“I haven’t been lonely since I was twelve years old.”
So says Linda, Craig Beldin’s girlfriend, in director John Sturges’ 1959 film Last Train from Gun Hill. Sturges, who is predominantly known for his excellence in westerns (see The Magnificent Seven and Escape from Fort Bravo) does an outstanding job in taking a relatively mundane and unexciting plot and making a dramatic and suspenseful showing of it.
The plot is fairly straightforward. The wife of Marshal Matt Morgan (play by Kirk Douglas) is raped and killed by the son of Craig Belden (Anthony Quinn), the local power broker in town. Much like a good episode of Law and Order, you simply cannot miss the opening scene and still grasp the remainder of the picture.
To add an additional wrinkle to the story Craig and Matt were once good friends. The film follows Morgan’s pursuit, capture, and ultimately the accidental killing of Ricky – Craig’s son. In the closing moments Belden Senior attempts to avenge his son’s recent death and is gunned down by Morgan.
Most of the film – behind the plot – is a subtle comparison of the two main characters who were (and are) much alike. Both have similar backgrounds, family histories, and even personalities. What is demonstrated is how these two strong men went from a shared starting point in totally different directions – with almost identical skillsets.
Douglas and Quinn steal the show and between their powerful performances is a script that fleshes out not only the main characters, but many of the lesser ones as well. The viewer is given a real treat in many three-dimensional characters throughout. Take for example Linda (Craig’s girlfriend), who is portrayed wonderfully by Carolyn Jones. In many similar films this is a token or throwaway roll. However, here the character has it own foibles and personality beyond the machinations that the plot requires. In fact no one here is the perfect or ideal, rather everyone is depicted with the flaws already drawn in.
Avid viewers will see many comparisons to High Noon, both in the relationship between Morgan and the town that seems against him – anticipating his death at a fever pitch- and the high visibility of the train (and station). Although not classic fare by any stretch of the imagination, the film’s relatively short running time of 98 minutes passes in the blink of an eye. Well deserving of more than a passing glance.
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