A wacky western. Of course, the idea of a woman on a white horse leading 40 men on brown horses through the wilderness, wherever she wanted to take them, is absurd. If on a regular basis, that would have cost a fortune for a rancher, unless maybe they were also wranglers on a large ranch. Perhaps an exaggerated feminist statement? The problem for Jessica(Barbara Stanwyck) is that the new man she realized is the man for her isn't among her 40. His name is Griff Bonell: one of 3 brothers who came to town mainly to pick up a deputy accused of stealing US mail. They would have trouble from Jessica's much younger trigger-happy brother(son?) Brockie, whom Jessica pampered, bribing governmental officials and juries to get him out of jail or acquitted for disturbing the peace or shooting someone, mostly. But this babying of her brother conflicted with her growing infatuation with Griff. This was especially true after Brockie shot brother Chico just after his wedding, right next to his bride, still in her wedding dress. Brockie was soon locked up for this murder, as well as the murder of the deputy accused of stealing mail. Crazy Jessica gave away all her immense property trying to bribe the judge, etc. to cancel the charges against Brochie. However, when he was being transferred to another prison, he got loose, got a gun, and, using Jessica as a shield, began shooting on the street, killing one man. Griff came out of a nearby building, and, using a support beam as a cover, shot Jessica, who clutching her abdomen, slumped to the ground, apparently dead, then shot Brochie, behind her, several times. Griff carried Jessica's body down the street, presumably to the doctor's. Looks like the film is going to end a tragedy. But, in the next segment, incredibly, we see Jessica strolling down the street, with no hint that she had been wounded! Soon, Griff is in his buckboard, starting on his way to California, alone. Jessica sees him and runs down the street, hopping into the buckboard: Presumably, a happy ending, after all....... As I see it, the theme of this film is similar to that of the prior "Calamity Jane" and the subsequent "Ballad of Josie", both starring Doris Day. The message in all 3 films is that it is ok for strong women to take on roles traditionally reserved for men, to show they can succeed. But, eventually, they should ease up on the throttle, and form a partnership with a man. Thus, the ideal course is to exercise your feminist rights, then regress a bit, back to being more of a traditional wife.......Like some others, I felt that Barbara was a bit long in the tooth to be Jessica. A woman perhaps 10 or so years younger would have been more believable......I especially liked the tornado segment, following Jessica's being dragged by her horse due to her spur being caught in the stirrup. Afterward, Jessica and Griff lay down, telling more about themselves, and strengthening their romantic feelings.......Of course, the beginning segment, where Jessica is leading her 40 men down the road where the 3 brothers are traveling in a buckboard looks rather spectacular. See it at YouTube.

One of the best westerns. Good script by Fuller adapting the Wyatt Earp tale with a female character added. That Barbara Stanwyck did the scene where she is dragged by the horse herself is amazing at age 49, when a stunt double opted out! Stanwyck is memorable throughout. Spectacular low angle cinematography by Joseph Biroc. The pre-titles opening sequence is unforgettable. Fuller's decision to shoot the film in b/w cinemascope is intriguing but laudable.

"Forty Guns" (1957) is an excellent Western, directed, produced and written by cult director Samuel Fuller, who made such classics as "The Big Red One" (1980) among others. The plot of it is unusual, which is about a powerful rancher, played by Barbara Stanwyck, who rules an Arizona county with her private posse of hired guns. When a new Marshall called Griff Bonnell (Barry Sullivan) arrives to set things straight, the cattle queen finds herself in love with the avowedly non-violent lawman. Both have itchy-fingered brothers, which ends in some surprising deaths.For a movie made in America during the fifties, when the censors where still in full force, it is quite a violent film with more than your average number of deaths. Interestingly, at one point, the camera focus's only on Sullivan's eye's, in a style not dissimilar from what Leone dd in his Spaghetti Westerns years after. The photography is splendid, with long, long tracking shots and high contrast black and white photography. The script is more than a little odd, but it does the movie no harm, apart from an annoying happy ending.In conclusion, this is a very different Western than from what was being made at the time with a number of hugely enjoyable stylistic touches. A must for all fans of the Western genre.

I found myself vaguely disappointed by this film. I have mixed feelings on Sam Fuller thus far-- I LOVED "Pickup On South Stree" (one of my favourites from the 1950's), but "Shock Corridor" did absolutely nothing for me. "The Naked Kiss" was one heck of a ride while it lasted but I'm not sure I ever want to see it again. So to this film--It was okay, quite good in places, but nowhere near the provocative cult classic I was expecting. I found the whole thing very hard to follow. Maybe Fuller's film had studio-imposed cuts? I don't know, but the plot seemed to jump around all over the place and never fully engaged my interest. Stanwyck is convincing as the tough woman, and her dialogue exchange with love interest Barry Sullivan over his gun is worth the price of the DVD alone. She has this strange relationship with her brother that you can never quite put your finger on. Some scenes are very good, others are instantly forgettable. It just wasn't the film I was hoping for.