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Powerful

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Will Tenneray and Abe Cross, two aging gunmen decide to fight each other in a bullfight arena. The winner gets the cash, the loser dies. Lamont Johnson's western A Gunfight from 1971 takes death pretty lightly. Of course western movies usually do, but I have a particular problem with this one. Both of these men, Will and Abe are pretty likable guys, and they're both friendly to each other. And Will has a family to protect. So why risk everything with a pointless gunfight, where you know you might lose your life? Money isn't everything you know. And I didn't like the bullfight scenes in this movie. Animals are not meant to die for the entertainment of people. But sure there are some good things in this movie, too. Let's start with the actors. The legendary, now 101 years old Kirk Douglas plays Will. He never fails. And then you have Johnny Cash (1932-2003) as Abe. The man could really act. You also hear his singing in this movie. Jane Alexander is superb as Will's wife Nora. Kirk's late son Eric Douglas is here in his movie debut as the son Bud. Karen Black, who we lost about five years ago, gives an outstanding performance as Jenny Sims. Keith Carradine plays Young Gunfighter. The late great Dana Elcar, who I remember as MacGyver's Peter Thornton, plays Marv. The western view is great as always. When you see the camera move with Johnny Cash in that western town, it's really something. And I liked the what if- part in the end. Abe wins the real battle, but in a slow motion moment with Abe and Nora looking at each other you see a glimpse of how things would have turned out, if Will had won. Not the best western, but also not the worst.

Hearing Johnny Cash's tremendous "American Series" albums for the first time last year with a friend,one of the main things which would coming up when we talked about the music,was wondering how Johnny Cash would be in a real Western movie.Feeling one day that I should take a look to see if Cash had actually done a Westen,I was pleasantly surprised to find,that not only had Cash starred in a Western,but he had actually starred in one alongside "Spartacus" himself!:Kirk Douglas. The plot:Slowly heading to the near by town,out law Abe Cross has to make pace when his horses legs suddenly become injured.Taking the struggling horse to a near by vet,Abe tries to pass the time by introducing himself to the local residents.Being standoffish over a stranger having entered "their" town,the residents begin to let their guard down,when sheriff Will Tenneray appears and tells Cross that he will not allow any trouble to occur in this peaceful town.Initially showing a mutual respect towards each other,Will and Abe start to hear whispers around the town over people placing bets for who is the best gunslinger out of the two.Noticing the piles of cash that the betters are gathering,Will and Abe relies the they could get all the cash that they could ever dream of,if they take part in a winner takes all shoot out between each other.View on the film:Featuring in almost every scene of the film,Johnny Cash and Kirk Douglas make Will and Abe into a terrific double act,with Douglas's calculating,calm family man Will being a complete contrast to Cash's rugged,rumbling loner cowboy Abe.Despite the dialogue feeling slightly tied,and lacking the "livly" feel which the two lead actors bring to the movie,screenwriter Harold Jack Bloom cleverly uses the building up of the "main event" to show the worrying effect that hype can have on people.as Will and Abe are almost made obsolete,due to the residents being more focused on bloodsport and money than the personality's of the two individual's.Smartly turning the final shoot out into a blink and you'll miss it boxing KO style match,director Lamont Johnson wonderfully turns the films ending upside down,and leads it into a terrific fantasy area,which allows the movie to end on a mysterious note of "What if ?."

"A Gunfight" seems very tame and watered down when compared to an above average "spaghetti western" like "The Big Gundown". The problem is not the acting by Kirk Douglas and Johnny Cash. The problem is the script telegraphs everything early on, and then it is simply a matter of waiting another hour for the inevitable gunfight. A double outcome ending seems like nothing more than a cop out, to ensure a plain vanilla conclusion. The subplots, especially the infidelity of Douglas's wife with the shop keeper, are beaten to death. In summary, "A Gunfight" might be totally acceptable to fans of Johnny Cash and Kirk Douglas, but those fans of brutal Lee Van Cleef - Clint Eastwood westerns will most likely be disappointed. - MERK

As one of Cash's most ardent music fans, I have unfortunately almost always been disappointed with his performances on the silver screen. His films are usually poorly written, shot, edited (which you can almost always blame the director.) This one, I was almost thrown out of my chair. Though Cash was not a disciplined actor he had his charisma, and the director, for all his faults recognized this and seemed less inclined to dictate him and just let The Man say his lines the way Cash himself would say them. Though this film is not for everyone, those who appreciate westerns and those especially inclined towards the late, great Man In Black will appreciate it. If given the choice, I recommend the 1989 re-release on VHS titled "Dueling Guns."