Three outlaw buddies rob a bank, but one of them is wounded. His two partners and his girlfriend take his share of the loot and run off, leaving him to be captured by the sheriff. Years later, after he gets out of prison, he goes in search of his double-crossing partners and his faithless girlfriend.Although not widely known today, this is a great western and the precursor to "Gunsmoke" in many ways. But what really got me was how much it walks the line between a western and a gangster movie. While it is completely a western, there is a certain element that makes me think gangster: rather than ratting out his friends, a criminal is going to take care of them himself. That is very gangster.Interestingly, the producer was John Wayne's brother. Wayne's involvement in westerns is widely known, but how many people know his brother was also involved in his own way?

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.

I remember this movie from long ago & have read comments on it & must agree it is boring & predictable, however i would watch it again because i am a fan of James Arness & like nearly all western movies. It is rather comical that they were so cheap on the making of the film & that John Wayne produced the movie is most remarkable. James Arness I think did his best work on Gunsmoke anyway, & he was not destined to became a major movie star. I think with Angie Dickinson & Wilkes the other co-star that the movie could have been much better & should have had lots more western action in it. But alas it will be just another B western movie. Thank you