You won't be disappointed!

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Gunmans Walk is a little known western but superior to many of it's better known counterparts. Quite why it's not better thought of is a bit of a mystery to me. A young man goes off the rails while his dad tries to cover up his misdeeds. Van Heflin is superb as the rich father who just wants his two lads to be like him. Tab Hunter also excels as the hot headed brother who just wants to make a name for himself without his fathers intervention. A strong supporting cast all add there bit to the impressive mix. The cinematography is outstanding and it also features a good musical score. Whilst it may lack the gun play of many westerns the clever script makes this compelling at all times. I found this to be an enthralling and intelligent western with a great ending. For lovers of westerns, this really is a must see. Highly recommended.

The western Novel written by author Ric Hardman, is the bases for this film called " Gunman's Walk. " But the title is deceptive. It should have been called, ' The violent seed, ' . Directed by Phil Karlson, it tells the story of a brooding, malcontented young man (Tab Hunter) who was raised by his father (Van Heflin) to be rough, tough, and hard drinking. What little discipline the father offered was misplace and shoddy. Anything which could torn from the land was acceptable, if not it could always be bought, traded for, or stolen. The law, as seen by the Hacketts' is seen as a hindrance and as a last resort. The Hackett name was a powerful brand which produced fear and often as not, the father saw to it no one stood in his way. James Darren, who plays Davy Hackett, is the other son which the father disliked, is believed to be a half breed and the weaker of the two boys. The movie is fast paced but shallow and tab Hunter is seen as caring the entire weight of the film on his wild shoulders. Still, for a 1950's a western, it marks a turning point for the country and for later sagas. ****

Van Heflin heads the cast of Gunman's Walk and he's the head of the local Ponderosa in his part of the west. He's not as noble as Ben Cartwright or as mean Rufe Ryker in Shane. He's got two sons, one good and one bad, played by James Darren and Tab Hunter.These guys pretty much do as they please even in these relatively civilized times. For instance Tab Hunter and Van Heflin both wear their six guns to town even though there's a law against it now. Reason being is that they were there before the law and they don't answer to it even if the sheriff is an old friend in Robert F. Simon.Hunter is taking a lot of the wrong values from Heflin. When he rides an Indian ranch hand off a cliff in pursuit of a wild horse, he's brought up on murder charges. This sets off a chain of events that result in tragedy.In the meantime younger son James Darren's courtship of half Sioux maiden Kathryn Crosby whose brother was the one Hunter rode off the cliff is setting off some other issues with Heflin. The Indians are living on the reservation now with a rare honest Indian agent Edward Platt looking out for them. Still Heflin remembers nothing but the bad old days except when he needs them as extra hands.Van Heflin never gave a bad performance in any film he was in. But this film does belong to Tab Hunter who breaks from teen idol mode into a character role of depth.As for the film it might best be compared to the Robert Taylor/John Cassavetes western from the previous year, Saddle The Wind. There's lots of similarities in the relationship between Taylor and Cassavetes and Heflin and Hunter. And the ending is the same.

The plot seemed quite fresh (even after my second viewing), though on analysis it includes familiar themes: tension between brothers, conflict between son and father leading to tragedy. A lot of this is down to the way it portrays the steady - not to say rapid - deterioration of the elder son so that he becomes a murderer; Tab Hunter deserves a lot of credit for this; at first he seems to be just a bit of a tearaway, but at the end he looks really vicious.I like Van Heflin. He was great as the tortured Athos in "The Three Musketeers" and the decent homesteaders in "Shane" and "3.10 to Yuma", but I'm not sure that he carries off being the tough patriarch who won the country from the Indians.Viewing the film in the political correctness of 2007, I blinked at the verbal racial abuse inflicted on the native Americans; two days later, I'm still trying to think of another 1950s Western where it was so overt. (I'm talking of verbal abuse, rather than cowboys killing lots of Indians.) The film proceeds at a pleasing rate, except for the somewhat overlong shooting-at-bottles scene very early on.I don't know if "I'm a Runaway" was ever a "proper" song, but it was quite catching, even when sung by Hunter, and for once I didn't object to a musical interlude in an action film.