Konterr Brilliant and touching

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Martin Bradley Jerry Thorpe may have been something of a lightweight director but even lightweights can hit pay-dirt once in awhile and "Day of the Evil Gun", which he made in 1968, is a fine and somewhat unusual western. The story is not dissimilar to such earlier westerns as "The Searchers" and "Two Rode Together", (two men searching for a woman abducted by the Apaches), but it takes a few diversions along the way. The men in question are played by veterans Glenn Ford and Arthur Kennedy and the slightly grizzled cast also includes Dean Jagger, Paul Fix and John Anderson as well as a young Dean Stanton sans the Harry. It's no classic, I'll grant you but it's sufficiently different to be of interest and fans of the western won't be disappointed.

NewEnglandPat A retired gunslinger faces long odds as he rides the trail to an Apache encampment to rescue his wife and two daughters who were kidnapped by the red raiders. Glenn Ford stars in this gritty western and beautiful Mexican scenery helps when the action flags. Arthur Kennedy, who lays claim to Ford's wife, tags along and the two men form an uneasy alliance as they search for the hidden camp. The pair encounter renegade Indians, Mexican bandits, the scourge of cholera and a Confederate outfit looking for a Union payroll. Ford's tough character displays a steely resolve to find his family and Kennedy plays his heavy with relish but sounds more like a Boston police captain than a rancher in the old west. The moral is that guns accomplish very little, as later events bear out. This film was released when the western was in its final decline in Hollywood as movie entertainment.

lorenellroy It is not credited as such but this is essentially a retread of The Searchers ,and the two movies share a common plot -the hunt for relatives stolen by Indians Glenn Ford plays a noted gunman trying to turn his back on his former violent profession and who joins his neighbour ,Arthur Kennedy ,in the hunt for Kennedy's wife and two children who have been taken by Apaches.Complicating the matter is the fact that both men are in love with the woman in question. They are helped in their quest by a demented Indian trader -played by Dean Jagger in a way that seems to be a conscious tip of the hat to Hank Worden's performance in a similar role in The Searchers .The mission proves a fraught one -they are tortured by bandits ,encounter renegades and endure Indian raids en route to finding the people they seek The men undergo personality changes as the trek unfolds ,with the previously peaceable Kennedy displaying a new found relish for the killing fields and events build to a personal confrontation between the two men Performances are superlative ,the script by Charles Marquis Warren and Eric Bercovi is pointed and candid .Jerry Thorpe directs capably if somewhat anonymously This was designed for TV but wisely was given a cinema release .I urge all western lovers to see it

rich-106 I've tried not to make give any real key spoilers but there are some mild spoilers. "Captivating" tale of two men on a long, difficult, quest into hot Western desert to find out if "their" wife and children are still alive. Each is "married" to the same woman and neither appreciates the other's company. They each desperately want to track down the brutal Apache band that captured their family by questioning persons they meet. Along the the way they encounter a not-so-crazy trader who knows much more than he lets on, Mexican bandits who wheel and deal, soldiers playing a high risk game with the Apache, a cholera epidemic, and the pair of husbands are nearly killed several times. Nearly every one they talk to lies to them ,pretends to be something that they are not, or says one thing and does another. Warfield, who has become cynical in his years of gunfighting, brilliantly sees through the motives of people and often finds sly ways to turn the tables on them. His partner starts out being a peace loving gentleman gradually becomes more and more blood-thirsty as every episode shakes his faith in mankind. Some noteworthy quotes are "Noble says as Noble does" said by the trader. "Don't talk to me, I'm busy killin' people" said by the Doctor who is helplessly fighting the the cholera epidemic by burning down half the town. The first-rate cinematography of the desert and the high shots of towns and Indian-soldier battle scenes make for great viewing. The eventually reach the Apache camp (or should it be the Churacawa?, ha ha) where another clever fight ensues. Ironically, when they get back home, a brief remark about a dress ignites the final surprise twist to end the movie. I give it 7 Apache pelts out of a possible ten pelts.