Gun Fury

With stars like Rock Hudson, Donna Reed and Lee Marvin, a script by Roy Huggins and direction by action film legend, Raoul Walsh, "Gun Fury" seemed like a sure thing. Boy was I disappointed.

The script relied on constant character stupidity to move the story along; Hudson and Reed had no chemistry together and Lee Marvin doesn't have his usual nutjob role to ratchet up the interest.

The scenery was spectacular and the score quite good in places. But this 82 minute film had me looking at my watch before the halfway point.

Rock Hudson was much better in "The Undefeated." If you want a good Donna Reed/Roy Huggins western, try "Hangman's Knot." Raoul Walsh made several better westerns like "Colorado Territory" and "The Tall Men."

Gun Fury is directed by Raoul Walsh and stars Rock Hudson, Donna Reed, Phillip Carey, Roberta Haynes, Leo Gordon, Lee Marvin & Neville Brand. It's adapted from the novel Ten Against Caesar written by Kathleen B. George & Robert A. Granger. Cinematographer is Lester White, with Sedona, Arizona used for the location work. It is a Technicolor production out of Columbia Pictures.

Plot sees Hudson as Civil War veteran Ben Warren, who after meeting up with Jennifer (Reed), the girl he is soon to marry, catches the stage to Haynesville. But little do they know that two of the passengers (Carey & Gordon) that are travelling with them are outlaws who are after the strongbox on board the coach. Once the hold-up occurs a fight breaks out and during the mêlée Ben is shot and presumed dead . The outlaws flee taking Jennifer with them. But Ben is not dead, and now he's after them. Having recently turned pacifist, just what will he do to get his love back unharmed?.

Originally presented in 3-D on its release, Gun Fury is a brisk Western that unsurprisingly given it's director's keen eye for such things, isn't found wanting for action. However, for depth of story and character studies, it's not one too get excited about. Which is a shame because there's definitely scope within the plot to expand some of the protagonists psychological themes. Still, if one is after a quick fix of Western action staples then this serves its purpose. Gun play, horse pursuits and even fist fights in the water, Walsh delivers pulse raising scenes set in amongst the gorgeous back drops of Sedona. But be warned, the finale is some what tepid and doesn't do justice to what had gone before it.

Cast wise Hudson is solid enough but is blown off the screen by both Carey & Gordon. While Reed is attractive and professional in what is a pretty undemanding role. In the support cast there's the added bonus of having tough guys Marvin & Brand playing villains. The score from uncredited Arthur Morton & Mischa Bakaleinikoff links the narrative well enough, and there's some fun to be had with the 3-D moments as various items are launched at the screen. So a safe time filler for Western fans then, but it could, and should, have been much more. 6/10

"Gun Fury" is a neat, leisurely-paced Columbia Western, originally shot in 3D, directed by Raoul Walsh. I was expecting something exciting or exceptional like "Colorado Territory" or "Pursued". Instead it turns out to be routine, ambling minor Western that just misses mediocrity. Rock Hudson ably plays Ben Warren, a pacifist Civil War veteran whose fiancé (Donna Reed) is kidnapped by an ex-Confederate villain & gang leader Frank Slayton (Phil Carey) after a stagecoach holdup. Aided by one of the gang members (Leo Gordon) and an Indian (Pat Hogan), Warren pursues Slayton and his gang through several confrontations. Lee Marvin intriguingly plays Blinky, the outlaw that later challenges Carey before Warren and his group show up.

Throughout "Gun Fury", Walsh does a nice job of contrasting Hudson's mild, freedom-loving mannerism with Carey's vicious, unalloyed sadism. There are also, as expected from Walsh, some nifty scenes of outdoor scenery in the reddish Arizona desert. Donna Reed and Rock Hudson are great together; Phil Carey does good job playing the villain. Overall, a nice little Western that is worth checking out.

Beautiful looking western in dazzling Technicolor is otherwise an ordinary affair but does have Rock Hudson and Donna Reed both on the cusp of bigger things. Donna made From Here to Eternity the same year as this and although it didn't really enhance her movie fortunes it raised her fame level easing her transition to TV fame as the perfect homemaker. Rock would break out of the B's the next year with Magnificent Obsession that turned him into box office gold for years. This film does have a good pace and a hissable villain in Phil Carey plus an early peek at Lee Marvin. For western fans or admirers of the stars this should be an enjoyable view.

Rock Hudson and Donna Reed are a couple finally together after the civil war, travelling on a stagecoach when it's hijacked by Phil Carey's outlaw gang. That's pretty much the story. What ensues is a lot of running around amid some beautiful Arizona desert scenery which is the real star here. Lovely cinematography, but weak script let's this Roaul Walsh western in 3D down. Hudson on the way up to greater things is clearly the main reason for making this but his acting hasn't quite met the standard he later achieves in Giant and he's out acted by Phil Carey who exudes more charisma here. Even Lee Marvin is more interesting in a small role. Neville Brand I thought was wasted and his usual screen villainy given little to do. Quite why Carey shows such an interest in Donna Reed, I simply don't know as they've never met before the stage hijac. She's hardly a femme fatale, just a regular girl unfortunate enough to have been there and this is a weakness in the plot. Had she been a former girlfriend of Carey's who has dumped him would have made more sense but his obsession with keeping her with the gang for no apparent reason is baffling, just a ploy for Hudson to chase after them across the scenery. The film later becomes predictable like a TV western, losing the earlier interest that had kept me watching, especially the performance of the underrated Leo Gordon. Should and could have ended better given the talent here.