"40 Guns is an uneven western written, produced and directed by the legendary Samuel Fuller. It starts out OK but falls flat in the second half.
The story centers around "tough old broad" and powerful rancher Jessica Drummond (Barbara Stanwyck) who commands an army of 40 gunmen who do her every bidding. Who can ever forget the opening sequence with Stanwyck atop her white stallion riding at the head of two by twos followers.
The Bonell brothers, Griff (Barry Sullivan), Wes (Gene Barry) and Chico (Robert Dix) are riding in a buckboard to Tombstone when Jessica and her men ride past them with a great flourish. Griff and Wes are U.S. Marshals who have a warrant to serve in Tombstone.
In Tombstone Brockie Drummond (John Ericson) Jessica's kid brother, is shooting up the town. He wounds the hapless town marshal Chisum (Hank Worden in the process. When the Bonells arrive, Griff quickly disarms the reckless youth. Griff goes to Jessica's ranch to serve his warrant for the arrest of Howard Swain (Chuck Roberson) one of Jessica's men, for robbery. He takes Swain to jail where the Sheriff Ned Logan (Dean Jagger), also in Jessica's employ has him murdered. Logan is a snake in the grass who will do anything to protect Jessica.
Wes, meanwhile, has met Louvenia Spangler (Eve Brent) the daughter of gunsmith Shotgun Spangler (Gerald Milton) and the two fall in love. Griff and Wes try to convince Chico to go to California to be with their parents but he refuses. He even manages to save Griff from an ambush orchestrated by Logan.
Later Griff meets Jessica at her childhood home, which she has preserved and the two get caught up in a tornado. It is from here that the film begins to falter. They have a roll in the hay and Jessica suddenly transforms from the all powerful rancher to the meek and obedient servant of Griff. Somehow she begins to lose her power and her belongings.
Wes and Louvenia get married and as they come out of the church, Wes takes a bullet meant for Griff from the gun of Brockie. Griff goes after the youth and finds him, now get this, under a bed in Jessica's childhood home. He goes meekly with Griff to jail. Now there seems to be a gap here. The next scene has Brockie already tried and convicted, ready to be hung with Jessica lamenting his fate.
Brockie subdues the deputy and takes Jessica hostage forcing a showdown with Griff in the street. Now I know that the studio changed the original ending but the final shoot out as presented, is a little bizarre. Jessica's overnight recovery from her wound is unbelievable and her chasing after Griff as he leaves in his buckboard is more than a little out of character.
Any resemblance between this film and "Gunfight at the OK Corral" and the Earp brothers, is purely coincidental. Riiiiighhhht!
Fuller did better.
The story centers around "tough old broad" and powerful rancher Jessica Drummond (Barbara Stanwyck) who commands an army of 40 gunmen who do her every bidding. Who can ever forget the opening sequence with Stanwyck atop her white stallion riding at the head of two by twos followers.
The Bonell brothers, Griff (Barry Sullivan), Wes (Gene Barry) and Chico (Robert Dix) are riding in a buckboard to Tombstone when Jessica and her men ride past them with a great flourish. Griff and Wes are U.S. Marshals who have a warrant to serve in Tombstone.
In Tombstone Brockie Drummond (John Ericson) Jessica's kid brother, is shooting up the town. He wounds the hapless town marshal Chisum (Hank Worden in the process. When the Bonells arrive, Griff quickly disarms the reckless youth. Griff goes to Jessica's ranch to serve his warrant for the arrest of Howard Swain (Chuck Roberson) one of Jessica's men, for robbery. He takes Swain to jail where the Sheriff Ned Logan (Dean Jagger), also in Jessica's employ has him murdered. Logan is a snake in the grass who will do anything to protect Jessica.
Wes, meanwhile, has met Louvenia Spangler (Eve Brent) the daughter of gunsmith Shotgun Spangler (Gerald Milton) and the two fall in love. Griff and Wes try to convince Chico to go to California to be with their parents but he refuses. He even manages to save Griff from an ambush orchestrated by Logan.
Later Griff meets Jessica at her childhood home, which she has preserved and the two get caught up in a tornado. It is from here that the film begins to falter. They have a roll in the hay and Jessica suddenly transforms from the all powerful rancher to the meek and obedient servant of Griff. Somehow she begins to lose her power and her belongings.
Wes and Louvenia get married and as they come out of the church, Wes takes a bullet meant for Griff from the gun of Brockie. Griff goes after the youth and finds him, now get this, under a bed in Jessica's childhood home. He goes meekly with Griff to jail. Now there seems to be a gap here. The next scene has Brockie already tried and convicted, ready to be hung with Jessica lamenting his fate.
Brockie subdues the deputy and takes Jessica hostage forcing a showdown with Griff in the street. Now I know that the studio changed the original ending but the final shoot out as presented, is a little bizarre. Jessica's overnight recovery from her wound is unbelievable and her chasing after Griff as he leaves in his buckboard is more than a little out of character.
Any resemblance between this film and "Gunfight at the OK Corral" and the Earp brothers, is purely coincidental. Riiiiighhhht!
Fuller did better.