The town of Warlock is being terrorized by a gang of violent cowboys. So the townsfolk hire notorious gunfighter Henry Fonda and his club-footed sidekick Anthony Quinn to protect them. Later, a man (Richard Widmark) who has left the cowboys because he disapproved of their actions is appointed the deputy sheriff of Warlock. This sets up conflicts involving the cowboys, the hired guns, and the law.
Strong cast in thinly-veiled version of Wyatt Earp/Doc Holliday story. The stars are all great. Fonda appears to have had an accident with ink and got a lot of it in his hair. There's solid support from the likes of Wallace Ford, Tom Drake, DeForest Kelly, and Frank Gorshin. Dorothy Malone and Dolores Michaels have the only two prominent female roles and both are fine. It's an intelligent, layered western with good performances and a quality script. The basic plot is nothing new, even for 1959, but it's handled in such a way it feels fresh. Subtext fans will have a field day with Quinn's character.
Strong cast in thinly-veiled version of Wyatt Earp/Doc Holliday story. The stars are all great. Fonda appears to have had an accident with ink and got a lot of it in his hair. There's solid support from the likes of Wallace Ford, Tom Drake, DeForest Kelly, and Frank Gorshin. Dorothy Malone and Dolores Michaels have the only two prominent female roles and both are fine. It's an intelligent, layered western with good performances and a quality script. The basic plot is nothing new, even for 1959, but it's handled in such a way it feels fresh. Subtext fans will have a field day with Quinn's character.