This movie was made very near the end of Robert Taylor's life; a tragic, tragic loss. He was simply superb in this film, proving his earliest critics, wrong, wrong, wrong about his acting skills. I read recently the he was very compliant with the wishes of the studio bosses who made him a star in the 1930s. We must give them credit for being very successful in the use of his image and talent. In this film he is nothing like any of the characters of his earliest films, which demonstrates his extraordinary acting range. Like his other films, his performance is very seamless and smooth. You can tell that he is very comfortable in the skin of his character. I read recently that he never tried to stretch himself into roles that were not comfortable. The story itself was a bit stupid/illogical (the reason for the 9*) but all of the actors performed at a very high level. I recommend the film because of Taylor's performance. Watch his face, his expressive eyes and listen to that magnificent voice ..... He had "it". He always had "it".
Review of Return of the Gunfighter
