At Gunpoint

WIth the dependable Walter Brennan and the equally dependable Fred MacMurray (a reluctant cowboy both in the film and in real life), At Gunpoint is a moderate success. With an obvious similarity to High Noon, this film avoids focusing on MacMurray's character, and focuses on the character of the town he lives in, instead. And that character is challenged from beginning to end. An enjoyable oater.

About 30 years ago, I was on vacation in Florida with my family. One rainy night in our motel we settled down to watch this movie, and it stuck with me forever. Even today, I can watch a movie, and a month later, I can't remember it - usually because it had terrible acting, an awful (or non-existent) plot, or both. But I will never forget, "At Gunpoint." I suppose another reason I remember this movie is because I was so young, and the movie had adult themes. But I understood the themes. I liked how MacMurray, the common man, became an unlikely hero. To me, this was a movie about heroism being thrust upon a person, and how MacMurray's character awkwardly dealt with the responsibilities that came with that heroism. In kind of a backwards way, the heroism came first, then the courage, but only after a long, drawn-out, sweaty palms, interim battle with his own fears. I also liked the way the movie juxtaposed accidental heroism with the real, earned heroism in the same character--it defined heroism. This was also a movie about how a hero sometimes has to stand alone amidst a community of cowards, even if it means certain death, and that, sometimes, honor is more important than life itself. The suspense in this movie was gripping. When watching it, I felt MacMurray's nearly incapacitating fear as he waited for the dead bandit's friends to return and get their vengeance. Everyone should be able to easily relate to the universal themes in "At Gunpoint." I didn't comment on the details of the scenes of this movie for fear of getting them wrong - it has been over 30 years since I saw it.

(Some Spoilers) Potent little morality play about a man who's left out in the cold and deserted by all those who he considered his friends after being hailed as a hero by those very same persons only days before.

The Dennis gang checking out the quite and peaceful little town of Plainview to pull off their next bank robbery get the surprise of their lives when the towns general store shopkeeper Jack Wright, Fred MacMurray, picks up the gun that Plainview's marshal, Harry Shannon,dropped after he was shot during the bank robbery and from some 70 to 100 yards away caught the gang's leader Alivn Dennis,John Pickart, with a slug right between the shoulder blades. Still alive Dennis is done in by local resident George Henderson, Jack Ferguson, who then finished the badly wounded bank robber off with a wild furry of shots from his rifle. Being looked upon as a hero at first the people of Plainview quickly changed their minds about Jack Wright when the Dennis gang, now lead by Alvin's younger brother Bob (Skip Homeier),let it be known that they were out to take revenge for Alvin Dennis' death.

Ambushing Henderson, who was made the new towns marshal, and gunning him down the gang later shot young Wally, James O'Hara,Jack's brother-in-law as he answered the door one evening mistaking them for Jack. The townspeople in a panic with the fear of the Dennis gang using them and their families as target practice, until they finally kill Jack, come to the conclusion in an almost unanimous vote, only old Doc Lacy(Walter Brenner) didn't vote with them,that Jack should leave town for his own safety as well as theirs.

Tense and heart-lifting, if not predictable, ending with Jack standing alone and with no one coming to his aid facing the Dennis gang at high-noon on the main street of Plainview. Fred MaMurray is perfect as the peaceful family man who's forced to risk his life against a ruthless gang of bank robbers with nothing more then a sense of justice and determination not to let himself be run out of the town that he was born raised a family and started a business in.

Just before the exciting conclusion of the movie Jack confronted the people of Plesentvile and with an emotional and stirring speech made them look deep into their hearts and souls about their abandonment of him when he needed them most when he was always there for them whenever they needed his help. You just knew what would happen in the movie "At Gunpoint" after that.

I'm not a huge Fred MacMurray fan when it comes to Westerns, I guess, but he could do a credible enough job as he did in At Gunpoint. The basic storyline involves a store clerk who shoots one of an escaping band of robbers. Only by a lucky shot does the clerk actually hit and kill one of the robbers; the dead guy's brother who is also in the gang makes it his personal business to get revenge, especially when the newspapers glorify the action of the clerk in shooting down the bad guy.

This movie has one of my all-time favorite Western character actors, Skip Homeier, who is the bad guy seeking revenge. (Homeier and MacMurray are also a protagonist / antagonist pair in another Western, "Day of the Bad Man", where MacMurray plays a judge.) In this movie, MacMurray's son is played by Tommy Rettig of the 'Jeff's Collie' (i.e. 'Lassie') TV show and he is rather annoying in the role. Maybe the director wasn't paying as much attention to him, as Rettig was really very good in 'River of No Return' with Robert Mitchum. (The lucky kid had Marilyn Monroe's hands all over him during that movie!) Walter Brennan, another great, is in this movie and as a testy old doctor, he has some pretty funny acidic observations to make. When his best friend and checkers-partner gets shot and killed, Brennan underplays the scene where he sees that his friend is dead - and he does so masterfully. He gives only the slightest view of his anguish but you can tell he's devastated. Brennan was a giant of the Westerns and he's great in this movie as always.

