Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

One of the wrost movies I have ever seen

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

The movie does well, but not for his direction, script, photography or even wardrobe, which are acceptable. The line that separates this movie from the classic battered western movie is its peculiar choice of actors. Starring Johnny Cash and Kirk Duglas, the plot is based on the expectation of the town folk for knowing who of the two is the best gunman, when Abe Cross arrives at the town where Will Tenneray is trying to set a quiet life for himself. All in all, it's one of those acceptable movies, except in this case there are two iconic American characters.

I picked this up as a part of a set of dozen DVDs worth of westerns. I like westerns and I figured these would be good enough entertainment and wouldn't force me to use my brain after I get home from work.This was the first one of the movies I decided to watch, probably because I was intrigued by seeing Cash in a western. I knew he did some acting, but I had never seen any of his acting work before. I did notice that a clip from the movie made its way into Cash's video for "Hurt".I guess this was sort of typical for a movie from the revisionist era of westerns. It explores the themes of becoming old and the world you knew is dying around you. Granted, its no Wild Bunch or Unforgiven, but in its own way it is good. Not much action, which probably lost the movie a good share of its audience, but this isn't that kind of movie. These are men who are past their need for quick adrenaline fixes.The film puts much focus on the blood thirst of the townsfolk, which is in its way also a comment on the audience. The cruelty of the whole setup becomes quite poignant at the bull fight. The images of the bull being killed and afterwards slaughtered were a nice reminder of what the people were truly after.The ending isn't a real double ending. The part in which Tenneray actually won the duel, was just a fantasy by Cross. The idea was to show that even if it had ended differently, things wouldn't have been better for the Tenneray family.Also, any fan of the genre can appreciate the man in black actually winning the final duel. It goes against all the rules of western. Personally, I love it.However, mostly the film was fairly boring, straightforward and predictable. It wasn't the mind-numbing stuff I was looking for, but it wasn't the great artistic movie experience I look for when I'm not totally tired by work either. It falls somewhere between. I was hovering somewhere between 7 and 8, but in the end it rounded down to 7. Still worth watching, but not worth going through any trouble to see it.

As one of Cash's most ardent music fans, I have unfortunately almost always been disappointed with his performances on the silver screen. His films are usually poorly written, shot, edited (which you can almost always blame the director.) This one, I was almost thrown out of my chair. Though Cash was not a disciplined actor he had his charisma, and the director, for all his faults recognized this and seemed less inclined to dictate him and just let The Man say his lines the way Cash himself would say them. Though this film is not for everyone, those who appreciate westerns and those especially inclined towards the late, great Man In Black will appreciate it. If given the choice, I recommend the 1989 re-release on VHS titled "Dueling Guns."

I think I just enjoy this movie because of the actors. The story isn't the best and if you're looking for great art, go elsewhere. But, if you're a fan of Douglas and Cash and would like to see a few other notables on screen, sit back and enjoy the flick with a few beers.