The Brass Legend

I would have liked to have liked The Brass Legend more. I well remember watching Hugh O'Brian as a kid in Wyatt Earp on TV and quite liked him. He was much more effective I think playing villains as he did in a some westerns as his stone face look doesn't exactly give you a warm feeling here as a hero. He should have stuck to playing baddies, however he's very good in the gunfight scenes here, where he really brings some impact to an otherwise flat direction. The biggest flaw for me was the terrible acting by the child actor Donald McDonald and had a more accomplished child been chosen it would have been a big improvement as the other acting roles are generally quite good, particularly Raymond Burr and his girlfriend floozy Reba Tassell who both exude evil. Some of the dialogue is quite decently presented as well but the delightful Nancy Gates is wasted and there's zero chemistry between her and O'Brian. A clear rip off of High Noon but 4 stars out of 10 for trying and the gunfights.