5.5
Comanche Creek, Colorado, 1875: Prisoner Jack Mason is broken out of jail by a gang of strangers. They use him in a robbery, then when the dead-or-alive reward is high enough, they shoot him and collect. The National Detective Agency, now knowing the gang's methods, arranges to have agent Bob Gifford jailed in Comanche Creek for train robbery. The gang takes the bait (not before Gifford catches the eye of lovely saloon-keeper Abbie). But how will the bait get off the hook?
Audie Murphy
Bob 'Gif' Gifford aka Judd Tanner
DeForest Kelley
Amos Troop
Ben Cooper
Bill 'Kid' Carter
Colleen Miller
Abbie Stevens
Jan Merlin
Nielson
Adam Williams
Jed Hayden
Susan Seaforth Hayes
Janie
Mort Mills
Ben Bayer
John Milford
Bill Peters
Michael T. Mikler
Deputy
Thomas Browne Henry
Mike O'Brien
William Wellman Jr.
Deputy
Laurie Mitchell
Tina Neville
Tim Graham
Buck
Eddie Quillan
Stevens House Room Clerk
John Hubbard
Marshal Dan Shearer
Bill Catching
Deputy Harris
Herschel Graham
Telegraph Clerk (uncredited)
Director
Frank McDonald
Screenplay
Edward Bernds
April 26, 2017
7
Where he was going he'd be an outlaw or a corpse.
Gunfight at Comanche Creek is directed by Frank McDonald and written by Edward Bernds. It stars Audie Murphy, Ben Cooper, Colleen Miller, DeForest Kelley and Jan Merlin. A Panavision/De Luxe Color production with cinematography by Joseph Biroc and music by Marlin Skiles.
Murphy stars as an agent for the National Detective Agency who goes undercover to find the outlaw gang that has been breaking convicts out of jail to help them to commit more crimes. The resulting crimes cause the bounties upon the fugitives' heads to rise, thus the outlaws then kill the convicts and claim the rewards.
Apparently a remake of 1957 film The Last of the Badmen, Gunfight at Comanche Creek is a suspenseful and entertaining blend of detective shenanigans with Western staples. It's an interesting role for Murphy, playing Bob Gifford (AKA: Judd Tanner) as a fearless ladies man having to just use his wits instead of guns just to survive the undercover operation. It's not exactly what you would call a high energy action movie, since we don't really get the pulse raised until the finale, but there's enough twists and intelligence in the plotting to keep the story intriguing.
Negatives? There's a continuous narration by an uncredited Reed Hadley which is most intrusive. Instead of letting us be involved fully with the unfolding story, the makers felt the need to have Reed fill us in on what is happening at every turn in the plot! Clearly they were going for a hard-boiled detective angle, but it's misplaced. While Miller is saddled with one of those token female roles. But the support cast do what is required to make the film work, Murphy delivers a good one for his fans and Biroc's colour photography is very easy on the eye. 7/10
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00