Today, "Death of a Gunfighter" has all but been forgotten, with the little memory of it being that it was the first movie to be given the "Alan Smithee" directorial credit. With that in mind, one may understandably expect a pretty bad movie, but surprisingly, the movie is actually fairly decent for the most part. Despite two directors working on the movie behind the Smithee pseudonym, the movie does have a consistent feel to it throughout. The action sequences are also pretty well done, though it should be noted that the movie is more of a character study than an action western. It's interesting that Widmark's character is not totally sympathetic, this contributing to the ability to see both sides equally of the big issue confronting the townspeople in the movie. You also see both sides of the attitude those townspeople have. The script is, I admit, a bit murky on a few details. And the movie often looks and feels that it was shot on the Universal Studio's backlot. But in the end, the movie is a decent western for those in the mood for an unconventional western drama (which includes the cynical ending of the movie.)

By 1969,the traditional American western was pretty much dead and buried, nothing but a distant memory, a relic of a bygone era, the genre had been reinvented in Europe by the Italians and Spaniards and the rootin' tootin' cowboy pictures audiences once loved and craved so much were replaced by the violent, symbolic and surreal Spaghetti Western.However,Universal,whose westerns had been so popular in the 1950s,still faithfully churned out the odd favourite just the way they had a decade earlier, DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER was one such film,. The plot is like this, in the small Texan town of Cottonwood Springs at the turn of the twentieth century, the sheriff Frank Patch(RICHARD WIDMARK)kills a drunk in self defence after the latter makes an attempt on his life, the town elders, who have wanted rid of Patch for some time because they feel they must move on from the violent ways of the past, persuade him to resign, but the stubborn lawman won't go down without a fight and elects to stay. The elders are now forced to use more brutal methods to get rid of Patch of Patch and after one of them commits suicide after being humiliated by Patch, the rest of the town and even his closest friends begin to alienate the Marshall as he descends on a downward spiral of self destruction...DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER is a brilliant movie, in my opinion one of Universal's best and this movie proves that they could still make a superb and exciting western similar to the ones they were famous for. GUNFIGHTER is a brutal and gripping tale of self destruction and the effects it can have on the individual, the storyline is quite unique and I have never come across one like it in a western since, although the title ruins it a little by giving the ending away. The camera-work is excellent and there's a lot of magnificent, Leone style close-up's which add to the taut, tense atmosphere of the film, the scene in which one of the town elders tries to kill Patch was really well directed and expertly shot and the viewer can almost feel the unease of the characters involved. The film's main action scene, the climatic mass shootout was absolutely fantastic, again the camera-work which plays a major part is amazing here, I loved the way the camera follows Patch as he shoots his way through the town's empty streets and buildings. The whole sequence was planned out and scripted in an outstanding way and the suspense of the whole sequence just topped it off, I was really impressed the way that there are parts of non stop shooting and then there were lulls in the violence to allow the viewer to digest the action. My favourite part of the shootout was when Patch chases a gunman into a corral packed with Cattle, shoots him in the ribs,lassoos him and drags him out behind his horse as they guy gets trampled over by several Cows. The end of the shootout was similar to that of a Spaghetti Western, a wounded Patch staggers down the empty street to meet his fate, all we hear is the wind blowing and then you get a shot of the Mayor striking a match and lighting his Cigarette which is suddenly followed of a semi close-up of Patch violently flinching as he is riddled with bullets.The acting and characters were great, Richard Widmark was excellent at showcasing the raw desperation and fear of a man out of touch with the modern world, I was also extremely impressed by the performances of Carroll O Connor and John Saxon and the town elders were an excellent bunch of scumbags.The only gripe I had with the film was that it got painfully slow at times and dragged terribly at times, there's too many scenes of long, boring dialogue which is completely pointless and at times irrelevant to the plot and there's scenes in which the characters tend to veer off into some of the most dreadful conservation I've ever heard.DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER is an exciting and awesome western with an intelligent, tight script and good strong characters portrayed solidly by a group of fine actors. As is the case with dozens of other westerns like it, GUNFIGHTER is definitely deserving of a DVD release.9/10.

Death of a Gunfighter is directed by Don Siegel and Robert Totten under the pseudonym of Alan Smithee. It's adapted to screenplay by Joseph Calvelli from the novel written by Lewis B. Patten. it stars Richard Widmark, Lena Horne and Carroll O'Connor. A Technicolor production it sees music is by Oliver Nelson and cinematography by Andrew Jackson. Plot sees Widmark as Patch, an old style lawman in the town of Cottonwood Springs, a town that the community elders want to see move with the times. When Patch kills a drunk in self defence, the town denizens see it as the ideal opportunity to oust him from office. But Patch isn't that keen to leave his post....It carries with it some historical cinematic value in that it was the first time the name Alan Smithee was seen on the directing credits. A name that come to be associated with films where the director who worked on it wanted his name off of the credits. Here it was Don Siegel, who only came in for the last two weeks of filming after Widmark and Totten fell out. The finished product, whilst no duffer, is still a lukewarm experience, not helped by the fact that the theme at its core has been done considerably better in other Western offerings. On the plus side there is Widmark stoically giving his anachronism role some real emotional depth, and the finale does not want for dramatic impact. But it plays out like a TV movie, with no visual flourishes, and the cosmopolitan make up of the townsfolk is not utilised to aid the story. 6/10

Cottonwood Springs, Texas wants to go into the new century courting eastern bankers and investors. The only thing holding things back is the fear of the citizens of their town Marshall, Frank Patch(Richard Widmark), who has a troubled past and an old way of dealing with justice and the law. No one can conjure the nerve to tell Patch he is no longer wanted; but they do have the gumption to gang up on him.Lean Horne plays Widmark's love interest. This strong cast also features: Carroll O'Connor, Jaqueline Scott, John Saxon, Dub Taylor and Victor French. DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER is the first crediting Alan Smithee as director. "Smithee" is credited when directors, for any reason, don't want their name associated with the movie. This particular film was originally directed by Robert Totten; but when he met disapproval from Widmark, Don Siegel finished directing.Horne sings a lovely and haunting tune called "Sweet Apple Wine".