Wichita

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Wichita

Released Jul 8, 1955

1h 21m

Western

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Popcornmeter

100%

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10 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

After a group of drunken trail riders runs amok, Mayor Andrew Hope (Carl Benton Reid) of Wichita, Kan., recruits the intrepid Wyatt Earp (Joel McCrea) to end lawlessness. Armed and ready for anything, the new marshal decides he will end gun violence simply by banning guns. Soon Earp must face crooked rancher Clint Wallace (Walter Sande) and whiskey slinger Doc Black (Edgar Buchanan), vicious locals who like Wichita exactly as it is and don't take kindly to being told what to do.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Daniel Ullman's script turns backroom political dealings into high drama; Tourneur's poised and lyrical direction elevates it to a sort of secular scripture.

Mar 25, 2013

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Jacques Tourneur's first and best film in CinemaScope is also one of his strangest westerns.

Jun 25, 2005

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

This is a western in the vein of older, more naïve works, where the heroes are noble and principled, and the villains mean-spirited and untrustworthy.

Rated: 7/10

Jul 25, 2025

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A fairly intelligent and moderately entertaining Western.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 9, 2023

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

A simple and entertaining Technicolor western that, through rich panoramas captured in CinemaScope, revisits the myth of Wyatt Earp with a good role from Joel McCrea. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7/10

May 28, 2021

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Nathanael Hood

The Retro Set

...an astounding little Western.

Rated: 8/10

Dec 28, 2018

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Ernie K

Well written and acted western, particularly by Joel McCrea. Relatively brief and to the point, it captures your focus and keeps moving in heroic fashion. One of the better westerns that have been buried by time but which fully deserves a fresh look for it's interest and style.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/25

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Jose G

Solid Western. Its short running time and relatively modest premise makes it seem like an extended episode of a really good Western TV series, but the great acting and Cinemascope/Technicolor cinematography make for an enjoyable Western adventure (historical inaccuracies and all).

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Really good movie about Wyatt herb as a sheriff of Wichita yes I highly recommend this one. James Welch Henderson Arkansas October 22, 2023

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/23/23

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Steve D

Lames western trying to cash in on Earp.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/02/23

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Audience Member

Wichita is atop the top-shelf Westerns.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

ashley h

Wichita is an amazing film. It is about Wyatt Earp who reluctantly accepts the Marshal's job after noticing the total lawlessness in Wichita in 1874. Joel McCrea and Vera Miles give fantastic performances. The screenplay is good but a little slow in places. Jacques Tourneur did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the adventure. Wichita is a must see.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Jacques Tourneur

Director

Joel McCrea

Wyatt Earp

Vera Miles

Laurie McCoy

Lloyd Bridges

Gyp Clements

Wallace Ford

Arthur Whiteside

Edgar Buchanan

Doc Black

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Synopsis

After a group of drunken trail riders runs amok, Mayor Andrew Hope (Carl Benton Reid) of Wichita, Kan., recruits the intrepid Wyatt Earp (Joel McCrea) to end lawlessness. Armed and ready for anything, the new marshal decides he will end gun violence simply by banning guns. Soon Earp must face crooked rancher Clint Wallace (Walter Sande) and whiskey slinger Doc Black (Edgar Buchanan), vicious locals who like Wichita exactly as it is and don't take kindly to being told what to do.

Director: Jacques Tourneur
Producer: Walter Mirisch, Richard V. Heermance
Screenwriter: Daniel Bruce
Production Co: Allied Artists Pictures Corporation
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 8, 1955, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 22, 2009
Runtime: 1h 21m

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