being terrorized by a vicious mine owner played superbly nasty by Cameron Mitchell.

This is slightly above average for a seventies TV movie, with neat writing, much of which ponders the mysteries of life and the fear of death and some good scenes like when the the gunfighter rides out of town in broad daylight, days after his execution, Cameron Mitchell's interrupted bath, and Will Geer's death scene.

A good climax occurs as the hanged man comes to the conclusion that he was spared by God to be an angel of vengeance! Cameron Mitchell's death scene is very satisfying.

Rugged Steve Forrest gives a properly steely and stalwart performance as James Devlin, a tough, cynical gunfighter who after miraculously surviving a hanging decides to dedicate his life to doing good instead of bad. Devlin comes to the aid of Carrie Gault (the engagingly spunky Sharon Acker), a feisty widow who's being pushed around by evil land baron Lew Halleck (a smoothly hateful Cameron Mitchell). Director Michael Caffey makes the most out of Ken Trevey's interesting script; he coaxes fine acting from a solid cast, maintains a snappy pace and compellingly mysterious mood throughout, and stages the thrilling shoot outs with a reasonable amount of flair and skill (the final confrontation between Devlin and Halleck is especially tense and exciting). Keith C. Smith's polished cinematography gives the movie a plausibly dusty, gritty look while Richard Markowitz's spare, spooky, stirring score likewise hits the spot. Popping up in nice supporting roles are Dean Jagger as a kindly lawyer, Will Geer as a nutty, rascally old ranch hand, Rafael Campos as a naive young priest, and Hank Worden as a chatty, friendly old geezer. An offbeat and intriguing allegory on fate and redemption, "The Hanged Man" is well worth checking out.

James Devlin (Steve Forrest, Mommie Dearest) survives his own hanging and decides to become a hero, defending Carrie Gault (Sharon Acker) from Lew Halleck (Cameron Mitchell). There are some fun supernatural elements in this, as this is nearly the TV version of High Plains Drifter and was intended to be a series that would follow Devlin across the West as he tried to make up for his past sins.

Director Michael Caffey had a long career directing TV and even did an episode of The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Writer Andrew J. Fenady wrote Black Noon, Terror In the Wax Museum and Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus, which has Charles Bronson play Francis Church, the publisher who wrote to a young girl named Virginia to explain Santa Claus. He also developed the TV shows Hondo and The Rebel.

"The Hanged Man" was originally released back in 1974.

Anyway - As the story goes - James Devlin was a former gunslinger, now reformed, who was wrongfully accused of murder, convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. Miraculously surviving the execution, Devlin discovers that his near-death experience has given him the ability to know men's thoughts. Using this new ability along with his skills as a gunfighter, Devlin sets out to work on the right side of the law for his remaining days.

This is a 1974 made for TV film, a good old fashion western.

Devlin (Steve Forrest) is a free thinking gun slinger who escapes the hangman's noose like Lazarus...sort of. He goes on to help the poor widow Gault (Sharon Acker) save her silver mine. That's about it. No twists. Cameron Mitchell plays the bad guy. "Slicker than bear grease." Available on a 70's 50 film pack.