The Gunfighters

The Canadian TV movie "The Gunfighters" was apparently made to also be a pilot for a prospective weekly television series. Apparently the network decided against this, and I have to say, "Thank goodness!" This is a really bad TV movie, pilot or not. The production values are really poor, ranging from clothing that looks nothing like cowboy garb found in the 1800s to cheesy indoor sets. The musical score is sour, and at one point plagiarizes several bars from Ennio Morricone's score for "A Fistful of Dollars". The acting is sub par, with even George Kennedy (who obviously knocked off his scenes in a few days) unable to generate much enthusiasm. But the worst thing about the movie has to be the script. It is filled with one cliché after another, from the actions of the characters to their dialogue. The icing on the cake is the unbelievable final few minutes that gives us a deus ex machina resolution of sorts (though leave some plot points unresolved.) I find it hard to believe any western fan would be entertained by this.

Several minuses (silly plot, typical TV-movie production values), several pluses (a fight scene in a bar that is truly unique, good Canadian locations), and quick pacing add up to a decent time-waster.

Whatever you do, don't follow the story, actually look at a map, and think about the distances these people need to cover on horseback. It'd be hard enough to do in a Ford Mustang, let alone on a four-legged one. But what the heck.

One big plus is a ripping theme song; might've become a dance-club hit--in some alternate universe.

Overall, this movie is okay.

I really enjoyed watching this film - it had a lot going for it. I particularly liked the piece of instrumental music playing and the song - Gunfighter (?). If you're at home and simply wish to chill out, grab this film as I'm certain you'll enjoy it - especially if you like Westerns. Earlier oaters are my favorite (eg. Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, Tom Mix, and early John Wayne), however, for a change, I bought this film on DVD and was not disappointed. Boy! Was the West tough.

The actors were good - I especially liked "Dutch" and "Matt" Everett. The film is pretty well fast paced and some of the filming techniques are unusual. There is quite a lot of scenery for those who enjoy the great outdoors and the horses were nice to look at. The film brings up some good moral dilemmas, as too issues somewhat relevant still today.

A good movie to watch when you're stuck at home in a blizzard, there's nothing else on TV, and you've seen everything else in your collection. The dialogue is bad, the plot unbelievable, and the ending beyond comprehension, but other than that, it's not bad.

One of the best westerns I have seen in a long time. Makes you wonder who was worse the outlaws or the law. The story was very convincing and makes you want to know more about the western families. The Everetts were able to understand what would happen when they took the law into their own hands. It tells how the rich were able to get the law to work for them. The common rancher has no chance against another rich rancher. The common rancher was not believed even when he had facts to back him up The rich rancher could pay the law to do what he wanted done. The Everetts did not want to kill and only wanted to be treated right and not cheated out of their land. The youngest was accused of murder only when he was defending himself and was framed by the law.