People are voting emotionally.

Good start, but then it gets ruined

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Absolutely the worst movie.

It's late 19th century. The small mining town of Warlock is under siege from lawless cowboys. Their sheriff is run off by the gang and the town hides in fear. Notable members of the gang include the violent Curley Burne (DeForest Kelley), leader Abe McQuown, Billy Gannon, and his older brother Johnny Gannon (Richard Widmark) who hates the group's back shooters. After the killing of the barber, a group of town people decides to hire marshal Clay Blaisedell (Henry Fonda) and his right hand man Tom Morgan (Anthony Quinn). Lily Dollar arrives in town looking to take revenge on Blaisedell and Morgan but is intercepted by stagecoach bandits.The start is a standard western and it's got big time acting names. It turns into something more complicated. The mixing of moral ambiguity makes this more complex but also a muddier affair. It does get bogged down with expositions in the first half at times. The story serves better as a darker, amoral, grittier western but this is stuck as a western of its time. It tries hard to make Johnny a white hat and I can't accept it. It may work if Johnny is a new cowboy or the town folks are blame worthy in some way. Losing his brother should affect him in a different way but he insists on being a boy scout. I wonder if this gets remade that it would be a much more compelling character study. The complex material is limited by some clean cut character portrayals. The natural heroism of Fonda and Widmark is too clear. Despite it all, this is intriguing western material with great stars.

There is no doubt that this Film was brilliantly put together both in Direction and Star Quality. When you put together Henry Fonda, Richard Widmark and Anthony Quinn, you know you are in for a treat. The story is quite superb and a far cry from many of the Westerns being churned out in the Fifties. As the Marshal who is quite dangerous, in his own way, Fonda is really the star around which so much resolves. Widmark as a reformed outlaw turned Deputy Sheriff plays his role to perfection, while Anthony Quinn as the crippled close friend of the Marshal is integral to the final outcome. They are greatly supported by a well-worn Dorothy Malone, and to me at least a surprising good performance by Tom Drake as the cruel and somewhat cowardly leader of the Outlaws. It is one of the last Cinemascope big movies by Fox, and the photography and atmosphere are quite spectacular.

Warlock represents one of those western timepieces when the sets, characters and colours had that certain shade to them and before the cynicism of the 60's. The classic situation where the town brings in a hired lawman to help them against an evil gang who are taking too much for granted and become too powerful.Clay has his standards albeit they are not those of normal townsfolk while his friend and to some extent mentor Tom Morgan (Quinn) has no such illusions. He is a hard faced yet likable killer probably the one man actually faster than Clay. He sets up his gambling and hostess den to earn as much money as quickly as possible and then moves on. No commitments. Quinns character could have been developed more but perhaps that might have detracted from the storyline. DeForrest Kelly is entertaining as the slightly friendly gang member while Richard Widmarks part while it follows a standard pattern of the time is sometimes corny perhaps even boring. Not a classic western in the best sense but definitely one you will find yourself looking At again and again it is simply enjoyable.

Muddled, confusing and miserable are 3 words in our language that best describe this 1959 film. Even a great director and stellar cast can't survive the putrid writing.Henry Fonda is a lawman-gunslinger who acts more like a philosopher. First time I've seen Richard Widmark, who got top billing, for this absolute mess actually cry when his arm is broken. He was really crying for probably being in such an awful film. His role is muddled, and lacks his usual insanity and absolute devilish behavior.Fonda talks as if he is back in "The Grapes of Wrath." The film, subject wise, has no direction. Anthony Quinn, as the real killer, is never revealed for the awful deed he committed. Upon his death by Fonda, the latter suddenly extols his virtues and has the guys sing Rock of Ages as he burns down the jail-house. Anyone figure that one out?40 minutes into this wreck, Dorothy Malone enters thinking that she is in her final scene in her Oscar winning "Written on the Wind." What a relief when Henry Fonda rides off into the sunset at the end, even though he is without his true love, played by Delores Michaels.Everyone is entitled to one bad film and the cast hit it with this awful picture.