John Chard

Mar 27, 2019

8.0

I was born upset. Forty Guns is written and directed by Sam Fuller. It stars Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Dean Jagger, John Ericson, Gene Barry, Robert Dix, Eve Brent and Ziva Rodann. Music is by Harry Sukman and cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc. It's all going to kick off in Arizona between the Bonnell brothers, U.S.Marshals, and Jessica Drummond - the tough no nonsense lady rancher who controls the territory. So what do we have here then? Just another recycled Western plot that is basically the Earp's/Clanton's feud that culminated in the Gunfight At The O.K. Corral? Well no, not really, for this is Sam Fuller on devilishly twisty form. Fuller gives this particular Western a film noir make over, both in look and dialogue innuendo. Pic is filled with outstanding sequences, be it shocking deaths, bravado pumped show downs or chiaroscuro framing of key characters, no frame is wasted in this piece - visually or aurally. From a psychological stand point it's a right hornets nest, a meaty broth of cynical observations on love, power and that bastion of American cinema - the Western. The action construction on offer is electrifying, if Fuller isn't dallying with various camera techniques to keep the story on the hop, he's being kinetic with is action filming. All of which is in the Scope format, with the ace Biroc weaving some monochrome magic. Probably now it has risen above being just a cult Western classic, Fuller's standing in the decades that would follow this release have ensured that to be the case. Yet it is noted that this holds no surprises in how story eventually pans out, which is disappointing given the noir pulse beats driving it forward. In fact a charge of schmaltz at pics end is justified and stops this being the masterpiece many of us yearn it to be. Still, tis a superb genre piece of some considerable substance. A film that begs to be revisited on more than one occasion. Thank You Samuel. 8/10

CinemaSerf

May 3, 2026

7.0

I don't think there was ever a woman as at home in a western at Barbara Stanwyck and even though I didn't love the direction of travel this one takes, she is still near the top of her game with this. Her "Jessica" runs a vast Arizona spread from the back of her brilliant white stallion with some help from a pliable sheriff and her own private army. Then marshall "Griff" (Barry Sullivan) arrives with his two brothers to impose some emblance of law and order on the place and to arrest her wayward younger brother. Initially, she is happy to see these interlopers dispensed with by said trigger happy sibling "Brockie" (John Ericson) but when that doesn't quite go to plan, she becomes intrigued by this enforcer who does not use a gun - but who has two brothers slightly less scrupulous on that front. The pair seem destined to clash heads, but whose tactics will prevail in the end? This film isn't great, no, but there are some stand out features - not least a fairly convincing whirlwind and a Dean Jagger whose sheriff has the spine of a drunken jellyfish. There is plenty of action throughout, too, and the cinematography makes full use of the grand scale scenery to help imbue her role as the baroness of all she surveys with quite a bit of feisty determination. Sullivan? Well I reckon there were reasons why he never quite made the top flight, and though he does enough here he doesn't really bring much charisma to the party which does make you wonder why "Jessica" would see him as her ideal anything, let alone man. I'm not sure we really needed the softly sung ballads from Jidge Carroll as they didn't exactly help the pace of the film, but all in all this is stylishly put together piece of cinema that sees it's star not afraid to do a few of her own stunts and features just the odd risqué line in the script.