Other than Ted DeCorsia's over the top performance as an outlaw gang leader, The Quick Gun will never rate as one of Audie Murphy's better big screen westerns.After Murphy does not accept DeCorsia's offer to get cut in on bank robbery in his old home town, Murphy who was going there anyway goes double quick to warn them. His own reputation as a gunslinger precedes him though and the townfolk are skeptical. Two of them uncle and nephew Walter Sande and Rex Holman want to kill him because of range war that took Murphy's father and Sande's two sons.But his friend sheriff James Best does believe him and so does the school teacher Merry Anders who has them both on a string and the town prepares.What comes after that is for you to see, but all I can say is Best the sheriff makes one colossally stupid mistake and the plot flows from there. But don't doubt that Audie doesn't save the day after most of the cast is killed in the siege of the town. Definitely not as good as some of his work for Universal in the previous decade.

The Quick Gun is directed by Sidney Salkow and written by Robert E. Kent. It stars Audie Murphy, Merry Anders, James Best, Ted de Corsia, Walter Sande and Rex Holman. A Techniscope/Technicolor production with cinematography by Lester Shorr and music by Richard La Shelle.1964 saw three Audie Murphy Westerns released, Bullet for a Badman was rather good, Apache Rifles was just above average and The Quick Gun was quite frankly poor. Which is a shame since the premise and double pronged dose of villainy showed good promise on the page. Plot essentially sees Murphy as Clint Cooper, a gunman returning to the town of Shelby two years after he had left because of killing two men. Although he was forced into the fight, many of the town denizens consider him an evil force, a problem since he is trying to get the whole town to understand that a gang of outlaws are on their way to pillage all and sundry. With the father of the two men killed by Cooper after his blood, the gang on their way and very much having Cooper in their sights since they know him well, Cooper has got it all to do to win the heart of the gal he loves and settle down in peace on his deceased father's ranch. Of course it's a narrative tailor made for a Murphy character, defend the town against all hostilities whilst proving himself as a just man. But it never amounts to much more than a few half hearted up-tempo scenes. There are a number of villains for Cooper to deal with, but they are weakly performed by the actors, marking them out as unconvincing, with Walter Sande as Tom Morrison laughable as we are expected to believe his old and bulky frame can give a lithe Murphy a good fist fight. This is one of the many false things that dominate the picture, the fights are ultra slow, the stunt doubles all too obvious and the town of Shelby itself is one of the most unconvincing I have seen in a B Western. The interiors are all pristine and pretty, often looking like how someone would decorate a Wild West themed restaurant, badly artificial.There's a decent sequence involving flames and as ever, Murphy is watchable and likable even in the most tawdry of Oaters, but this really smacks of unprofessionalism by those around him. Making it hard to recommend to anyone but the staunchest of Audie's fans. 5/10

This film opens with gunslinger Clint Cooper heading back to his home town of Shelby, Montana. Before he can get there he runs into Jud Spangler and his band of outlaws; Spangler is planning to head into Shelby and rob the bank. Spangler invites Clint to join him stating that he has reasons for going into town alone; after a brief confrontation Clint gets away and heads into Shelby. He is clearly not welcome there any more; we learn that he left after a shoot out that left two brothers dead; their father Tom Morrison and his nephew Rick are still determined to see Clint die. Clint warns his old friend Sheriff Scotty Grant that Spangler is going to attack soon. As the town prepares for Spangler's arrival Clint must deal with both the Morrisons and the fact that the woman he loved is now engaged to Scotty.This is a fairly standard Audie Murphy western; his character very similar to those he usually plays; the likable but misunderstood man who is quick with his gun. The plot is fairly simple with no unexpected twists but that doesn't really matter as it was fun to watch. There was plenty of decent action including shoot outs and a thrilling scene where Clint and Rick fight with baling hooks! As Spangler attacks the town a surprising number of townsfolk are gunned down and it is clear that his intentions towards the women are less than honourable. Murphy does a good job as Clint but Ted de Corsia steals the show as Spangler; a bit of a pantomime villain but a lot of fun to watch. Merry Anders put in a feisty performance as love interest Helen Reed; although her scenes with Spangler were more interesting that the potential love triangle involving Clint and Scotty. While this was obviously a fairly cheap B western it was still an enjoyable way to pass a quiet afternoon.

Fast paced but unsatisfying Western, starring Audy Murphy in a role he played more than once -- the tortured soul who wants to do the right thing, even though everyone is against him.Unfortunately, director Sidney Salknow presents us with a very simplistic plot and very two-dimensional characters. The film has the `small' look of a television episode, with overly neat and overly well-lite sets (even at night!).Still, the basic idea is good. Murphy is enroute to his home town to face up to the citizens who think he murdered the two sons of a local rancher, despite the fact that it was self-defense. Before arriving at the town, Murphy runs into the gang of outlaws he used to ride with. He finds out that they plan to rob the bank and burn the town to the ground.Murphy tries to warn the citizens, but their prejudice against him makes them reluctant to listen. But Sheriff James Best, an old friend of Murphy's, DOES believe, and he organizes the citizen to defend the town.The plot does plenty of unexpected things on its way to a reasonably satisfying climax, giving the film some merit in spite of itself. Merry Anders, the love interest, plays a key role in the climax, redeeming her less than stellar performance in the rest of the film. If you love Westerns (like me) and you're prepared for mediocre acting and lackluster direction, you can have fun with this one. Think of it as an imaginative amateur film that was made on a shoestring budget, starring a popular war hero who succeeded in a second career as an actor.On a personal note, Audy's `rig' (his gun and gun belt) is a whole lot more appealing and practical than those in most big-budget Westerns. And he doesn't wear it half-way to his knees! Western fans notice things like this. . .