Sterling Hayden is a deputy out for revenge when a bandit gang murders his friend and mentor, an old-time marshal. Yvonne DeCarlo is a dance-hall floozy headed for California who runs into Hayden on the trail and eventually falls for him (after he pushes her around and even slaps her a couple of times). The Arizona scenery--it was shot around Sedona--is attractive and there's a good, for the most part, cast of western veterans: Robert J. Wilke, Lane Chandler, John Pickard and Zachary Scott (who seems wildly out of place as a dandified bounty hunter). But the story is trite, the dialogue is lame and the only time the movie actually comes alive for any amount of time is during the bursts of action, which veteran director Lesley Selander handles with his usual skill at these things. Other than that, there's not much to recommend this film. Hayden pretty much sleepwalks through the part, and although DeCarlo is supposed to be his love interest, they in fact have no chemistry whatsoever and whatever "romance" there is comes across as forced, not helped by DeCarlo's overacting. It's pretty much a run-of-the-mill western--better than some, not as good as most. It's not totally without merit, but doesn't have enough to recommend it.
Review of Shotgun
