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Last Train from Gun Hill [VHS]

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4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The title, "Last Train From Gun Hill," tells you so much about this wonderful film; a race against time, a sense of impending doom, something bad's gonna happen... you betcha!

That this film, one of my favorites from the 50's, is based around a somewhat unlikely scenario, plus a monstrous coincidence that no bookie in Vegas would give you odds on, doesn't matter. These are just what Alfred Hitchcock used to call a "McGuffin," a device or prop about which to arrange the action, and let the characters play out their stories.

It stars two powerful actors at the very top of their form; Kirk Douglas as "Marshal Matt Morgan," and Anthony Quinn as "Craig Belden." Morgan is by the book, straight as an arrow, incorruptible, the very personification of moral rectitude, and Belden is a rancher of the old school, he's had to fight tooth and nail for everything he has. The two men are old friends from way-back, each as unbending and unforgiving, in their own way, as the other.

The third major player in this drama is "Rick Belden," Craig's son, superbly played by Earl Holliman, a character the polar-opposite of his father. A weakling, braggart, coward, and a boor, everything he has, from the clothes on his back, to the money in his pocket, to the "friends" who ride with him and buy him whisky, he has for one reason, and one reason only... his last name is Belden!

Director John Sturges doesn't waste any time in setting events in motion; a young Native American woman with a child beside her is riding a horse and buggy through the countryside. She passes three cowpokes making camp, they watch as she goes by, exchange knowing looks, then set off in pursuit, calling out that they just want a little fun as they surround the buggy.

Fearful for herself and her son, the young woman lashes out with a whip and cuts a gash in the cheek of the ringleader, then whips the horse into a gallop, which results in the buggy turning over. The cowboys close in with the ringleader nursing his cut face; the woman tells her son to go for help as she backs away...

The boy returns with help all right, the town Marshal, Matt Morgan! He calls the boy by his first name and searches desperately for the young woman, and you think to yourself, "My, but he's a conscientious Marshal!" And here's that unlikely scenario I mentioned at the beginning of this review, the young Indian woman and her son aren't just town residents, they're Mogan's wife and child!!!

And here comes that coincidence that would freak out the most hardened of Vegas bookies; after discovering his wife's body, Morgan, channeling his grief and rage into finding her rapists/murderers, for the first time examines the horse his son was riding. Sporting an expensive silver-tooled saddle, the horse wears the brand of his old friend... Craig Belden!!!

So, Morgan heads off to "Gun Hill," saddle in tow, to see his old friend. Their first scene together is superb, they share a drink and discuss old times, the way men do. Then Morgan drops his bombshell; Craig's saddle and horse were found at the scene of his wife's rape and murder, he also tells him the culprit will have a pretty good scar on his cheek from the buggy whip!

Craig is genuinely horrified, he saw the scar, and Rick laughed it off, saying it was just some "fun" with a saloon girl that got out of hand. Now he knows that his son is a rapist and a murderer... and because of his reaction, so does Morgan.

Belden begs Morgan to let it go, he's sorry, it must have been an accident, and Rick is his only son, all he has left after his wife died many years ago. Morgan won't, CAN'T, let it go, and you can tell that even if the victim had been a complete stranger to him, his reaction would be the same; this sets up the rest of the film, and the deadly conflict that will engulf all three men.

Douglas, Quinn and Holliman all give excellent performances. Douglas is superb playing conflicted characters, and there's a key scene where Morgan's seething hatred of Rick explodes into physical violence. You see the internal struggle as Morgan fights to choke down his emotions, to stop himself from taking the man's life with his bare hands, and instead coldly describes what's going to happen to Rick when they put a rope around his neck and hang him.

Quinn has a role he can similarly sink his teeth into, and he does! Although less sympathetic a character than Morgan, Craig is a man you can almost feel sorry for. Proud of all he has achieved, and desperately wanting to be proud of his only son and heir, he knows Rick is a weakling and a coward, just as he knows he's partly to blame. When he faces Rick for the first time after discovering the truth, there's an electric tension in the air; Rick approaches his father, ready with more lies and evasions, and Craig turns his back and walks away. He's holding a pair of heavy work gloves, and you half expect him to turn and lash out at his son in disgust and despair.

Holliman has a thankless task, Rick has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and he plays the part to the hilt. Whining, wheedling, lying and bullying, this is a character you can love to hate! There's also a terrific supporting performance from Carolyn Jones, TV's original "Morticia Addams," as "Linda," Craig's - sometimes abused?! -girlfriend.

Even with its somewhat contrived set-up, this is still a film I can recommend highly; Sturges and his stars do a first class job!

Kirk Douglas and director John Sturges had worked together in 1957's The Gunfight at The OK Corral, and Douglas and frequent co-star Burt Lancaster had made a memorable Wyatt Earp/Doc Holliday pair.

So when the pair reteamed for 1959's Last Train From Gun Hill, it stood to reason that it would be at least a good film. Well, it's a great film, Douglas' best Western, and one of the great Westerns in the great Western movie heyday in the 50's.