I think the premise of a story is all important and this movie has a great one - take an ordinary guy, give him beginner's luck at accidentally beating the bad guy, then have the rest of the bad guys come back seeking revenge. Don't compare this movie to High Noon as one other person did, because it's really not the same theme. Frankly if I had a choice of which one to watch right now it would be this movie, At Gunpoint. (And I do like High Noon very much, but this is also a darned good film.) You won't waste your time by watching this one. If you like Westerns, this is one you will enjoy.

The Dennis band (Skip Homeier , Jack Lambert and others) wishes to rob the bank of the sleepy and quiet town of Plainview, Texas . There the honest storekeeper Jack Wright (Fred MacMurray , though Joel McCrea was originally cast ) settles down for a peaceful existence and he runs his general store with wife Martha (Dorothy Malone) , brother-in-law and accompanied by their child Billy Wright (Tommy Rettig) . Then the gang steals the bank, killing a teller and the alerted Sheriff is shot , too . In the street, store keeper Jack Wright picks the dead marshal's gun up and shoots from a great distance, fleeing stealers , and the outlaws drop the loot and escape . As when his beloved sibling is murdered , Bob Dennis exacts vengeance , the killing marks the turning point of transition from a robber , to bent on vendetta . Later on , a new town Marshal abandones his employment , despite the disagreements of townspeople around him . Shortly after , Wright must face the bunch of deadly killers alone when the gang leader, an avenger outlaw and his hoodlums arrive in the town . Bob Dennis (SkipHomeier) has sworn revenge and he will early arrive to the small town to reckoning .

This classic and traditional western is plenty of suspense as the dreaded hour approaches and the protagonist realizes he must stand alone but his fellow town people for help , nobody is willing to help him . Just when the previous sheriff about to leave , comes a vengeful gunman and his henchmen , as our protagonist is deserted by the townspeople who fear the threatened return of the nasty bandits . It is still a run-of-the-mill entry in Western genre . The film has an interesting premise similar to the classy ¨High Noon¨by Fred Zinneman with Gary Cooper , Grace Kelly , as the intimate starring is also left , instead of showing support for him , the citizens' committee advises Jack to sell his store and leave town for good . At the end starts a small war between the revengers and the loner seller with unexpected results . Fred McMurray gives a decent acting as the peace-loving owner of a general store who became a town hero when he luckily killed the leader of a gang of bank robbers . This is one of a clutch of acceptable horse operas Fred made in the forties , in the late 50s and the early sixties , such as ¨Texas Rangers¨, ¨The trail of the lonesome Pine¨, ¨A gun for a coward¨, ¨Good day for a hanging¨ and this ¨At gunpoint¨. Although MacMurray also played other genres as drama , adventures , wartime , children films , such as : The happiest millionaire , The shaggy dog , Son of Flubber , The absent-minded profesor , The princess come across , The Caine mutiny , Dive bomber , Above suspicion , Murder he says , The miracle of the bells , Alice Adams , The apartment , and Noir film as the classy : Double indemnity . He is accompanied by an important plethora of notorious secondaries . As the movie contains a great support cast , plenty of familiar faces from vintage Westerns such as : Walter Brennan , John Qualen , Whit Bissell ,Irving Bacon , James Griffith , John Pickard, Jack Lambert ,Ray Barcroft ,Irving Bacon ,Harry Shannon and Frank Ferguson .

The motion picture was professionally directed by Alfred L Welker . He was a good craftsman who made films of all kinds of genres , especially ¨Noir¨ and Westerns , such as : 1953 Devil's canyon , 1953 The Last Posse , 1951 Sealed Cargo , 1947 Pirates of Monterrey , 1947 Repeat Performance ,1944 My Pal Wolf , 1944 I walked by night ,1942 Whispering Ghosts ,1942 The Mad Martindales ,1939 Sherlock Holmes vs. Moriarty ,1939 News Is Made at Night , 1939 It Could Happen to You ,1938 Up the River , 1938 Gateway , 1938 Kidnapped ,1938 City Girl , 1937 Big Town Girl ,1937 Wild and Woolly ,1937 We Have Our Moments , 1936 Love in Exile ,1934 You Belong to Me ,1933 Advice to the Lovelorn , among others . Rating : 6/10 . Acceptable and passable film that will appeal to Western aficionados .