This is a superior little Western, made so by a tight script and complex characters. In the hands of another director, this film might not have had what it takes. But in the hands of John Sturges, you get an intense morality play that speaks about racism in America, and supreme Justice pitted against the burden of friendship, all cleverly wrapped in an American Western that appears to be less than it is. This is no "High Noon" or "My Darling Clementine", but it is none-the-less, a highly entertaining film.

Kirk Douglas does a fine job of playing Matt Morgan, a tough, no nonsense marshal that must bring his oldest friend's son to justice for the rape and murder of his own American Indian wife. We can see the complexity of a man sworn to uphold the law, battling with his own urge for revenge, and at times we're not so sure he isn't using the law as his own brand of revenge.

The more complex character here is Craig Belden, played masterfully by Anthony Quinn. Here is a man who spent his whole life building a cattle empire, he's fought for everything he's got, lost his wife and raised his only child by himself the best that he could, only to find himself between his best friend and a son who has committed an atrocity. And though somewhat tame by todays standards, I still find the scene where Matt Morgan's son is forced to ride off for help, leaving behind his mother, as she screams in frightened terror and pain while she is being raped and murdered, fairly unsettling.

The plot moves swiftly from the town of Pauley where the rape and murder takes place, to the town of Gun Hill, where Rick Beldon is arrested, and held at gun point while the Marshal tries to get him to the 9 pm train back to Pauley. The rest of the action takes place in Gun Hill, and it is here where justice will be dealt out.

Now the dvd. This is not a top of the line release, as should be apparent by the very low price tag. It's a bare-bones, low cost release, with no extras other than an English language subtitle option. However, the print is not as bad as some reviewers have tried to lead you to believe. It's presented in anamorphic widescreen, which perhaps brings out the weaknesses of age in the print more so on larger TVs. I was disapointed to see the age of the film in several of the very bright desert sky scenes, where detail appears washed out, though not so bad as to distract from the movie. There is noticable grain in some of the outdoors scenes, especially early morning lighting and at dusk. But overall, the picture quality is good. The interior shots look great, with nice color and detail. The soundtrack quality was better than decent, I had no trouble what-so-ever on my two speaker stereo system hearing everything perfectly.

All in all, a nice release for Western Movie fans. The cast was top notch, actors that were steady hands at making Westerns, and the action simmers to a very exciting showdown.

This was the saddest movie I ever saw, Two friends become rivals, a son will cause his own death and that of his father, a young woman is killed just after giving birth to a son whom the hero must raise as a single parent, an ending where there is no hope, and nothing to cheer about. Also added to the fact that Paramount made this as a bare bones DVD release, Perhaps they thought it wasn;t such a great movie either....

The title, "Last Train From Gun Hill," tells you so much about this wonderful film; a race against time, a sense of impending doom, something bad's gonna happen... you betcha!

That this film, one of my favorites from the 50's, is based around a somewhat unlikely scenario, plus a monstrous coincidence that no bookie in Vegas would give you odds on, doesn't matter. These are just what Alfred Hitchcock used to call a "McGuffin," a device or prop about which to arrange the action, and let the characters play out their stories.

It stars two powerful actors at the very top of their form; Kirk Douglas as "Marshal Matt Morgan," and Anthony Quinn as "Craig Belden." Morgan is by the book, straight as an arrow, incorruptible, the very personification of moral rectitude, and Belden is a rancher of the old school, he's had to fight tooth and nail for everything he has. The two men are old friends from way-back, each as unbending and unforgiving, in their own way, as the other.

The third major player in this drama is "Rick Belden," Craig's son, superbly played by Earl Holliman, a character the polar-opposite of his father. A weakling, braggart, coward, and a boor, everything he has, from the clothes on his back, to the money in his pocket, to the "friends" who ride with him and buy him whisky, he has for one reason, and one reason only... his last name is Belden!

Director John Sturges doesn't waste any time in setting events in motion; a young Native American woman with a child beside her is riding a horse and buggy through the countryside. She passes three cowpokes making camp, they watch as she goes by, exchange knowing looks, then set off in pursuit, calling out that they just want a little fun as they surround the buggy.

