The Gunfighter - Closely Watched Films (Event Over)

Part of the series Closely Watched Films, hosted by Elliott Kalan.

Gregory Peck is legendary gunfighter Johnny Ringo, weary and tired from a life on the run killing men to prove he's the fastest draw in the west. Is there salvation for him with the family he left behind, or has time simply run out? A moody character study, a small-scale work of suspense, an influence on Bob Dylan's "Brownsville Girl" and the first of the great psychological westerns, The Gunfighter features one of Gregory Peck's greatest performances. This is a western even for people who think they hate westerns.

Host Elliott Kalan will discuss the myth of the gunslinger, the unique power of western films, the respect America gives to dead criminals and whether a hideous mustache is enough to sink a film at the box office.

Director: Henry King. 85 min. 1950. 35mm.