Gunman's Walk

Van Heflin played second lead in a score of pictures over 3 decades. In this excellent western he gets to play the lead, and his performance is one of the greatest of his long career. He displays a completely believable fatherly range of emotion and makes the audience identify with his 'how the west was won' mentality. Phil Karlson's deft direction keeps the pacing of this picture very crisp and poignant. The settings and western scenes are also quite excellent. All of this has been said without mentioning Tab Hunter's taught performance, which is really the defining touch that makes this movie great. Surprisingly, Hunter was a teen idol especially developed by the movie studio to be just another screen image. He defied the studios by delivering this amazing performance as a wild and reckless young man growing up in the shadow of his father's hard nosed old western legacy, determined to leave his own stamp on the developing times in the west. Gunman's Walk may be the most underrated western in screen history. It almost feels like a real metaphor for the western motif, and the changing civilization that beckons just over the horizon.

I give this movie a 9 out of 10 for its earnest (yet not overdone) acting, sympathetic (yet not sappy) treatment of Indians, and exuberant (yet not overwhelming) energy level throughout. The relatively unknown actors and filmmakers really tried hard here. Aside from the family conflict, there is an intriguing treatment of the theme of historical change and how the Old West relates to the New - also seen in movies such as Bus Stop, The Misfits, and Lonely are the Brave.

Gunman's Walk is not perfect - things get 'explained' a bit too neatly at the Freudian conclusion, for example - but there is scarcely a dull or uninteresting moment. Don't miss the unique details in this film, such as the instant mood swings that the characters, especially the Father, go through, and the astonishing bar scene where the Big Brother cavorts with hookers and sings "I'm a Runaway."

This is a very unusual western and it comes highly recommended.

I just saw this, for the first time, on TCM (July 2019) . It's an amazing film experience. I'm not a fan of westerns, by and large. This is one I can recommend. The storytelling engages the timeless themes of fathers and sons, and does so in a way that touches your heart directly enough that you can overlook the one or two fairly obvious scenes.

Tab Hunter was the real deal. :)

Naughty blond Tab Hunter (as Ed Hackett) and nice brother James Darren (as Davy) clash with not only each other, but also their rancher father Van Heflin (as Lee). This interesting western focuses mainly on Mr. Hunter's character. The dependable Frank Nugent adapted it from a story by new writer Ric Hardman. The thesis appears to show how the philosophy, which built the "old west", does not survive through the next generation; it must adapt, or die. Hunter is disarming at first - which turns out to be exactly the point. He and Mr. Heflin, an asset in most every film, are very good. Their performances "tell" the story.

Unfortunately, Mr. Darren hasn't much to do but stand around. His important character might have been better developed by having father Heflin reveal he sired Darren with what he refers to as a "squaw" - then decided the baby could pass as white. This would fit in nicely with the subplot involving attractive Kathryn Grant (as Clee Chouard), passing herself off here as what they are calling a "half breed". She has less to do than Darren does. "Gunman's Walk" misses some opportunities, but what's here is good. Director Phil Karlson and photographer Charles Lawton Jr. create a beautiful landscape for the characters.

****** Gunman's Walk (7/15/58) Phil Karlson ~ Tab Hunter, Van Heflin, James Darren, Kathryn Grant

Director Phil Karlson is known more for his tough, gritty, violent crime dramas ("99 River Street," "The Phenix City Story," among others) than horse operas, but this tight little western is reminiscent of the best of Karlson's urban thrillers. Tab Hunter is excellent as the spoiled, egomaniacal, homicidal son of a wealthy rancher, who believes that his family's riches and position are pretty much a blank check that enables him to do whatever he wants to whoever he wants, including murder, because he knows that his father's influence will get him out of trouble. Hunter's tightly wound, controlled performance is a real eye-opener for those who always thought of him as just another pretty boy teen idol who couldn't act (i.e., Ricky Nelson, Fabian, etc.). This is by far Hunter's best work. You can see his internal spring winding tighter and tighter as he pushes the envelope further and further until it's just a matter of time before he explodes. Van Heflin is solid as his father, who's too busy building and maintaining an empire and can't, or won't, see the evil that manifests itself in his son, and veteran character actor Robert F. Simon is very good as the town sheriff and Heflin's friend, who realizes that he's given Hunter one too many breaks and is torn between his obligations to his friend and his duty as a lawman. Mickey Shaughnessy, who often played oafish drunks, dimwitted gangsters or other types of comic relief, strikes just the right note as a sympathetic deputy who doesn't think that Hunter is really as bad as his reputation. Karlson directs with his usual energy, marked by his trademark quick, explosive bursts of action. An intriguing film, despite its potboiler title, and worth a look for Hunter's fine performance and Karlson's vigorous direction.