Fearful for herself and her son, the young woman lashes out with a whip and cuts a gash in the cheek of the ringleader, then whips the horse into a gallop, which results in the buggy turning over. The cowboys close in with the ringleader nursing his cut face; the woman tells her son to go for help as she backs away...

The boy returns with help all right, the town Marshal, Matt Morgan! He calls the boy by his first name and searches desperately for the young woman, and you think to yourself, "My, but he's a conscientious Marshal!" And here's that unlikely scenario I mentioned at the beginning of this review, the young Indian woman and her son aren't just town residents, they're Mogan's wife and child!!!

And here comes that coincidence that would freak out the most hardened of Vegas bookies; after discovering his wife's body, Morgan, channeling his grief and rage into finding her rapists/murderers, for the first time examines the horse his son was riding. Sporting an expensive silver-tooled saddle, the horse wears the brand of his old friend... Craig Belden!!!

So, Morgan heads off to "Gun Hill," saddle in tow, to see his old friend. Their first scene together is superb, they share a drink and discuss old times, the way men do. Then Morgan drops his bombshell; Craig's saddle and horse were found at the scene of his wife's rape and murder, he also tells him the culprit will have a pretty good scar on his cheek from the buggy whip!

Craig is genuinely horrified, he saw the scar, and Rick laughed it off, saying it was just some "fun" with a saloon girl that got out of hand. Now he knows that his son is a rapist and a murderer... and because of his reaction, so does Morgan.

Belden begs Morgan to let it go, he's sorry, it must have been an accident, and Rick is his only son, all he has left after his wife died many years ago. Morgan won't, CAN'T, let it go, and you can tell that even if the victim had been a complete stranger to him, his reaction would be the same; this sets up the rest of the film, and the deadly conflict that will engulf all three men.

Douglas, Quinn and Holliman all give excellent performances. Douglas is superb playing conflicted characters, and there's a key scene where Morgan's seething hatred of Rick explodes into physical violence. You see the internal struggle as Morgan fights to choke down his emotions, to stop himself from taking the man's life with his bare hands, and instead coldly describes what's going to happen to Rick when they put a rope around his neck and hang him.

Quinn has a role he can similarly sink his teeth into, and he does! Although less sympathetic a character than Morgan, Craig is a man you can almost feel sorry for. Proud of all he has achieved, and desperately wanting to be proud of his only son and heir, he knows Rick is a weakling and a coward, just as he knows he's partly to blame. When he faces Rick for the first time after discovering the truth, there's an electric tension in the air; Rick approaches his father, ready with more lies and evasions, and Craig turns his back and walks away. He's holding a pair of heavy work gloves, and you half expect him to turn and lash out at his son in disgust and despair.

Holliman has a thankless task, Rick has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and he plays the part to the hilt. Whining, wheedling, lying and bullying, this is a character you can love to hate! There's also a terrific supporting performance from Carolyn Jones, TV's original "Morticia Addams," as "Linda," Craig's - sometimes abused?! -girlfriend.

Even with its somewhat contrived set-up, this is still a film I can recommend highly; Sturges and his stars do a first class job!

I've seen this film several times over the past 25 years, and most recently on cable a few months back. I always thought that it owed much to "3:10 to Yuma," which I find much superior. However, director John Sturges' great scenic vistas of southern Arizona are greatly appreciated in this widescreen DVD. There is also great tension present as the film approaches it's climax. Solid performances by Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Carolyn Jones, Val Avery, John Anderson & Earl Holliman, make this an entertaining western in the "High Noon" tradition. I have to disagree with a previous reviewer, as the print used by Paramount for the DVD is excellent. After reading that review, I watched for "dust & speckles" in the print, and though I saw a few, I would rate this as a fine DVD (I just wish that there had been some extras, but it's a great buy, for the price). It's now part of my DVD library of westerns.

Having just read recent reviews of the scheduled DVD release of Last Train From Gun Hill I am quite dissapointed to find that Paramount dropped the ball on this one. Distracting film grain, dust marks and speckles add up to the assumption that Paramount may be expecting viewers to watch this DVD with their eyes closed. No doubt ensuring the fate of this release to the bargin bin. Keep this film on your DVD waiting to be released list until the real thing comes along. Paramount seems to be content with a Low Standard approach which is puzzling and forces the consumer to feel cheated and let down.