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Cast: Randolph Scott, Gail Russell, Lee Marvin
Genre: Western
What's it about: Ex sheriff Ben Stride (Randolph Scott) is filled with guilt and blames himself for his wife's death during a bank robbery. He feels his lack of ability to keep his job had forced his wife to take on work, which ultimately put her in the path of notorious bank robbers. He vows to track down and kill the seven men responsible.
Review: I watched this movie as I had seen Gail Russell in The Uninvited and sensed a real quality in her acting and sought out other films that she had made. There's something about her that's both fragile and real, it's a ethereal quality that's hard to describe. I've also seen her in two John Wayne films, Angel and The Badman and Wake of the Red Witch. In both films she was a stand out, especially in Angel and The Badman. Wayne must have sensed this fragile quality in her too, because he insisted that she play the part in this movie, even though everyone said she looked 20 years to old. Gail's personal story is a tragic one and she drank heavily and died at 36, only a few years after making this film.
The real draw here will be Lee Marvin, who as usual owns the screen and makes the movie work. Randolph Scott reminds me of Gary Cooper in this, though not as effective.
The films looks great thanks to a lot of the outside shots being done on location. All round, a well done and smart western from the 1950s.
Seven Men from Now (1956)
Director: Budd BoetticherCast: Randolph Scott, Gail Russell, Lee Marvin
Genre: Western
What's it about: Ex sheriff Ben Stride (Randolph Scott) is filled with guilt and blames himself for his wife's death during a bank robbery. He feels his lack of ability to keep his job had forced his wife to take on work, which ultimately put her in the path of notorious bank robbers. He vows to track down and kill the seven men responsible.
Review: I watched this movie as I had seen Gail Russell in The Uninvited and sensed a real quality in her acting and sought out other films that she had made. There's something about her that's both fragile and real, it's a ethereal quality that's hard to describe. I've also seen her in two John Wayne films, Angel and The Badman and Wake of the Red Witch. In both films she was a stand out, especially in Angel and The Badman. Wayne must have sensed this fragile quality in her too, because he insisted that she play the part in this movie, even though everyone said she looked 20 years to old. Gail's personal story is a tragic one and she drank heavily and died at 36, only a few years after making this film.
The real draw here will be Lee Marvin, who as usual owns the screen and makes the movie work. Randolph Scott reminds me of Gary Cooper in this, though not as effective.
The films looks great thanks to a lot of the outside shots being done on location. All round, a well done and smart western from the 1950s.