Wonderful character development!

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The first thing to note here is that James Arness is a bad guy. I don't believe I've seen him in any other pre-Gunsmoke Westerns, so his casting as an outlaw was a bit of a surprise. His was the lead role though, quite likely a favor from half brother John Wayne and his filming company, Batjac Productions. I'd say it was a pretty good team up.The film opens with an 'Introducing Angie Dickinson' credit, so that was another cool eye opener. She had an ambiguous role here as saloon gal Janice, in a romance with Rem Anderson (Arness), but forced to leave with Rem's gang members Matt Rankin (Robert Wilke) and Ralph Farley (Don Megowan) after a successful bank robbery left Rem severely wounded and unable to ride. If anything, the sticking point I have with the story is why wouldn't Jan just up and leave the pair of outlaws at some point instead of taking up with Rankin.What's cool about this Western is the subtle psychological angle offered by Anderson's patient hunt for the guys who betrayed him, and Gunther Wells Sheriff Morton's (Emile Meyer) laid back approach to waiting him out before stepping in to prevent lawlessness in his town. Again though, it's never explained how Rem Anderson achieved his fast draw status in order to take out hired gunslinger Billy Deal (Micheal Emmett). That's probably why the showdown was dealt with off screen, with the sheriff cleverly treating the five thousand dollar bounty paid by Rankin as community property.The other remaining head scratcher for this viewer had to do with how Rankin decided to use his robbery proceeds to open the Red Dog Saloon not very far away from Palace City where the original hold up took place. Seems like the outlaws should have been fingered by this time. Either way, I couldn't figure out how Rankin kept the saloon profitable with no customers; there was never anyone else in the place besides himself, Farley and Jan.Well by the time it's over, Rem Anderson is just about a good guy, coming full circle in his quest for revenge. It was probably a good idea for the story that he didn't have to make a decision about taking back his former gal Janice. That was already decided for him when Rankin shot her in the back!!! What a low down, dirty dog.

In 1885, Rem Anderson (James Arness) teams up with the outlaws Matt Rankin (Robert J. Wilke) and Ralph Farley (Don Megowan) expecting to heist the Palace City bank and buy a ranch to live with his girlfriend Janice "Jan" (Angie Dickinson). However Rem is wounded and left behind by his comrades and girlfriend. He is arrested by a posse but he does not rat them. One year later, Rem is released from prison and seeks out his former partners. He meets the gunslinger Billy Deal (Michael Emmet) that gives the name of the town where Farley and Rankin are. On the arrival, Rem meets Sheriff Morton (Emile Meyer) and Deputy Lee (Harry Carey Jr.); then he finds his horse that had been stolen by Farley. What will Rem do with Farley, Rankin and Jan?"Gun the Man Down" is a flawed but entertaining unknown western and practically the debut of Angie Dickinson in the cinema. Emile Meyer steals the show in the role of a tranquil sheriff. The conclusion is flawed since Rem hunts down Rankin, Farley and Jan; he vanquishes Tankin, finds Jan near death; but he never finds Farley that was murdered by Rankin. Anyway, it is worthwhile watching this film. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Atire em Todos" ("Shoot Everybody")

John Wayne's Batjac Productions produced this tight B western starring James Arness as a young outlaw seeking revenge on his running buddies who left him to die. I'm betting this was probably filmed before Arness started Gunsmoke in 1955. He was certainly riding the same horse in this film as he did as Marshal Matt Dillon.Worse than just leaving Arness to die with a bullet in him as the posse was on his trail, Robert Wilke and Don Megowan also took Arness's woman Angie Dickinson with them. The posse gets to Arness and he's patched up, but he won't rat out his friends. He has his own plans for them even if he has to serve a year for the robbery to do it.Arness cuts a fine figure as a young outlaw who won't stand for a double cross. Wilke and Megowan are both western veterans and Wilke is a long time favorite villain in westerns. Angie Dickinson was 'introduced' in Gun The Man Down as a girl who'd like to be good, but has long forgotten how.Emile Meyer has a nice role here as a sheriff with Harry Carey,Jr. as his somewhat inpatient deputy. Meyer is a firm believer in what Noel Coward said about only mad dogs and Englishmen going out in the noon day sun. He's also a believer in letting the bad guys shoot it out so he has that many less to deal with. His philosophy seems to work.Gun The Man Down is a no frills western which is good on plot and characters. Andrew McLaglen made his directorial debut here and this is a harbinger of more good work by him on the big and small screen.

This was McLaglen first film as a director , he learned the trade from Budd Boetticher and John Ford. Burt Kennedy who used to work with Boetticher wrote the script. William Clothier the cinematographer used to work with both Boetticher and Ford. There is nothing unusual in the screenplay, except the character played by Angie Dickinson, Janice. She has a low self esteem which results in betraying her lover Rem (James Arness), when he is wounded and left alone. At the same time she has conflicting good feelings. But it is not only the unusual , but the conventional which contributes to make this such a remarkable western. It has the structure of a B western, but with great talent behind it. The intelligent script, the great camera angles, the precise pacing, excellent actors special mention to Dickinson and Michael Emmet as Billy Deal. You feel the influence of "High Noon" and "Winchester 73". Great scene where you see the shadow of a man and his rifle. Great western.