THE FASTEST GUN ALIVE (1956)
Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 89 Minutes 45 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: B&W 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Russell Rouse
Cast: Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, Broderick Crawford, Walter Coy, Glenn Strange, John Dehner, Noah Beery Jr.
The Russell Rouse (The Thief) directed black and white psychological western The Fast Gun Alive (1956) opens in the town of Silver Rapids where hot-tempered outlaw gunslinger Vinnie Harold (Broderick Crawford, Liar's Moon) challenges another gunslinger named Clint Fallon (Walter Coy) who is also rumored to be the fastest gun alive. Fallon doesn't look to want to be tested, but left with little choice he accepts, and pays with his life. Afterward the town Sherriff (Glenn Strange, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein) arrives and tells Harold and his sidemen Swope (John Dehner, The Boys From Brazil) and Dink (Noah Beery Jr., Beyond Witch Mountain) to leave town, but not before a blind man offers the prophetic warning of "there's always someone faster". Meanwhile in the neighboring town of Cross Creek George Temple (Glenn Ford, The Courtship of Eddie's Father) and his pregnant wife Dora (Jeanne Crain, State Fair) live in the quiet life running the general store, he's a mild mannered sort of guy, who seemingly doesn't own a gun or drink, at least not the last four years that he and his wife have lived there. When the news of Harold gunning down Fallon reaches Cross Creek the locals flap their gums in excitement about it, which upsets Temple quite a bit. In fact he gets downright angry about it, and chases his clientele out of the store. Only his wife seems to know what's really got his goat, and we find out that he's harboring a secret past as a quickdraw sharpshooter that none of the locals know about, and the news of the murderous Harold has him itching to pull out his six-shooter. He attempts to fight the urge for the sake of his wife, but his usual pleasant demeanor gives way to an increasingly fidgety, irritable and sweaty fellow, he has the demeanor of a drug-addict fighting his urges as he attempts to follow his better angels, which I thought was a pretty interesting way to go about it.
Eventually Temple gets drunk and reveals his sharp-shooter past to a barroom full of locals, demonstrating out on the street for all to see his uncanny gun-slinging ability by shooting two silver-dollars right out of the sky and a mug of cold beer before it hits the ground from waist level, much to the amazement of the locals, declaring himself the fastest gun alive. However, at Sunday sermon her relinquishes his pistol to the priest for the benefit of his wife, vowing to never pick up another gun. This proves to be a difficult promise to keep when Harold and his lackies show up in town looking for fresh horses, now on the run from a posse after gunning down the brother of a Sherriff (Paul Birch, Not of This Earth) during a bank robbery in another town. The posse is only about two hours behind them and they should probably skedaddle Cross Creek toot-sweet, but a chance encounter with a young boy who witnessed Temple's six-shooter prowess reveals that this town has has it's own quick-draw gunslinger, which threatens braggart Harold's fragile ego, both men are like junkies, unable to walk away from opportunity to prove their six-shooter supremacy. Despite the posse closing in Harold cannot leave until he's tested his gun-barrel mettle against Temple, when the reluctant gunfighter initially refuses, and the good people of the village willing to give him up, Harold orders his men to douse the whole town in kerosine, threatening that if Temple doesn't come out of the church to draw against him he's gonna set it all on fire!
There's a bit more to the story than what I recount here, including some interesting character turns that add flavor to the this surprising psychological in nature western, with quick-draw gunslinging seemingly being used as a metaphor for drug addiction. It's not the showiest of westerns in regard to cinematography, there's precious few moments of open sky and high plains to take in, most of it shot in claustrophobic interior confines with tight shots that are taut and tense. The pistol duels are well-shot, and Ford and Broderick are quite good, both men compelled towards something and unable to stop themselves, even if they wanted to they couldn't. Heck, Temple tried and failed, it's almost preordained in a way how things wind-up. I enjoyed this one quite a lot, I would certainly call it a gem, but it has a few downsides; the story idea is strong, but it feels padded in several places to draw out the running time, and none more so than during an extended barn dance sequence featuring a dance routine from Russ Tamblyn. he's been in a ton of stuff through the years but I most recognize as Dr. Jacoby from David Lynch's Twin Peaks. He dances up a hillbilly storm and even incorporates a pair of manure shovels into the acts - but what the actual fuck this scene has to do with the rest of the film is baffling - not a damn thing, that's what - it's just here for padding. Was Tamblyn a 50's heartthrob? I honestly don't know, but the best as I can figure is they were trying to draw in the teen crowd?
Anyway, that bit of unnecessary padding aside this is still a tense western gem with an interesting psychological slant to it that I found downright compelling with a terrific turn from the always reliable Ford, recommended.
Audio/Video: The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from WAC with a new 4k scan from the OCN in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1). The black and white image looks wonderful, the source has been lovingly restored with excellent texturing and contrast. The perpetual beads of sweat pouring off Ford are evident throughout, and detail in the dusty environs and period clothing look fantastic. The film having been shot by cinematographer George Folsey (Forbidden Planet) looks solid, but is not overly showy or epic in scope, but well-composed just the same. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. It's sounds a bit vintage in the higher registers but is well-balanced and distortion free, plus the excellent score from André Previn (Bad Day at Black Rock) coming through full-bodied.
Sadly, no movie specific extras or audio commentary for this one, but we do get a pair of CinemaScope Tom & Jerry Sartoons via "Blue Cat Blues" and "Down Beat Bear" presented in HD, plus the original Theatrical Trailer for the feature. The single disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the original illustrated movie poster, which is also replicated on the Blu-ray disc.
Special Features:
- Tom & Jerry Cartoons - Blue Cat Blues (6:47) HD + Down Beat Bear (6:26) HD
- Original Theatrical Trailer (3:00)
Screenshots from the WAC Blu-ray:
Available to purchase from MovieZyng
