Death of a Gunfighter Blu-ray Review: A Gem of a Western from 1969

Death of a Gunfighter directed by Robert Totten, finished by Don Seigel, and credited to “Alan Smithee” is a great story with plot points that run deeper than the average sagebrush yarn. Set in the early 1900s, the story centers around a lawman (Ricard Widmark) whose old west ways don’t match up with the march of time and progress. The supporting cast features a who’s who of major names in various roles that include Lena Horne, Carroll O’Connor, John Saxon, Dub Taylor, Royal Dano, Harry Carey Jr., and Victor French to name a few. 

The American West is quickly becoming civilized and the town of Cottonwood Springs is steaming full speed ahead into modernity complete with a horseless carriage. A casualty of that progress is town marshal Frank Patch (Widmark), an old-style law enforcer who isn’t afraid to pull his sidearm and let lead fly when needed. After Patch kills a drunk who is out gunning for him, the town council takes the opportunity to send Patch packing. Trouble is, Patch was promised his job “for as long as he wants it” and he still wants it. When the council decides to match violence with violence, things get bloody and the plot thickens. We begin to learn the real reasons why they fear Patch and want him gone. It seems Patch knows, or rather the town folks presume he knows, too much about their seedy secrets, which pushes them to act in uncivilized, tribal ways. 

Death of a Gunfighter plays like a through-the-looking-glass version of High Noon (1952) with Gary Cooper. With its themes of hypocrisy, racism, and blunt sexuality, it’s a movie that could not have been made just 10 years earlier in 1959. Thanks to the rise of the spaghetti western, cultural chaos, and changing attitudes in Hollywood, this relevant story was able to be told on the silver screen. Widmark, at 55 years of age, is perfect for the role, much as Cooper was for High Noon. The mileage that his face conveys is that of a man who’s been around, knows how to handle himself while doing his dangerous job, and keeps his mouth shut in the process. 

Certain scenes highlight that he’s not only the protector of the town’s people and property but of its dirty secrets. Sure, he’s got a short-fused temper but he’s not a cold-blooded killer and at times his quiet good nature shows through. Widmark plays well next to co-stars Lena Horne and the young Michael McGreevey while standing in solid contrast against the weaselly O’Connor and the (not so) upstanding town folk that include Morgan Woodward and Larry Gates. There’s also a blink and you’ll miss it shot of O.J. Simpson as someone peeking out of a door. 

The audio commentary by film historians Steve Mitchell and Dwayne Epstein is informative as they point out the great cinematography and how real the Universal backlot looks with Totten and Siegel behind the camera. It’s also here that we learn that Totten was removed due to creative differences with Widmark during filming and replaced by Seigel. Both historians do a great job revealing many facts about the supporting cast like Royal Dano is the voice behind Abe Lincoln in the Disney attraction Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. From them, we also find out that Widmark was partially deaf and couldn’t hear a thing out of one ear. What I found truly amusing was that neither seemed to notice Simpson blatantly standing in a doorway for a quick second.

Death of a Gunfighter is a gem of a movie that deserves a place alongside the more well-known “end of the west” classics that debuted in 1969 like The Wild Bunch and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.