Customer Reviews

Gunfighter

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Having seen almost all of Christopher Coppola's movies (even the uncredited "Clockmaker"), I can say I would be considered the closest thing to a fan he has. That being said, this movie is torture. Even with the addition of Martin Sheen (the Sheens must owe Christopher a favor, Charlie appeared in his masterpiece "Deadfall"), and finally a speaking role for Christopher Coppola staple Billy Floyd, this movie is dreadfully bad. Watching this movie, a friend and I cried out to the heavens begging for mercy, and another friend left rather than finish watching it. However, if you do foolishly decide to endure this trial, do not give up. At the end of the movie, Robert Carradine delivers the most unbelievable look, outside of a beer commercial, ever captured on film. It's like the punchline to 90 minute joke. The bad thing is, the joke's on you.

I once saw a group of middle aged men dressed as cowboys putting on a street show in Truckee, Ca. They were not actors and they played their parts with great enthusiasm. Watching Gunfighter reminded me of it. Those amateurs in Truckee looked like oscar winners in comparison.

Hopalong Cassidy, the all round good guy with the white hat has a pair of magic gloves, and these are wanted by the man in the black hat, who is the villain. The acting is stiff, but then it had to be with a script so wooden it must have been hewn from the coffin of every B movie ever made.

The headline star is Martin Sheen, but he only appears for a few minutes in order to set the scene as narrator. The rest of the cast, with the exception of Clu Gallagher, just have to be amateurs having fun in front of the camera.

As for the hapless Sheen and Robert Carradine this movie will haunt them for the rest of their careers.

Gunfighter is like watching your grandmother singing and dancing like Madonna. Unforgettable - but not in a good way.

The Good Things
*It's extremely hilarious in an unintentional way.

The Bad Things
*Action scenes are not all that thrilling (and are rather silly).
*Filming style is poor (although I found the composition of some shots really funny).
*Characters are cliched and forgettable.
*Plot is simple and rather dumb.
*I found the whole spiel with the magic gunfighting gloves ridiculous.

This movie is so bad that it's hilarious. The characters, filming, plot, and overall film is completely laughable. That may be good for some, but this is definately not good quality filmmaking.

The DVD has poor video quality, for it has a lot of graininess, haze, fuzziness, and poor colors. The sound is kind of bad too. Disc is in widescreen (I forget whether or not it's anamorphic), and has no special features (maybe a trailer, but nothing more).

Ok, Yes, it's a little 'cheesy'. Kinda reminds you of the Roy Rogers days, but it's a cute film. Chris (Hopalong) is my cousin, and I'll admit I just wanted to see it because he was in it. He reminds me of a young Lee Majors. It was great to see him on my TV screen in something other than the rodeo (like back in the 80's). I enjoyed every minute of it!

Since watching Gunfighter I have been desperately trying to think if I have ever seen a worse movie. I dont think I have. I once stood in the town of Truckee,Ca, and watched a group of middle aged men dressed as cowboys putting on a street show, which, at the time, I felt was excruciatingly embarrassing. Having seen Gunfighter I know what happened to those 'cowboys'. Christopher Coppola signed them up for his movie.

How on earth did Martin Sheen allow himself to be dragged into such dross?

If you liked the B Westerns from the Golden Age of Westerns, chances are that you will enjoy this movie. If you have Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and Hopalong Cassidy movies in your collection, you will enjoy this modern updated telling of the B Western classic story filmed and acted in the B Western style. The hero is named Hopalong Cassidy and the movie says that it was "inspired" by the novel "Bar 20," published by Clarence E. Mulford in 1907.

It was produced by Francis Ford Coppola, which may have led some reviewers to anticipate a western that was along the lines of his Godfather movies. Instead, this is a pure and simple a homage to the Republic B Westerns, adding modern film techniques and great photography. The acting is good, but it is done in the very best Republic style of Rocky Allen Lane. The dialog also follows a pattern reminiscent of the old Monogram classics.

The story is simple. The Bar 20 is hit hard by the meanest of bad men and the cattle and Hoppy's somewhat neglected girlfriend (he has been too busy doing good deeds) are both abducted. It's Hoppy to the rescue to get the cattle and his girl back, and to give the bad guys what they deserve. This modern B Western includes great special effects and the outright killing of bad guys. But, as in all B Westerns, the ending has Hoppy, Red and the gang showing that good triumphs over bad.

If you don't like B Westerns, save your money on this DVD (even though the price is ridiculously low). If you remember Wild Bill Elliott, the Durango Kid and Lash LaRue, then this movie is for you.

This was the stupidest movie I have ever seen! Period.

Starts pretty strong, eerie and mysteriouslike, then in walks Hopalong Cassidy, who looks like he just stepped off the set of Full House and a Black Bart character that looks less menacing than he looks like a complete idiot. Save yourself from this flick. Martin Sheen makes a good cameo appearance for about 5 minutes, the rest of this thing sucks!

After all the harsh reviews, I was a little worried about watching the movie, but I ended up really liking it. If you knew how small of a budget there was on this movie, you'd be impressed at how resourceful the director was. I found the movie inspiring because it showed you don't have to have millions to make a good movie. And it was good. Strong plot and great visuals. Watch and let the movie paint a picture for you.