I sometimes like to watch films that just don't work because it shows you why other films work so well. Ninety percent of a good film is due to casting. "The Stranger Wore a Gun" is badly miscast. Scott was a straight-forward actor and here he is asked to deal with complications that are beyond his range. Macready was a great villain but not a western villain. He was too silky in voice and manner. He was a gentleman villain whose evil was best expressed over a Chateaubriand and a fine red - not a whiskey. Alfonso Bedoya could act but here he is given the role of a stereotypical buffoon. In "The Treasure of Sierra Madre" he was a deadly dangerous buffoon but not a clown as in this film. The script is so poor that even fine actors like Earnest Borgnine and Lee Marvin are uninteresting. If they can't lend color to a script, then you know it is a stinker. The story is an odd one. This is not always death to a film but in this case it seems that no one really knew the point of telling the story. Was it supposed to be entertaining? Did it have some moral or human truths to tell? If so, they were lost on me.It seems incredible that the experienced cast and crew made such a film but it is indicative of the fact that films, no matter who makes them, have elements that are beyond the control of their makers. No wonder directors are often so worried about how their test audience will respond to their film. And if you go for art, you run the risk of making junk. If you go for a B grader, you at least get a watchable Saturday afternoon potboiler. I think "The Stranger" went for something more than a matinée western that was the stock in trade of Randolph Scott and finished up with something that was neither fish nor fowl.

This film has a lot going for it, like Scott playing a different type of hero. If you really look into it, what kind of a good guy is he? He was a spy at Lawrence, Kansas and helped indirectly Quantrill kill people he was friendly with. After that he goes to Prescott, Arizona and becomes a spy again, this time against the stagecoach owners. Considering this western was directed by Andre de Toth (Day of the Outlaw, The Last of the Comanches, House of Wax) you would expect something better.There are many action scenes, which are the greatest fun in a western like this, but most poorly made. We also have great actors like Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and Claire Trevor. Perhaps De Toth got lost with so many 3D effects and did not concentrate on the movie, which had everything to succeed, specially one of the most interesting characters Scott ever played. Still, I cannot say I didn't enjoy it.

i liked this western.it isn't the greatest western i have seen,but i thought it was mostly well acted,i found the story interesting,and i thought there was some good chemistry between the characters.it's well paced,with a fair amount of action and some excitement.Randolph Scott is the lead actor in the movie,and i thought he was OK,except he seemed a bit too old for the part.but maybe that's just me and my imagination.Claire Trevor(Stagecoach,1939))also stars,and is great.Ernest Borgnine appears as well.there are some other well known actors of the time,(and genre)as well,but i can't recall their names.by the way,this movie was originally filmed in 3D,so it looks a bit cheesy when objects are thrust toward the screen.for me,The Stranger Wore a Gun is a 6/10

An enjoyable western, with a fair storyline. I especially liked the hot "fire scene". The confrontation between Randolph Scott and Ernest Borgnine was also fun - with Mr. Borgnine throwing junk at the camera! Borgnine and Lee Marvin are both fun to watch, in these early career roles. Claire Trevor is getting older, will Mr. Scott still choose her; or, will the sweet young thing give him a spin?"The Stranger Wore a Gun" was originally shot, by director André De Toth, in "3D"; this gives it a unique "look", I thought; and, some of the photography is very nice. I found the story difficult to follow, though. I really dig that statue in front of Juniper House. ***** The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) André De Toth ~ Randolph Scott, Claire Trevor, Ernest Borgnine