(VHS) The Gunfighter

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Numerous films have used The Gunfighter as a title, but if you're looking for the film classic of that name, this is the one. Gregory Peck followed his powerful performance in Twelve O'Clock High (also for director Henry King) with an arguably even stronger portrayal: Jimmy Ringo, celebrated shootist just stepping into middle age and mortally weary of having to defend his legend every time he turns around. His trail takes him to a small town where an old comrade, Mark Strett (the great Millard Mitchell), now serves as marshal, and where Ringo's estranged wife and the son he has never seen also reside, under an assumed name. Over one night and one day, hoping against hope, he dares to dream of a normal life. But there are avengers not far behind, and other threats yet to be counted.

Although critically praised, The Gunfighter was a box-office disappointment. Darryl F. Zanuck blamed the soup-strainer mustache Henry King had Peck grow for the role, but perhaps the film's virtues of intelligence and restraint weighed against it. The Gunfighter properly deserves the credit (awarded to High Noon two years later) for ushering in the "adult Western," that '50s subgenre that emphasized psychological intensity over action and spectacle. (Most of The Gunfighter unfolds at the Palace Bar where Ringo waits for his family to be brought to him.) In any event, latter-day audiences should have no trouble appreciating the solid performances, literate writing, and impeccable Fox craftsmanship, including the final studio assignment for ace cinematographer Arthur Miller. --Richard T. Jameson