Seven Men from Now

1956 western

Rating: 15/20

Plot: An ex-sheriff seeks revenge on the seven men who robbed a Wells Fargo and killed his wife in the process. As he journeys, he encounters a struggling half-a-man and his wife pioneering from Kansas City to California. He assists them. He also runs into old nemesis Bill Masters, a man whom he had put in jail on two separate occasions. Bill and his sidekick Clete decide to tag along so they can possibly get their hands on the stolen 200,000 bucks after Ben Stride finishes the robbers off. The party tries to survive the elements and horse-eatin' Injuns as they ride toward their destination.

Good traditional Western with some good characters--a real snake for a bad guy (Lee Marvin) and a stoic toughy for a good guy (Randolph Scott in a role originally intended for John Wayne). Gail Russell is also a mighty fine (lookin') actress. (Died at 37 of a heart attack, for the record.) It's also one of those Westerns where the scenery--in this case some jagged wasteland, some mountains, some rivers, some storms--becomes a character or at least becomes as important as the characters. Some real pretty shots anyway. I would have liked to see more darkness in the story, more darkness than the mid-50's would have allowed. I would have also liked to have more characterization for the seven guys he's chasing. They were just there to be killed, sort of like cardboard targets at a shooting gallery, and giving them individual personalities or quirks would have made the movie longer but also more intriguing. Its succinctness, however, is probably part of the appeal. There's hardly a wasted moment. Good little story with some surprising twists.

Here's the back of my head again: