Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Disappointment for a huge fan!

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Jimmy Ringo is a famous gunfighter, widely known as the "fastest gun in the West". Despite his fame, however, Ringo has become disillusioned with life. He is estranged from his wife, Peggy, and as a result of this estrangement has not seen his young son, also named Jimmy and now eight years old, since he was a baby. Simply walking away from his fame, however, is harder than it seems, because it has made him the target of every young punk eager to make a name for himself as "the man who shot Ringo." Early in the film one such punk, a hot-headed young cowboy named Eddie, deliberately picks a fight with Ringo, who is forced to shoot him dead. Because Eddie drew first, the killing is regarded as legitimate self-defence, but Eddie is forced to leave town to escape the vengeance of Eddie's angry brothers.Ringo flees to the nearby town of Cayenne. He has two reasons for going there. The first is that the local Marshal, Mark Strett is an old friend of his. The other is that he knows that Peggy is living in the town, although he does not know her address or the name she currently goes by. Despite their friendship, Strett urges Ringo to leave Cayenne, fearing (correctly) that his presence there will lead to trouble, but he refuses to do so until he has had a chance to speak to Peggy, with whom he is hoping for a reconciliation so that they can start a new life together. The longer Ringo remains in Cayenne, however, the more he is in danger- from Eddie's brothers, who have tracked him down, from a man who believes (wrongly) that Ringo killed his son and is out for revenge, from and Hunt Bromley, another youngster "ardent for some desperate glory", to use the words of Wilfred Owen from another context. The rights to film the story were originally acquired by Columbia Pictures, who offered the role of Ringo to John Wayne. He turned it down- not, apparently, because he disliked the script but because of a dislike for Columbia's president, Harry Cohn. Columbia then sold the rights to Twentieth-Century Fox, who cast Gregory Peck in the role. Many years later, however, Wayne was to play a similar character in his final film, "The Shootist". Both films have at their centre a notorious but disenchanted gunslinger who knows that he has not lived a good life and is seeking reconciliation and redemption. Wayne's character in "The Shootist", however, is an old and sick man who knows that he does not have long to live, whereas Ringo is a relatively young man in the prime of life. (Peck would have been 34 in 1950). The film was not a success when first released, and allegedly for an unusual reason- Gregory Peck's moustache. Jimmy Ringo was loosely based upon a real-life gunfighter named Johnny Ringo who sported a particularly luxuriant moustache, so the normally clean-shaven Peck followed suit. American audiences in the fifties, however, generally preferred their masculine screen idols to be free of facial hair, and stayed away. Hollywood learned its lesson. When "Gunfight at the OK Corral" was made a few years later, Burt Lancaster and his co-stars were all clean-shaven, even though they were portraying historical characters such as Wyatt Earp who had worn moustaches in real life. It may be because of its lack of success at the box-office that, even today, "The Gunfighter" tends to be less well-known than other classic Westerns from the fifties, such as "Shane", "Broken Arrow", "High Noon", "The Naked Spur", "The Searchers" or "The Big Country", which also starred Peck. In my view, however, it is unjustly neglected and deserves to rank alongside films of this quality. Peck, a thoughtful, intelligent actor gives his normal thoughtful, intelligent performance. His Ringo is a man who has achieved what was once his great ambition, to become a famous gunfighter, but who realises too late that fame won by violence is a trap from which he cannot escape and that in pursuing it he has thrown away love and friendship, which are of far greater value. (This is a lesson which Bromley still has to learn). Peck's contribution is balanced by that of Millard Mitchell as Marshal Strett. It is strongly implied that Strett, who is older than Ringo, may have been a lawless character himself in his younger days and that his service as a lawman is his way of atoning for his past. He tries to perform this service, however, by using the minimum amount of force necessary- unlike most Marshals he does not carry a gun- and this is something for which Ringo respects him. There have been many Westerns which have celebrated violence or served it up for our routine entertainment. Intelligent Westerns try to say something meaningful about it. The best examples of the genre, of which "The Gunfighter" is one, succeed in doing so. It deserves to stand alongside the likes of "High Noon", "The Big Country" and "The Shootist", and there is no higher compliment I can pay a Western than to rank it in that company. 9/10

Infamous Gunfighter Jimmy Ringo (Gregory Peck) is tired of his reputation. Young Eddie deliberately provokes Ringo and draws on him. Eddie is killed and his three brother are coming for Ringo. They don't care that Eddie drew first. Ringo rides into the small town of Cayenne. He wants to reunite with his love Peggy (Helen Westcott) and their young son. However she lives under a different name to hide from her past. The barkeep Mac (Karl Malden) recognizes the gunman. Sheriff Mark Strett (Millard Mitchell) is actually an old running mate. As always, Ringo has to deal with a young gunslinger Hunt Bromley (Skip Homeier) looking to make a name for himself. Meanwhile Eddie's three brothers are closing in.This is a modern western of the weary gunfighter. It was probably before its time. These characters are terrific and Gregory Peck anchors the whole thing. The story builds tension throughout. There are wonderful comedic scenes like the town wives who complain about Ringo without knowing that they are talking to Ringo himself. I would like the female lead to be somebody more compelling. Otherwise, this is a great western.

Almost a classic western. Was all set up for it. Had the interesting back-story, the bad guy trying to be a good guy, the tension - will he survive?, the bad guys breathing down his neck. However, unfortunately this was eroded by sentimentality, and a strong feeling of inevitability about the outcome. The ending also wasn't entirely satisfactory.Solid performance by Gregory Peck in the lead role (then again, he doesn't give bad performances). Good support from Millard Mitchell, as the Marshall. Karl Malden, in an early-career role, is a touch irritating as the hyperactive barman.Overall, a good western, but could have been a GREAT western.

Henry King's western, The Gunfighter (1950), follows the story of Jimmy Ringo played by Gregory Peck. Ringo is a wanted murderer and known as the fastest draw in the west. A lot of ground is covered in the 85 minutes of the film as there is seemingly all the time in the world. This is largely due to King's direction for the camera to linger on two-shots throughout. The dialogue is fast, snappy, punchy and is delivered well by the actors. Peck puts in a strong performance, displaying the cool, calm and collected aura of the character that is reflected in the script. Overall, The Gunfighter is a high quality western and a very enjoyable film. Although at times it felt slightly too slow, it holds up extremely well for a film that was made over 60 years ago, without lots of action and special effects.