This was my first look at Macdonald Carey and I can't say I was very impressed with his role as the gunman who cleans up Dutch Flats. He showed none of the charisma of a Western hero, and it didn't help that the mystique of his quick gun hand was regarded as some kind of supernatural hex placed on his Colt Wesson .44. The film could have gotten a little more mileage out of that plot element but it really didn't get the right treatment. I got the same impression as a prior reviewer on this board, and quite independently came up with a 'Twilight Zone' type link between the gun and the spooky music that celebrated each victim. The romantic link with Audrey Totter's character also didn't seem quite right to me; at least Smith (Carey) figured out that she was really the one pulling the strings against the Corleys. You know what really struck me as supernatural though? How did old man Corley know Smith/Yancey gunned his boys down when he just got in to town?

Despite my love for Westerns, this one was tough to enjoy. The pacing is extremely slow, the characters are not well crafted, and the dialogue is frequently ridiculous. Example: the rich old rancher who rules the town mutters `profound' dialog to himself such as, `All I know is . . . when your dead, your dead for a looooong time'.Most of the music is produced by a sleepy harmonica, a mournful violin, and a tinkling harp -- except for the title theme, which is a plodding song with dreadful lyrics and no discernible melody, performed by an untalented baritone.McDonald Carey does a competent acting job amidst some serious scenery chewing. Even Warren Stevens (Doc from `Forbidden Planet') is swimming upstream in this one. His dialogue is dreadfully melodramatic, and his fight scene with Carey is badly staged, clumsily edited, and unintentionally funny.The most implausible part of the story is the characters' belief that Carey's gun is `magic'. The bad guy (Stevens) is obsessed with getting it because he thinks it'll make him a perfect shot. This misplaced supernatural element, plus the somber mood of the film, the black & white photography, and the strange, almost ghostly music during the climactic gunfight makes the film play like a `Twilight Zone' episode.

Man or Gun is an interesting film, which is unusual as most 1950s B Westerns are definitely not very interesting, most being retreads of earlier, better films. However, in this film there is inventive camera work with interesting angles and crane shots, an intelligent plot, a good use of music, sound and silence, and decent acting. It is all the more the unusual as being well directed by a man whose career was comprised of 9 films all directed in a single 5 year period (1956-1961), Albert Gannaway. While not a great film, it is a good one.The plot involves Fran Dare (Audrey Totter), a saloon owner, and her partner manipulating a fast drawing stranger (Macdonald Carey) with a gun that holds a growing superstitious significance to those around him. He is used to wrest control of the town from the Corleys and to extract some measure of revenge for Fran, whose father had been killed by the Corleys. The town's aged sherriff spends his time in his office, playing checkers, trying to avoid trouble, and swearing that since he had been in office there had been "no killings, only legal shootouts".Both Audrey Totter and Macdonald Carey had long careers, both appearing in over 50 films and in various televisions series.The film has more the feel of the great physcological westerns of the 1950s than your standard Randolph Scott oater.The final 20 minutes of the movie include an inventive gunfight at a farmhouse and a well done climax.

I just saw this on cable, and knowing nothing about it before hand, I found myself slowly drawn into the story. I wanted to know what would happen to these characters, and what was really motivating them. I ended up really enjoying it.All the leads play characters who are intense, and are flawed in various ways. Also, we never get a whole lot of background on the characters, just enough to intrigue me and keep me watching.At times, I found myself comparing the directorial and writing style to some of the early Dragnet TV episodes from the 1950's. Being black and white, the lighting is subdued, almost flat. The shootings are quick and intense and almost matter of fact.In conclusion, I really enjoyed it but suspect it is not for everyone.