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The Last of the Fast Guns
A rich, dying Easterner hires gunfighter Brad Ellison to find his brother and heir in Mexico. En route, it becomes clear to Ellison that his is a dying profession. At a remote rancho, Ellison enlists ranch foreman Miles Lang to help him search the hills where the missing man is rumored to have lived. They find nothing ...except that someone wants to kill them; and Ellison becomes wrapped in a maze of double crosses.
Release : | 1958 |
Rating : | 6.2 |
Studio : | Universal International Pictures, |
Crew : | Art Direction, Art Direction, |
Cast : | Jock Mahoney Gilbert Roland Linda Cristal Eduard Franz Lorne Greene |
Genre : | Western |
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The Worst Film Ever
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.
The Last of the Fast Guns is directed by George Sherman and written by David P. Harman. It stars Jock Mahoney, Gilbert Roland, Linda Cristal, Eduard Franz and Lorne Greene. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by Alex Phillips.Gunslinger Brad Ellison (Mahoney) is hired by a rich tycoon to find his long lost brother. The trail leads to Mexico where hostility and intrigue ensue.There's nothing overtly fresh about this as per plotting, but it delivers good qualities via some interesting twists and turns. From the sombre beginning it's evident that the makers have contemplation in mind for the narrative drive. Ellison is the last of a dying breed, and he knows it, so should he achieve the task to hand, the $25,000 he will earn could shape his future. As he sets about his detective work, tests come and go, while he is befriended by Miles Lang (Roland) and finds himself flirting with Maria O'Reilly (Cristal). But is everything as it seems? Cast are made of stoic stock, though Cristal is purely eye candy token. Pic is very airy and the Mexican vistas, filmed in CinemaScope/Eastman Color, are gorgeous. A good meaty Oater that's well mounted, so recommended for genre fans. 7/10
Gunfighter Miles is hired to go south of the border to find a dying man's missing brother. However, things are more complicated than they seem.Generally underrated western, with good scenic Mexican locations, a non-clichéd plot, along with a few good twists and a colorful cast. Getting Roland, Greene and Franz was a real coup since each is a very distinctive presence. Mahoney certainly looks the part of a western hero, but is a rather bland actor, not to the extent of being a problem, however. Director Sherman makes creative and compelling use of the locations and I especially like the shack set against the cliff; it's like nothing else I've seen. Unlike many oaters set in Mexico, this one comes across as genuinely persuasive. Cristal's role (Maria), surprise, surprise, is little more than eye candy, but I don't blame Ellison (Mahoney) at fade-out. Anyway, don't let the first tame 20-minutes or so fool you, the twists and action pick up considerably.
Future Tarzan star Jock Mahoney starred in several westerns in the 1950s along with the short-lived TV series "Range Rider" and later "Yancey Derringer." He plays a two-gun gunslinger dressed in black named Brad Ellison in this scenic western. Gilbert Roland, Lorne Green, and Linda Cristal co-star as friends and/or enemies. Basically, this is a track-down western with our lean, rugged hero on the trail of a dying man's brother who is willing to pay Ellison the kind of money that can change his life. Veteran western director George Sherman of "Big Jake" fame directed this 80-minute oater that never wears out its welcome. If you want to categorize "Last of the Fast Guns," then it falls into the decline of the western, rather like "The Magnificent Seven," as the wide open spaces have begun to shrink. Technically, based on the information that our hero shares with three other fast guns, "Last of the Fast Guns" takes place in the 1880s after the demise of Billy the Kid. "Johnny Concho" scenarist David P. Harmon penned this no-nonsense horse opera and his dialogue is exceptional. Rarely does anybody utter a line that isn't memorable. Although the characters may be thinly drawn, our hero undergoes a change by fade-out. A crippled man, John Forbes (Carl Benton-Red of "Escape from Fort Bravo"), waits in a dusty town to hire the survivor of a gunfight, and a reluctant Ellison agrees to ride south to Mexico and search for Edward Forbes. Essentially, "Last of the Fast Guns" concerns the journey as much as the ending. Once he crosses into Mexico, Ellison rides into the ranch of Michael O'Reilly (Lorne Greene) where he meets Miles Lang (Gilbert Roland of "Any Gun Can Play") who has spent his entire life searching for gold. Everybody that Ellison comes into contact with has a story about Edward Forbes, but nobody can tell our hero where to find this fellow or his grave. During his stay at the O'Reilly Ranch, Ellison saves Miles' life when a bad horse tries to attack him. No, our hero doesn't shoot the horse. Suffice to say that everybody survives this fracas. Miles agrees to accompany Ellison on his search as a way of thanking him for saving his life."Last of the Fast Guns" packs surprises and reversals. Western fans will love this oater.
After viewing the fast draw at the waterhole many times in freeze-frame, I think it was faked. Looks like Mahoney started his draw with his gun out of his holster, and the sound of the gun clearing the holster was added post-production. Just my take on it.Superior-to-great script, charged dialog. Hate to say it, but the ending was a disappointment. The anticipated gunfight was short and the fight was resolved by other means. Better if Mahoney had just shot him dead. No film is perfect.When I was in Japan, this film was shown a number of times on their TV. The Japanese were big on things like friendship/betrayal.Give it a 9 because of the way it ended. Highly recommended.