Douglas plays Matt Morgan, a town marshal whose Indian wife is raped and murdered by a young hoodlum from the town of Gun Hill. Morgan finds out that the punk is the son of Gun Hill's owner and boss Craig Belden. Morgan and Belden were saddle pals in the past, and Belden once saved Morgan's life. When Morgan sees that Belden is going to protect his son, Morgan overpowers the son, and holds up with him in a hotel, planing to take the son to justice on the last train out that evening.

This movies has everything-great performances, a great script, and a aura of suspense that is sometimes nerve wracking. Last Train From Gun Hill is a must for every Western movie collector.

I've seen this film several times over the past 25 years, and most recently on cable a few months back. I always thought that it owed much to "3:10 to Yuma," which I find much superior. However, director John Sturges' great scenic vistas of southern Arizona are greatly appreciated in this widescreen DVD. There is also great tension present as the film approaches it's climax. Solid performances by Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Carolyn Jones, Val Avery, John Anderson & Earl Holliman, make this an entertaining western in the "High Noon" tradition. I have to disagree with a previous reviewer, as the print used by Paramount for the DVD is excellent. After reading that review, I watched for "dust & speckles" in the print, and though I saw a few, I would rate this as a fine DVD (I just wish that there had been some extras, but it's a great buy, for the price). It's now part of my DVD library of westerns.

This is a superior little Western, made so by a tight script and complex characters. In the hands of another director, this film might not have had what it takes. But in the hands of John Sturges, you get an intense morality play that speaks about racism in America, and supreme Justice pitted against the burden of friendship, all cleverly wrapped in an American Western that appears to be less than it is. This is no "High Noon" or "My Darling Clementine", but it is none-the-less, a highly entertaining film.

Kirk Douglas does a fine job of playing Matt Morgan, a tough, no nonsense marshal that must bring his oldest friend's son to justice for the rape and murder of his own American Indian wife. We can see the complexity of a man sworn to uphold the law, battling with his own urge for revenge, and at times we're not so sure he isn't using the law as his own brand of revenge.

The more complex character here is Craig Belden, played masterfully by Anthony Quinn. Here is a man who spent his whole life building a cattle empire, he's fought for everything he's got, lost his wife and raised his only child by himself the best that he could, only to find himself between his best friend and a son who has committed an atrocity. And though somewhat tame by todays standards, I still find the scene where Matt Morgan's son is forced to ride off for help, leaving behind his mother, as she screams in frightened terror and pain while she is being raped and murdered, fairly unsettling.

The plot moves swiftly from the town of Pauley where the rape and murder takes place, to the town of Gun Hill, where Rick Beldon is arrested, and held at gun point while the Marshal tries to get him to the 9 pm train back to Pauley. The rest of the action takes place in Gun Hill, and it is here where justice will be dealt out.

Now the dvd. This is not a top of the line release, as should be apparent by the very low price tag. It's a bare-bones, low cost release, with no extras other than an English language subtitle option. However, the print is not as bad as some reviewers have tried to lead you to believe. It's presented in anamorphic widescreen, which perhaps brings out the weaknesses of age in the print more so on larger TVs. I was disapointed to see the age of the film in several of the very bright desert sky scenes, where detail appears washed out, though not so bad as to distract from the movie. There is noticable grain in some of the outdoors scenes, especially early morning lighting and at dusk. But overall, the picture quality is good. The interior shots look great, with nice color and detail. The soundtrack quality was better than decent, I had no trouble what-so-ever on my two speaker stereo system hearing everything perfectly.

All in all, a nice release for Western Movie fans. The cast was top notch, actors that were steady hands at making Westerns, and the action simmers to a very exciting showdown.

Paramount Pictures presents "LAST TRAIN FROM GUN HILL" (1959) (95 min/Color) -- Starring: Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Carolyn Jones, Earl Holliman, Brad Dexter & Walter Sande

Directed John Sturges

Just outside the small town of Pauley, a Native American woman is attacked by two riders on horseback, raped, and killed. Her husband, Matt Morgan (Kirk Douglas), the town marshal, has only two clues to their identity, a fancy saddle with the initials "C.B." that one of the men left behind, and the fact that his wife cut one of the two men deep across the cheek with a buggy whip. Matt traces the saddle to Craig Belden (Anthony Quinn), an old friend and now a wealthy rancher in the town of Gun Hill, but he knows Craig well enough to know that he couldn't have had anything to do with attacking his wife. Matt's arrival with the saddle sets off ugly rumblings in Gun Hill, and when he confronts the Craig, he discovers that it was his son Rick (Earl Holliman) who had his horse and the saddle, and rode out with a cowhand friend of his, Lee (Brian G. Hutton)

Providing the clincher ... the cut that one of the killers has on his face ... so Matt vows to take Rick and Lee back to Pauley to stand trial, while Craig swears he'll do anything it takes to protect his son.

