The Hanged Man

The title role of The Hanged Man is played by Steve Forrest who plays a notorious gunfighter who was duly hanged for a crime he committed and declared dead. But the only problem was the report of his demise was greatly exaggerated. Whether he was cut down too soon or the rope wasn't tight enough or some unseen power intervened, point is that Forrest is still walking around and breathing. And he's reflecting on a new chance at life because his old life had led him up thirteen steps to the hangman's noose. And he's legally dead.

His first chance at redemption comes in helping widow Sharon Acker and her little boy Bobby Eilbacher fight off the designs of mining tycoon Cameron Mitchell. He's not too squeamish about his methods and has young gunslinger Brendon Boone on his payroll who despite the mystique surrounding Forrest is eager for showdown.

This unsold TV pilot which was produced by Bing Crosby didn't break any new ground and westerns on television were getting scarce. Around this time Bonanza and Gunsmoke ended their runs and the few that have succeeded them up to this time haven't had their staying power. Speaking of Bonanza this was Ray Teal's farewell role and Bonanza fans will remember his semi-regular presence as sheriff Roy Coffey of Virginia City.

The Hanged Man might have been picked up for a television series fifteen years earlier when westerns were a glut on the market. As it is western fans will have little reason to complain.

Released to TV in 1974 and directed by Michael Caffey, "The Hanged Man" is a Western starring Steve Forrest as a condemned man who miraculously survives a hanging and decides to help a widow (Sharon Acker) prevent a ruthless land baron (Cameron Mitchell) from chasing her off her remote desert ranch. Will Geer is on hand as an old-timer on the ranch while BarBara Luna plays the condemned man's babe. Brendon Boone appears as the lead henchman while Rafael Campos plays a priest.

"The Hanged Man" was a pilot for a series that never materialized. Producers would make these pilots long enough to be released as a self-contained movie to recoup their losses in the event it wasn't picked up and this was the case with "The Hanged Man." Despite being a TV movie, it has a generally realistic vibe. The premise is interesting, the cast is fine and the movie's short-and-sweet. But it lacks the pizazz to cull it from its TV Western mediocrity. There's a reason it wasn't picked up for a series. Still, it's worth checking out if you favor the actors and late 60s/early 70's Westerns.

Speaking of the actors, the movie features two alumni from the late 60's Star Trek TV series: BarBara Luna appeared in the acclaimed 2nd Season episode "Mirror, Mirror" while Sharon Acker appeared in the 3rd Season Golden Turkey "The Mark of Gideon." BarBara later appeared on two 2nd Season episodes of Buck Rogers and the 25th Century as Hawk's (totally hot) babe.

The film runs 73 minutes and was shot in Old Tucson & Mescal, Arizona, and Red Rock Canyon State Park, Cantil, California.

GRADE: C+

I've been watching movies for many many years and seen some of the best , along w/ some of the worse. The Hanged Man is not the best But its not bad either. Steve Forrest's acting adds to the plot w/ a dimension of calm cold bloodiness that was prevalent back then. Cameron Mitchell seemed to be a little hammy but from reading history a lot of the big cattle ranchers/mine owners acted that way they thought they were above the Law. Overall it was a little above ave. There's a few other well known actors in it Will Geer Rafael Campos. It does encourage you to see other movies especially w/ those guys. If I may in a personnel note, its a shame us movie goers see actors faces that we have seen before but we don't know there names. A lot of them deserved more..

James Devlin (Steve Forrest) is a tough man who made his living with his gun. However, he's been convicted of murder an is awaiting a hanging. The killing was in self-defense but his reputation alone was enough to guarantee a death sentence. When this unrepentant man is hung, however, something very strange happens. Though clearly dead, hours later he comes to life and spends much of the rest of the film trying to figure out why as well as what his place will now be in the world. Soon, a jerk named Halleck (Cameron Mitchell) gives him a reason for being...and he makes it his life's work to fight this man and protect the widow who Halleck is trying to bully. Oh, and did I mention that the widow is a widow because her husband was the man that Devlin killed??

This is a decent film and mildly enjoyable. I think if they'd played the supernatural angle more, it would have been a more interesting film...and then possibly might have been picked up as a series. On the other hand, by 1974, westerns had pretty much come and gone....and why the network would revive the genre is tough to understand.

I realize THE HANGED MAN was just a pilot, so expectations should be managed in terms of quality.

That said, Steve Forrest, Cameron Mitchell, and Will Geer deliver good performances and more could have been made with the premise of a man who survives hanging, and who at first seems to reject God, then seems to accept Him and ultimately runs from death again. The religious aspect in the movie is not clear.

Direction OK, photography rather basic. It would never have been a masterpiece but I think an opportunity was lost to come up with a better film.