Invitation to a Gunfighter

Invitation to a Gunfighter

14/10/1964 1h 32m 5.9/10

Overview

In New Mexico, a Confederate veteran returns home to find his fiancée married to a Union soldier, his Yankee neighbors rallied against him and his property sold by the local banker who then hires a gunman to kill him.

Director

Austen Jewell

Top Billed Cast

George Segal

George Segal

Matt Weaver

Yul Brynner

Yul Brynner

Jules Gaspard d'Estaing

Janice Rule

Janice Rule

Ruth Adams

Alfred Ryder

Alfred Ryder

Doc Barker

Mike Kellin

Mike Kellin

Blind Union Vet

Clifford David

Clifford David

Crane Adams

Reviews

John Chard

5/4/2017

3/10

Thematically fine but executed with very little skill. Rebel soldier Matt Weaver returns to town after the Civil War, only to find that his home has been sold by unscrupulous town boss, Sam Brewster. Brewster, fearing for his safety, hires gunfighter Jules Gaspard d'Estaing to eradicate Weaver. But as d'Estaing's settles in to town it becomes clear to him just what a corrupt and morally bankrupt bunch the townsfolk are. It grieves me to mark a film like this, with so many good people involved with it, down so low. The thematic heart of this picture is fabulous, nothing none of us haven't seen before, but tales of hired gunmen straightening out dirty towns are always of interest if handled with care and a commitment to the moral essence. Invitation To A Gunfighter, in spite of starring Yul Brynner, George Segal, Brad Dexter, Pat Hingle and Strother Martin, and being directed by Orson Welles collaborator Richard Wilson, is ploddingly paced and acted like a low budget C movie. The score from David Raksin is intrusive and completely out of sync with the nature of the piece, whilst the back lot location is all too evident. The piece briefly picks up entering the final third, where thankfully Brynner is asked to earn his pay outside of walking around glumly, but it's a false dawn as the finale has all the excitement of a runny nose. I'm in the minority judging by the comments written for this film thus far, so maybe it caught me at a bad time, but the chances of me ever seeking this one out again are remote to say the least. 3/10

Similar Movies

The Quick and the Dead

6.5

The Quick and the Dead

1995

Rustlers' Rhapsody

5.5

Rustlers' Rhapsody

1985

Support Your Local Sheriff!

7.0

Support Your Local Sheriff!

1969

The Quick and the Dead

6.3

The Quick and the Dead

1987

The Proposition

7.0

The Proposition

2005

Pioneer Justice

5.0

Pioneer Justice

1947

The Spikes Gang

6.7

The Spikes Gang

1974

The 5-Man Army

6.7

The 5-Man Army

1969

The Far Country

6.9

The Far Country

1954

Carambola's Philosophy: In the Right Pocket

6.0

Carambola's Philosophy: In the Right Pocket

1975

The Return of Jesse James

5.0

The Return of Jesse James

1950

Under California Stars

4.7

Under California Stars

1948

Romance of the West

0.0

Romance of the West

1946