Belden is virtually all the law there is in Gun Hill - Sheriff Bartlett (Walter Sande) won't help Matt serve his arrest warrants on the two men, or even let him use the jail - there's not a working man, a shopkeeper, or even a prostitute in the whole town that will go against the rancher, and Craig's foreman Beero (Brad Dexter) and his men will strong arm anyone who might start feeling brave. Only Linda (Carolyn Jones), a woman who has been both romanced and abused by Craig, will lift a finger on Matt's behalf. Foolishly Rick manages to fall into Matt's hands and very quickly, a standoff ensues, with Matt holding Rick in one of Craig's buildings against virtually the entire town, while the deadline - the last train out of Gun Hill that night - approaches. Fabulous in every way

* Special Footnote: -- Last Train From Gun Hill (1959) reassembles many from Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957): Kirk Douglas combining again with director (John Sturges) and music maestro (Dimitri Tiomkin) along with the fabulous cinematography of Charles Lang (with the super-sensational vista vision lenses).

BIOS:
1. John Sturges (Director)
Date of Birth: 3 January 1910 - Oak Park, Illinois
Date of Death: 18 August 1992 - San Luis Obispo, California

2. Kirk Douglas [aka: Issur Danielovitch Demsky]
Date of Birth: 9 December 1916 - Amsterdam, New York
Date of Death: Unknown

3. Anthony Quinn [aka: Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca]
Date of Birth: 21 April 1915, Chihuahua, Mexico
Date of Death: 3 June 2001, Boston, Massachusetts

4. Carolyn Jones
Date of Birth: 28 April 1930 - Amarillo, Texas
Date of Death: 3 August 1983 - West Hollywood, California

5. Earl Holliman
Date of Birth: 11 September 1928 - Delhi, Louisiana
Date of Death: Unknown

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 95 min on DVD ~ Paramount Pictures ~ (November 9, 2004)

If you are into classic westerns, this one is for you. Kirk Douglas seeks to avenge the rape and murder (brief scene, mostly implied) of his wife. Anthony Quinn plays his best friend; Carolyn Jones is Quinn's girlfriend. Beautiful scenery and great antique furniture make for interesting backgrounds when watching the movie for the 2nd or 3rd time. This was a present for a friend of mine who was housebound during a snowstorm (which explains the multiple viewings). Blue skies, outdoor vistas, horses, gunfights, saloon shenanigans, they're all in there. Like I said, if you are into classic westerns, you'll enjoy this one too.

Craig Belden (Anthony Quinn) is a powerful cattle-rancher, the richest of Gunhill, simply the Boss...

His son Rick (Earl Holliman) is weak, coward, a punk kid who just raped and killed Catherine Morgan (Ziva Rodann), a beautiful Indian woman ignoring that she is the wife of Matt Morgan (Kirk Douglas) the Marshall of the town...

From a costly elegant saddle, Matt recognized that the rapist-killer of his wife is close to reach... He decides to take the train to Gun Hill to see an old friend, Craig Belden, asking for help...

The tragic moment of the film is when Craig (Quinn) realized that the murderer is his own son Rick... He can't deliver his son to Matt... He knows the Marshall will hang him...

Quinn is the tragic figure... He is torn between his loyalty and fidelity to his best friend and his deep affection and devotion to the only son he raised alone...

Two superb actors were caught in the tragedy... The denouement was evident!

Directed beautifully by the maker of major fine westerns John Sturges, the film walks slowly toward a showdown, an inevitable clash from which only one will take the last train from Gun Hill...

"Last Train from Gun Hill" is a solid Western released in 1959. Kirk Douglas stars as Matt Morgan, a Marshal in a small western town (the movie was filmed in Arizona). He's married to a beautiful Native American woman (the movie uses the terms of the time and calls her a "squaw"), who is raped and murdered. He determines to find out who killed her, with only one clue - a saddle inscribed with initials. He turns to one of his best friends, Anthony Quinn (Craig Belden), for help. He eventually discovers who the guilty parties are, which leads to a number of complications for the main characters.

You get about what you'd expect from a Western from this era - a few gun fights, somewhat wooden dialogue, and a general lack of realism. Fortunately, the movie is buoyed considerably by the presence of Douglas and Quinn; Carolyn Jones is also quite good as Quinn's confused, rebellious girlfriend. Director John Sturges had done better work before this movie (Bad Day at Black Rock, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral) and would go on to do better work in the future (The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape). In fact, he was nominated for an Academy Award in 1955 for Best Director for "Bad Day at Black Rock." However, overall, I enjoyed "Last Train from Gun Hill," even if I'm unlikely to remember it for more than a week.

This movie is great. Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn are magnificent. This movie is a great western and has great drama. The acting by Douglas and Quinn is superb and has a strong supporting cast including Carolyn Jones. This is a must see movie.

This movie is great. Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn are magnificent. This movie is a great western and has great drama. The acting by Douglas and Quinn is superb and has a strong supporting cast including Carolyn Jones. This is a must see movie.