Last Train From Gun Hill

1959

1 hr. 34 min.

Western

Romance

List

91%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

As the wealthiest and most powerful man in the Wild West town of Gun Hill, cattle rancher Craig Belden (Anthony Quinn) has come to believe he's above the law. When his son, Rick (Earl Holliman), rapes and murders a Native American woman (Ziva Rodann) married to U.S. marshal Matt Morgan (Kirk Douglas), Belden arrogantly declines to allow his son's arrest. The marshal, once a friend of Belden's, takes on the rancher's henchmen and Rick's accomplice (Brian Hutton) to bring the killer to justice.

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Kevin B

Lots of action Kirk, Anthony and Earl are marvelous. Fantastic movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

matthew d

A fiercely angry Western film against injustice and complicit apathy. Director John Sturges' Western thriller Last Train from Gun Hill (1959) is immediately brutal starting with the senseless rape and murder of an innocent Native American woman. She turns out to be the wife of a United States Marshal, played by Kirk Douglas, then he sets out to bring the perpetrators to justice, who turns out to be the son of his old friend. It's basically 3:10 to Yuma with a wrathful twist on High Noon's apathetic and cowardly town. Last Train from Gun Hill is full of hateful words, personal convictions, and a hail of bullets. I loved how Sturges is saying how unbelievably selfish and cruel American civilians and peacekeepers can be when faced with inconveniencing themselves for the sake of righteous justice. The sheriff and townsfolk do not help the marshall, only a lone woman with a mind of her own. It's a damning critique of the old Western settlement mindset of protecting the wealthy landowners. Sturges' direction is stylish and gripping as we're with Kirk Douglas nearly the entire time. It is tense, heated, and exciting with a stunning quickdraw gun duel to end it all. Last Train from Gun Hill is fantastic. Writer Les Crutchfield's story is very much like the town standoff Western tale of 3:10 to Yuma, complete with waiting for a fateful train, just with more vengeance and sorrow. Screenplay writer James Poe's dialogue is earnest with vile villains, a just hero, and apathetic townsfolk letting injustice occur while they standby. Poe's jokes are hilarious, but his stinging one liners for Kirk Douglas are particularly cool and biting. Kirk Douglas' Western hero Marshal Matt Morgan is cool and steadfast with a raging righteous indignation. I'm glad Douglas is pretty merciless to the disgusting rapists and men who would grossly defend them. He's very tough and likable in Last Train from Gun Hill. Anthony Quinn is cruel and deranged as the vicious rancher father Craig Belden, who excuses his son's crimes. You see his personal failings as a father, corrupt dealings as a businessman, and ironclad grip over a town due to his money, influence, and violence. Earl Holliman's son villain Rick is very grotesque and remorseless. I adored Carolyn Jones' very modern Western heroine Linda. She's got her own mind and decency, demonstrating how toxic men with money, power, and influence cannot rule over everyone. Cinematographer Charles Lang has a smooth panning shot style with striking framing. You get every perspective imaginable of where gunfighters are positioned around town. His far wide shots are beautiful to show off vast desert plains and a color town. The Technicolor is lovely and vivid. Art directors Hal Pereira and Walter H. Tyler creates sparse trees, horses against the environment, and a pastel colored town. Set decorators Sam Comer and Ray Moyer put guns, booze, and antiques all over. Composer Dimitri Tiomkin writes an understated and pretty Western score that highlights the harrowing odds and inner sorrow of Kirk Douglas' marshal. Sound designers Harold Lewis, Winston H. Leverett, and R.D. Cook let the gunshots ring out loud and clear just like the clean voice tracks. Costume designer Edith Head gives Carolyn Jones the most dazzling dresses. Her black jacket and plaid skirt combination to her purple ladies' dress are stunning. Wally Westmore's make-up does up the men in dirty to clean natural looks and a cute elegant blush for Carolyn Jones. For 98 minutes of violent challenges, deep characterization, and cool sets, Last Train from Hill is a Western classic from John Sturges.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Overall, like a stick of lit dynamite, this film is a blast that goes off with a bang. I was highly engaged and entertained by this unpredictable story. Leading performances from Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn were strong, convincing and likeable. The pacing is enjoyable, as is the storyline, and there are many moments of solid suspense like a ticking clock. Audiences will be excited to witness this western revenge tale.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The western like they used to make them. Kirk being Kirk and Quinn being Quinn. Great location shooting and a good study in morals and folks that have character.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

BS, R3.3 カークダグラスいい感じ，マイケルに大分似てる

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

max b

Is gun hill a place.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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John Sturges

Director

Kirk Douglas

Marshal Matt Morgan

Anthony Quinn

Craig Belden

Carolyn Jones

Linda

Earl Holliman

Rick Belden

Brad Dexter

Beero

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Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

This largely forgotten Western is out in a splendid Blu-ray restoration featuring Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn as aging frontier relics whose hidebound ways lead to their inevitable confrontation.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 12, 2021

Full Review

Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

Described as an adult western, the 95-minute tale is not for the faint of heart as it immediately gets to the plot without sparing a second, enabling the drama to develop a rolling boil as tensions build straight to the final moments of the film.

Jun 25, 2021

Full Review

Allison Rose

FlickDirect

Last Train from Gun Hill is a good, old-fashioned, classic Western with an excellent cast and an interesting story.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jun 23, 2021

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Reunites many of the key players from Gunfight at the O.K. Corral but is more similar in tale and tone to 3:10 to Yuma.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 19, 2021

Full Review

Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

John Sturges certainly delivers the goods in Last Train from Gun Hill and the VistaVision presentation is outstanding on screen.

Jun 15, 2021

Full Review

Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Unless free westerns on TV have eliminated too many of the customers, this solid big-screen opus ought to prosper.

Oct 17, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

As the wealthiest and most powerful man in the Wild West town of Gun Hill, cattle rancher Craig Belden (Anthony Quinn) has come to believe he's above the law. When his son, Rick (Earl Holliman), rapes and murders a Native American woman (Ziva Rodann) married to U.S. marshal Matt Morgan (Kirk Douglas), Belden arrogantly declines to allow his son's arrest. The marshal, once a friend of Belden's, takes on the rancher's henchmen and Rick's accomplice (Brian Hutton) to bring the killer to justice.

Director: John Sturges
Executive Producer: Kirk Douglas
Screenwriter: James Poe
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Hal Wallis Productions, Bryna Productions
Genre: Western, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2016

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