So much average

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Yuma is directed by Ted Post and written by Charles Wallace. It stars Clint Walker, Barry Sullivan, Kathryn Hays, Edgar Buchanan, Morgan Woodward and John Kerr. Music is by George Duning and cinematography by John Stephens.Walker stars as Marshal Dave Harmon, a no nonsense lawman sent into Yuma Territory to clean house. Straight away he is fronted up by the King brothers, something which puts him into conflict with the town bigwig, their father, Arch King (Woodward).It's a familiar tale, certainly one that any Western fan would have seen numerous times. A TV movie and an intended pilot for a show, the budget is obviously not that high, but there's some good star appeal (Sullivan & Buchanan reassuring presences for Western lovers) and there's a lot crammed into the hour and fifteen minute running time.Big Bad Clint Walker is a mighty presence, giving us a character that is easy to like and respect, he's not only tough and handsome, but he also turns into a Sherlock Holmes type as well! Into the basic town tamer plot also comes the issues of the Indian Beef treaty, or lack of in this instance, the crafty tactics of the Raiders and their crimes, while there's the cute/annoying kid and a gorgeous lady circling our hero.It doesn't pull up any trees, but it's well performed, has nice location scenery (Old Tuscon), and the action is well staged (pic opens with a very nifty stagecoach stunt). While of course for Walker fans it's always going to have a watchability factor. 6/10

Having just arrived into the town of Yuma, Arizona, "Marshall Dave Harmon" (Clint Walker) tries to arrest two rowdy cowboys who happen to be brothers. One is killed in a shootout and the other is taken to jail. That night the cowboy is killed for mysterious reasons. A third brother named "Arch King" (Morgan Woodward), who is in charge of a cattle drive headed to Yuma, thinks the Marshall did it and he comes into town to exact justice. But there is more to the story and rather than spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that it has several interesting subplots which play out rather well. It has cowboys, Indians, the cavalry, a savvy marshal and a pretty gal named "Julie Williams" (Kathryn Hays) to boot. What more could you ask for? About the only criticism I have is that it is a made-for-television movie and as a result it is a bit tame in order to satisfy a general audience. Likewise, the length of the film is slightly abbreviated to fit within a certain time allocation. It could easily have gone on longer and would have probably been much better if it had. Even so, it was still enjoyable and I recommend it for anybody who likes this particular genre.

Here's a neat little TV Western that gets interesting following a fairly standard set up. A new Marshal arrives in town just in time to confront a pair of rowdy brothers and winds up killing one in self defense. Then he hears about how he'll have to pay once big brother hits town along with all of his trail hands. The hotel clerk (Kathryn Hays) even asks for her ten dollar room rent in advance, knowing that the life expectancy of a Yuma town marshal isn't all that great.What made the story interesting for me was how a number of innovative elements were used that I haven't seen in a Western before. Like Marshal Dave Harmon (Clint Walker) using ketchup to fake a gunshot wound to a murder suspect from earlier in the story, when the perpetrator is already dead! The ruse is used to smoke out the partner who's still at large. And how about Harmon shooting the gun right out of Sanders' holster when he's slow to cooperate in answering the marshal's questions? The best is probably when the real villain masterminding the cattle resale scheme is uncovered by Harmon; how many times do you get to see Edgar Buchanan as the bad guy?!Here's another one, and I thought I was hearing things, but when Harmon is surprised and surrounded by the Indian tribe the first time, the chief calls him 'Star Man' in deference to his marshal's badge. That just made perfect sense.All in all, a quickly paced story with a good supporting cast including Barry Sullivan (bad guy), Morgan Woodward (bad guy), Robert Phillips (bad guy), and Peter Mark Richman as an Army major (thought he'd be a bad guy, but another twist to prevent the clichéd outcome). I'll also give the picture credit for not stereotyping the expected romantic angle to play out between Harmon and Julie Williams. There was a hint of that at the finale, but you can draw your own conclusions.

"Yuma" is hardly great art, nor even a great Western. It is a good TV Western, and a good TV mystery. The cast of stalwart TV regulars, a post-Cheyenne Clint Walker as well as the lovely Kathryn Hays (Gem of the odd Star Trek episode "The Empath" I believe)make for good viewing. Peter Mark Richman brings his unusual screen presence and the writing is rather good. Walker's character has a tragic back-story that supports his gritty determination. Morgan Woodward brings his usual strong Western presence (again a guest star from Star Trek). In many ways a cross between a fifties Western and a sixties mystery, "Yuma" is not at all a bad way to take a break from the challenges of everyday life in the 21st century. The kid is not all that irritating.