Sept hommes restent à tuer

Budd Boetticher and Randolph Scott made some great westerns together. Along with the team of Anthony Mann and James Stewart, they pretty much owned the western in the 1950s. This is one of the best of the Boetticher/Scott films. The plot is about a former sheriff (Randolph Scott) who is tracking seven men who killed his wife in a gold robbery. While on their trail he encounters a greenhorn couple and winds up taking them along. Soon after they are joined by two criminals (Lee Marvin, Don Barry), who hope to get their hands on the stolen gold.

Another solid character-driven western from Boetticher and Scott. Fine performances from everyone. The movie was produced by John Wayne's production company. The Duke himself couldn't star because he was tied up with the classic The Searchers. Gail Russell was cast because she was a friend of Wayne's. She hadn't worked in five years due to her struggles with alcoholism. Wayne hoped this might help her mount a comeback and turn her life around. Sadly, it did not. She made just two more films and some television appearances before dying in 1961 at the age of 36 from liver damage due to her years of alcohol abuse. Sad end for such a lovely young woman.