Just perfect...

It is a performances centric movie

A Disappointing Continuation

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

With a title like "The Fastest Gun Alive", many people will probably be expecting a western jam packed with action. Actually, there is very little action in the entire movie - it's more of a serious drama and a character study. But don't let that dissuade you, because the movie is very well done. While Glenn Ford was never thought as one of the greatest actors of the golden age of Hollywood, he shows here (as in his other movies) he could portray a character who was flawed yet sympathetic. The scenes where his character is conflicted or under great strain are very convincing. Ford really helps to sell the basic theme of the movie that being a top gun in the wild west was not the glamorous position often portrayed in other westerns - there's nothing fun about killing someone, even if it seems that the victim deserved it. There is a more human feel to the characters and situations here than you usually get in westerns. The ending is kind of predictable, and the Russ Tamblyn dance number, while spectacular and fun by itself, doesn't really fit with the dead seriousness of the rest of the movie. But aside from those two minor quibbles, the movie is a solid western for fans of the genre in the mood for something more serious and thought-provoking than usual.

I love good movies, who doesn't, but I especially love movies that are one-of-a-kind, that break the mold, that don't quite fit the mold, constantly surprise the viewer, and ultimately deliver the goods. One of the most watchable westerns ever. Glen Ford is what could be one of his best roles, subtle, anxious, looking to do the right thing, never pushing. And Jeanne Crain doing what she does best, spurring on her man. (Opps, not trying to be sexist BUT THE ROLE WAS WRITTEN THAT WAY). And -- who knew? -- after literally 100's of Hollywood westerns have passed over the creative bridge, THIS IS THE FIRST TO POINT OUT that being "fast" takes ... Duh .. practice? Superb story -- quiet storekeeper is, in fact, a closet gunslinger who practices each and every day of his life ... as long as he can get away from the little woman, of course. All is fine is until one day the town bully pushes the little guy a bit too far, and he snaps and teaches the bully a lesson. And in the process does a gun trick that only a handful of men alive could do. And a little boy sees this ... and remembers. That's all the spoiler you get, but this one is a keeper.

There was a time when Westerns pretty much ruled the movie screens. And many (perhaps even most) were pretty forgettable. There were occasional great Westerns (e.g., "Rio Bravo"), and others that were at least significantly above average. This is one that is quite above average.I have to get one gripe off my shoulders first, though. Russ Tamblyn. Fine performer particularly remembered for "West Side Story". But even at a barn dance, his dancing here was really out of place...despite being very good. Whose bright idea was this??? As I was watching this film, it occurred to me that it is almost the reverse of "High Noon". Here, Glenn Ford is reluctantly forced into a confrontation by a gun fighter who always seeks out those faster that he. And where are the people who are pushing our hero into a confrontation? In a church.Except for a gunfight at the beginning of the film, and the one climaxing the film, this is more a psychological Western. Why is Glenn Ford so gun shy when he's clearly the fasted gun alive? The cast here really is very good. Glenn Ford was a dependable leading man. Perhaps just under the level of actors like Cary Grant and Clark Gable. But he rarely let us down in any role, and he certainly didn't here. He carries the film and is why it's better than the average 1950s Western. Jeanne Crain is always a pleasure to watch, and she balances the need to be a forceful wife who will not tolerate her husband's addiction to guns, without being an unreasonable nag. Broderick Crawford is the primary villain here...the role he was best at. This film followed on the heels of his success in the syndicated television series "Highway Patrol". As a couple of our reviewers pointed out, he seems a bit chubby to be so fast on the draw, but he knows how to be menacing. As mentioned earlier, Russ Tamblyn is fine here, but totally out of place in the plot. Allyn Joslyn (whom I usually remember as one of the bad angels in "The Horn Blows At Midnight") is the loud mouth here, and is quite good at it. John Dehner is fine as another of the bad guy trio. I was a little sad to see one of my favorite character actors as the third bad guy, and he was rather wasted here -- Noah Beery, Jr.If you've become wary of Westerns, as I have, I recommend this one to you. It's clearly above average and has a good story with more drama than the typical shoot-em-up cowboy flick.

Ridiculous plot. No one in the town has a gun even for hunting? The crooks are running for a posse that is 2 hours behind them and they will probably be lynched when the posse gets them, so they stop to burn down a town because Broderick Crawford is obessesed with being the fastest gun in the West. You have got to be kidding! And the townspeople are just going to let the crooks burn down the town without doing anything about it. No one even thinks to go to another town which has a sheriff to get some help and there are some nearby. Then we have to subplot with Crawford slapping his partner and trying to force him to draw. How anyone could say this is not one of the stupidest Hollywood farce's they have ever seen is beyond me. And then there is the overacting across the board. Glenn Ford is pathetic is a one-dimensional nut-case who walks around like a zombie, or a drug-addict. This movie may have been popular in the 50's because movie-goers may be a bit starved for good entertainment.