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Forty Guns, 1957
Griff Bonell (Barry Sullivan) and his brothers Wes (Gene Barry) and Chico (Robert Dix) arrive in an Arizona town in order to serve a warrant. The man they are seeking is in the employ of a woman named Jessica Drummond (Barbara Stanwyck), who basically rules the town through a combination of wealth and a large army of hired guns. When the Bonell brothers end up staying in town, partly due to Wes falling in love with a local girl, conflict grows between them and Jessica's wild younger brother, Brockie (John Ericson).
This western was directed by Samuel Fuller, and boy does it shine with his inspired visuals and set-pieces that hit you like a punch.
This review could basically be a laundry list of amazing moments from the film. I will resist that temptation, but let's talk about a handful of them.
Fuller makes Jessica into a wonderful, imposing figure. Clad in all black, she is the kind of person who moves through the world with no doubt that everyone will just get out of her way. She leads her troupe of forty hired guns, and in the scenes where they ride after her, it's like someone trailing a deadly cape of armed men. Early in the film, we meet the town's current marshal, a man named Ned Logan (Dean Jagger) who is losing his eyesight. In several sequences, we see things from Logan's point of view, an out-of-focus blur. When Logan is challenged to a duel by Brockie, Fuller takes us back into Logan's eyes, and we have to contemplate the horror of trying to defend oneself in a gunfight without being able to see.
The third act is packed with amazing imagery, much of which would venture very deep into spoiler territory. There is a sequence at a wedding and then a final showdown that I thought were simply incredible.
I was admittedly so-so on the development of the romance between Griff and Jessica. I get a little tired of the plot where a woman has power, and the lesson is that she just needs a man's love to soften her into a "real" woman and then she's happy to give it all up for her man. (The film's theme song declares "But if someone could break her/And take her whip away,/Someone big, someone strong, someone tall,/You may find that the woman with a whip/Is only a woman after all."). There's a pretty awesome sequence in one part of the film that suggests they might avoid this trope (and from what I read about the movie, Fuller wanted an ending that avoided it), but alas. I at least appreciate that the film shows that their attraction to one another mostly comes out of mutual respect.
The performances here are all good. Sullivan brings a low key confidence and authority to Griff, which contrasts with the more enthusiastic personalities of his two brothers. Stanwyck is great as Jessica, a woman who has allowed her loyalty to her brother to keep her from keeping him under control. I also thought Ericson brought a great wild child energy to his performance as Brockie. We all know this person: guarded by wealth and power, no one has ever said no to him in his life. And because he has no fear of consequences, he'll get someone pregnant or shoot someone just because and not think twice about it. His raw, indulgent personality makes for a great contrast with the more controlled Griff.
I do wish that the film had had the guts to end things with
Recommended for sure based on the way that the film is shot, but it's also a pretty good story with great performances.
Forty Guns, 1957
Griff Bonell (Barry Sullivan) and his brothers Wes (Gene Barry) and Chico (Robert Dix) arrive in an Arizona town in order to serve a warrant. The man they are seeking is in the employ of a woman named Jessica Drummond (Barbara Stanwyck), who basically rules the town through a combination of wealth and a large army of hired guns. When the Bonell brothers end up staying in town, partly due to Wes falling in love with a local girl, conflict grows between them and Jessica's wild younger brother, Brockie (John Ericson).
This western was directed by Samuel Fuller, and boy does it shine with his inspired visuals and set-pieces that hit you like a punch.
This review could basically be a laundry list of amazing moments from the film. I will resist that temptation, but let's talk about a handful of them.
Fuller makes Jessica into a wonderful, imposing figure. Clad in all black, she is the kind of person who moves through the world with no doubt that everyone will just get out of her way. She leads her troupe of forty hired guns, and in the scenes where they ride after her, it's like someone trailing a deadly cape of armed men. Early in the film, we meet the town's current marshal, a man named Ned Logan (Dean Jagger) who is losing his eyesight. In several sequences, we see things from Logan's point of view, an out-of-focus blur. When Logan is challenged to a duel by Brockie, Fuller takes us back into Logan's eyes, and we have to contemplate the horror of trying to defend oneself in a gunfight without being able to see.
The third act is packed with amazing imagery, much of which would venture very deep into spoiler territory. There is a sequence at a wedding and then a final showdown that I thought were simply incredible.
I was admittedly so-so on the development of the romance between Griff and Jessica. I get a little tired of the plot where a woman has power, and the lesson is that she just needs a man's love to soften her into a "real" woman and then she's happy to give it all up for her man. (The film's theme song declares "But if someone could break her/And take her whip away,/Someone big, someone strong, someone tall,/You may find that the woman with a whip/Is only a woman after all."). There's a pretty awesome sequence in one part of the film that suggests they might avoid this trope (and from what I read about the movie, Fuller wanted an ending that avoided it), but alas. I at least appreciate that the film shows that their attraction to one another mostly comes out of mutual respect.
The performances here are all good. Sullivan brings a low key confidence and authority to Griff, which contrasts with the more enthusiastic personalities of his two brothers. Stanwyck is great as Jessica, a woman who has allowed her loyalty to her brother to keep her from keeping him under control. I also thought Ericson brought a great wild child energy to his performance as Brockie. We all know this person: guarded by wealth and power, no one has ever said no to him in his life. And because he has no fear of consequences, he'll get someone pregnant or shoot someone just because and not think twice about it. His raw, indulgent personality makes for a great contrast with the more controlled Griff.
I do wish that the film had had the guts to end things with
WARNING: spoilers below
that stone cold shot of Griff walking past the fallen Jessica, retreating away from the camera as Chico scoops her up off of the ground and never even looking back. Apparently in the original ending he kills her to get to Brockie, and I think that would have been a much more powerful way to bring the story to a close.
Recommended for sure based on the way that the film is shot, but it's also a pretty good story with great performances.