I just saw this film recently on cable and was reminded of how well made it was. I'm a fan of the late director John Sturges' work and I own both "The Magnificent Seven" & "The Great Escape" on DVD. "Last Train from Gun Hill" does'nt get the same mention along with the well deserved recognition of these other films of the director. I'd rank it among the best classic westerns of the 50's & 60's period of great Hollywood movies. The story benefits from starring two great actors in Kirk Douglas and the late Anthony Quinn. Earl Holliman showed great promise in an early role as the spoiled rotten son of Mr. Belden. I'm surprised that he did not become a bigger star as a character actor throughout his career. And the late Carolyn Jones turned in a strong performance too as Linda. Definitely up there in the same ranking of great classic westerns and one of the best efforts of John Sturges. I will buy this DVD as well to add to my movie library! Lorenzo the tbirdman

Last Train from Gun Hill has the star power to help back up a storyline that is, on the surface, seemingly too straightforward: a Marshall (Kirk Douglas) finds that his wife has been killed. When he finds out that it is the son of a cattle baron (Anthony Quinn), despite his old friendship with the baron, he decides to bring the son to justice, holding him by gunpoint in the town hotel until the train comes to take them off to jail- while the baron has his men outside with their guns poised. There's a touchy element to who the son (played as a snidely little kid in Earl Holliman) killed, which was that the Marshall's wife was a Native American. But more impressive in the script, and through John Sturges's steadfast professionalism, is how there's the tension between law and the personal, the immediate draw of a gun draw to solve anything, and the bitterness of real vengeance (watch Douglas's Marshall tell Rick about how he'll be the only one to hear his own brain cry out as he hangs dying, perfectly acted).

Although it's likely that Douglas and Sturges were in or made better westerns, this is the kind of work that doesn't age in much a way that cheapens the questions poised or the invigorating style. It's a fairly violent film too, with a couple of deaths by the train tracks at night all the more effective from the taunting build-up and the pay-off in one shotgun fired off, and always the threat much more tension-filled than the result. Granted, when a big fire ends up happening, it looks very much like it's on a sound-stage and without a whole lot of suspense (save for the typical but strong 'who will get the gun first' moment between the Marshall and Rick in the bedroom), but it's the ambiance of the characters, the dread over this dangerous mix of volatile father and townsman- a better than average Quinn without being too hammy- and a good man driven to vengeance in bad-ass Douglas, and the determined woman (Carolyn Jones) that makes it so compelling. There's even a slight feeling of unpredictability in the situation- in a town where reputation trumps what is good and decent, but also where emotions run high as can be, the stakes are high for chance.

By the very end it feels like it should be more formulaic, and there are bits where the dialog does come off as brawny ol' western genre jargon (look simply at some of the quotes on the IMDb page as example). But if you happen to come across it on TV one Sunday afternoon, as I did, it's worth the time to sit and get absorbed by a well done star vehicle.

Two best friends become bitter enemies out of revenge because of the bullying nature of one of their sons. Kirk Douglas (as a marshal from another town) and Anthony Quinn (as the self-made wealthy rancher who runs his town) are the old friends who come at odds when Quinn's son (Earl Holliman) brutally rapes and murders Douglas's wife as his son hears her screams while escaping to get help. That in itself is a plot for a movie, but here, the storyline concentrates on Douglas's revenge. He instantly recognizes the saddle which belonged to Quinn after the son wisely steals Holliman's horse. You can see the anguish in Quinn's face as he realizes the extent of his son's brutality, but is forced to try and get Douglas to change his plans for revenge. Douglas, on the other hand, is first lightly seen explaining his history with Quinn to a bunch of town kids as the son rides in, horrified by what he just saw. Douglas goes from calm, cool, and collected to shocked, saddened, and saddled with revenge. His issue isn't with Quinn; It's with Holliman and the buddy who committed the crime. But as it becomes clear that the two old friends cannot come to terms with each other's ordeals, the tension gets tighter and the performances really explode.

The always wonderful Carolyn Jones gives a really outstanding fleshed-out performance as a self-described "woman who was born in trouble", a card dealer who is obviously Quinns' mistress. She obviously is modeled on "High Noon's" Katy Jurado. You know from the moment she sits down right next to Douglas on his train into Gun Hill that she knows more than she is letting on, and will provide much intrigue as the film goes on. Fortunately, there is no namby-pamby Grace Kelly character there to add an unnecessary overly fragile woman to the plot. With Douglas and Quinn, there is enough to focus on, and Jones provides enough spark to go around. The film does not lack on tension; Once Douglas gets Holliman in his grasp (handcuffed to a hotel bed), Quinn's men storm around waiting for an opportunity to move in. Douglas shows intelligence, compassion, yet a definite sense of justice in his decision to have Holliman tried for rape and murder rather than kill him outright. Outstanding photography, music and direction are also standouts. This should be noticed as one of the greatest westerns ever made that even non-western fans can enjoy.