ManiakJiggy This is How Movies Should Be Made

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

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.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Benedito Dias Rodrigues It's looks like a deja vu on Ford's way,like in "The Sheepman" he has to handling this matter again,this turn he is a sort of gunfighter and pastor.trying to make peace among them,the old stars like Ford and Jones appears newcomers as David Carradine & Barbara Hershey promissing actors to next generation,meanwhile we has the fine John Anderson as angry rancher and Noah Beery Jr. who seem to be enough mind to realise such killing,apart that the saloon's girls garnish the picture with some rare nude scene in werstern in this period...the time is changing!!Resume:First watch: 1981 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7

bkoganbing Known gunfighter Glenn Ford arrives in the town of Vinegarroon a name made famous as the seat of Judge Roy Bean's court. But here the local power is the local Ponderosa owner John Anderson and his punk of a son David Carradine. Some sheepman have been intruding on government range and Anderson isn't having any.When Ford comes to town he takes a lease on an old barn and then reveals he's now a minister as well, but ready to back his sermons with gunfire if necessary. He tries to bring peace to the cattlemen and the sheepmen. His main allies though are the women of the locale.Two women prominently figure in this film. One is Carolyn Jones who runs the local watering hole. In keeping with the times the film is quite specific about what the women are there for. Jones and Ford have history. Looking to make some history with Ford is Barbara Hershey who is a young Indian girl he rescues. Also in keeping with the abolition of the Code is one brutal rape scene involving her and her real life husband David Carradine.Despite the sexual frankness Heaven With A Gun has an old fashioned look to it. It's not in the same league as some of Ford's earlier westerns like 3:10 To Yuma, Jubal, or The Violent Men. But his fans should be pleased.The climax is borrowed some from Destry Rides Again and some from Duel In The Sun.

classicsoncall After watching quite a few Westerns with the cattle vs. sheep rancher theme, this is the first time I've ever seen one in which an attempt was made to get the two factions together by demonstrating that both animals could live together side by side. I wonder why no one else ever got that idea, until Glenn Ford came around as preacher/gunman Jim Killian. Pastor Jim plays it fairly straight down the middle for the picture's entire run, cleverly inviting the opposing forces to join his congregation while they try to settle their differences.I have to give some casting credit here to the roles of John Anderson and David Carradine as father and son, positioned as the main heavies to oppose Pastor Killian. The younger Beck had almost as good a resemblance to his movie father as he did to his real dad, John Carradine. It makes me curious now if the Carradines in question ever did portray themselves as father and son.There's also decent support work here with Noah Beery Jr. as a Beck henchman, and Carolyn Jones and Barbara Hershey in somewhat adversarial roles for the affection of the good pastor. It's not played that apparently, and Killian seems to be above it all, but the picture could easily have gone in either direction. I'm always impressed with the expressiveness of Indian names; Hershey's character was a Hopi Indian named Leloopa - 'Life From Faraway Star' - very mysterious and romantic.Hey, how about that scene where Pastor Jim blasts Beck henchman Mace (J.D. Cannon) in that under the table gunfight. It had all the earmarks of Greedo vs Han Solo, but done eight years earlier. Can you imagine that?

RanchoTuVu A late 60's western about ruthless cattle ranchers and their ranch hands who terrorize helpless sheep ranchers, with the action alternating between the range, the ranch, and the town, itself with a thriving saloon/brothel where a lot of the action is centered. Into this arrives an ex gunfighter turned preacher played by Glenn Ford who wants to bring peace. The script nearly does the film in, although the story and late 60's permissiveness keep one watching. As well, even though the screenplay verges on being ridiculous, the acting by Ford, John Anderson (as the ruthless big cattle rancher with a sadistic son played by David Carridine) and some other parts (J.D. Cannon chews some serious scenery as hired gun Mace) elevate the entertainment quotient, and the film's ending doesn't make one feel remorse about watching this.