The struggle between duty and compassion is the subject of this 1959 Western. Robert Taylor plays marshal Kinzie Beauvard who is known as the Hangman for his ability to arrest murderers. "I don't hang them", he says. "The judge does that."
The marshal enlists the help of a witness named Celia(played by Tina Louise) to arrest hold up suspect Johnny Bishop (played by Jack Lord). The marshal is embittered after 20 years of apprehending "rats". "Everyone has a price", he says. He begins to mellow as his reluctant witness makes him wait and later tries to confuse him. She knows the suspect but warns him that Beauvard is in town to arrest him. The suspect actually participated in the hold up, but he was an unwitting dupe. "I was a fool", he tells Celia. "I should have asked more questions" (before taking fresh horses to a rendezvous point for the real hold up men). As the movie progresses Beauvard becomes increasingly certain that Johnny Bishop is his man, but everyone in town rallies behind the suspect. He finally finds someone else who can identify Bishop as the man he wants. Big Murph (played by Gene Evans) agrees to finger him for a share of the reward but double crosses Beauvard and tries to help Bishop escape instead. "Why does everyone in town try to help him?", Beauvard asks the town marshal (played by Fess Parker). "Because Johnny has done so much for them", the town marshal replies. Ultimately, Beauvard gets his man but lets him escape at the end. "You see", the town marshal says, "Johnny did something for you, too". "No, Celia did it", Beauvard replies. He and Celia board the stagecoach for a new life in California.
On a technical level this black and white film offers little. It is not your typical Western. Outdoor sequences are few and there is little of the beautiful scenery we have come to expect from this genre. There is little action, but the good script and performances more than make up for it. There is a good blend of humor and serious dialogue. There is more than the usual depth to Marshal Beauvard's character. Beauvard is cynical and tough. He wanted to become a lawyer, he says, "but there was always one more rat to catch". This movie is about conscience. The struggle between duty and humanity is well told.
I have watched this minor Western many times and have enjoyed it each time.
The marshal enlists the help of a witness named Celia(played by Tina Louise) to arrest hold up suspect Johnny Bishop (played by Jack Lord). The marshal is embittered after 20 years of apprehending "rats". "Everyone has a price", he says. He begins to mellow as his reluctant witness makes him wait and later tries to confuse him. She knows the suspect but warns him that Beauvard is in town to arrest him. The suspect actually participated in the hold up, but he was an unwitting dupe. "I was a fool", he tells Celia. "I should have asked more questions" (before taking fresh horses to a rendezvous point for the real hold up men). As the movie progresses Beauvard becomes increasingly certain that Johnny Bishop is his man, but everyone in town rallies behind the suspect. He finally finds someone else who can identify Bishop as the man he wants. Big Murph (played by Gene Evans) agrees to finger him for a share of the reward but double crosses Beauvard and tries to help Bishop escape instead. "Why does everyone in town try to help him?", Beauvard asks the town marshal (played by Fess Parker). "Because Johnny has done so much for them", the town marshal replies. Ultimately, Beauvard gets his man but lets him escape at the end. "You see", the town marshal says, "Johnny did something for you, too". "No, Celia did it", Beauvard replies. He and Celia board the stagecoach for a new life in California.
On a technical level this black and white film offers little. It is not your typical Western. Outdoor sequences are few and there is little of the beautiful scenery we have come to expect from this genre. There is little action, but the good script and performances more than make up for it. There is a good blend of humor and serious dialogue. There is more than the usual depth to Marshal Beauvard's character. Beauvard is cynical and tough. He wanted to become a lawyer, he says, "but there was always one more rat to catch". This movie is about conscience. The struggle between duty and humanity is well told.
I have watched this minor Western many times and have enjoyed it each time.