A drunken gunslinger (Aldo Ray) terrorizes the tiny isolated town of Hard Times. Everyone looks to Will Blue (Henry Fonda) to confront the man but he knows that he would easily killed. There is a gun fight and the gunslinger burns down the town. Afterwards, Will takes in Jimmy who was orphaned by the gunman. Molly who suffered burns and an Indian medicine man also stay. Zar (Keenan Wynn) traveling to a gold mine with his four women decides to stop for water and stay for the miners. As more people arrive, Will convinces them to stay.
The start is amazing. Aldo Ray is a force of nature. I wouldn't mind if the whole movie is simply Aldo Ray destroying the town one building at a time and end with the whole town burning down. The rebuilding doesn't have nearly the drama. The tension diminishes as we wait for the inevitable return. Quite frankly, I would be fine with a montage of the town rebuilding and cutting out thirty minutes from the middle. The final confrontation is interesting but it could be much more. He could kill more. He could destroy more. I need Jimmy to be the sole survivor as he gets revenge with his shotgun. This is definitely not the standard western. This has great darkness if it's willing to take it all the way.
The start is amazing. Aldo Ray is a force of nature. I wouldn't mind if the whole movie is simply Aldo Ray destroying the town one building at a time and end with the whole town burning down. The rebuilding doesn't have nearly the drama. The tension diminishes as we wait for the inevitable return. Quite frankly, I would be fine with a montage of the town rebuilding and cutting out thirty minutes from the middle. The final confrontation is interesting but it could be much more. He could kill more. He could destroy more. I need Jimmy to be the sole survivor as he gets revenge with his shotgun. This is definitely not the standard western. This has great darkness if it's willing to take it all the way.