Review of The Lone Gun

As a writer, I love studying the challenge offered by any "B" adventure. Lack of money to stage huge events usually in such a case of mounting a feature film production forces the producer to rely on dialogue, characters, actors and a choice of a subject that is less pretentious, more about relationship. Frequently, such a choice turns out to be more interesting than epic-sized doings, purposes and cardboard-character melodramatics. This is the case, I claim, with the low-budget adventure "The Lone Gun".This is a powerful storyline with an attractive cast well-directed by westerns' veteran Ray Nazarro. The plot line involves a drifter in the affairs of a small town. A proud young man, Skip Homeier, and his sister played by Dorothy Malone, have had their ranch taken over by a gang of outlaws led by Neville Brand, comprising Robert J., Wilkie, Douglas Kennedy and more. On his way into town the drifter, George Montgomery, meets a gambler well-played by Frank Faylen; later he teams up with a dangerous character played by James Griffith, manages to survive several attacks, solves the mystery and gets Malone back her ranch. By this time, Griffth has fallen in love with her too; but he decides not to press the point and a happy resolution is enjoyed by almost all. The accent in this unpretentious plot is on character; and the screenplay develops several very much more than is usual in an adventure script without sacrificing any of its admirable pace. Art Director Frank Sylos did a very fine job, and everything else works quite professionally. The film has an outdoor feel and the actors do nicely, particularly the loquacious Faylen and the outlaws. This is a good Montgomery vehicle, the sort of picture they do not make any more, one about people of clear purpose, implacable opponents of tyranny over them in its every form; here's one that got made and I suggest made quite winningly indeed.