NR | 1h 35min | Western | 1959
Director John Sturges hints, in “Last Train From Gun Hill,” that every man must take the law into his hands—except, not in the way some people imagine.
In the law-abiding town of Pauley, U.S. Marshal Matt Morgan (Kirk Douglas) has nothing to go on, except an unmistakably marked saddle, to track down two men who raped and killed his wife. That, and the witness of his preteen son Petey, who watched his cornered mother scar the face of one attacker before Petey sped away on that man’s horse to alert his father. Both killers hail from the lawless Gun Hill town, run by ruthless rancher Craig Belden (Anthony Quinn); Morgan doesn’t yet know that one of the killers is Belden’s only son Rick, the other’s a henchman, Lee. Still, the saddle’s initials “CB” is suffice to lead him to Belden.
Morgan and Belden were once buddies. Assuming Belden will help, Morgan takes the train to Gun Hill. After initially warm pleasantries, Belden turns cold. Rick had earlier shown up with a scarred face, his saddle missing. Belden can’t bear turning Rick in, even if he takes the high ground with Lee by firing him. Morgan won’t take the last train out from Gun Hill without arresting the killers, so they can be tried, convicted, and sentenced. He manages to cuff Rick, then holes up in a hotel to wait for that train. As the town’s residents cower behind Belden, an enraged Belden vows to rescue Rick, killing Morgan if he must.
Two people upend this despairingly one-sided face-off. The first is Lee, who is desperate to return to Belden’s fold. The second is Linda (Carolyn Jones), Belden’s fierce mistress, not yet his wife. He’s been violent with her before, and rowdy Rick, used to an indulgent father, doesn’t fancy such a stepmother. Neither Morgan nor Belden back down. So, Lee and Linda may decide how this ends.
Justice Versus Vengeance
Sturges shows how fine the line is between vigilantism and law-abiding justice. Justice extracts a price. It’s not some easily mouthed platitude, but a sacred value. It’s made sacred by the people who uphold it, braving temptations to undermine it.
There’s an undercurrent on parenting, even if Sturges doesn’t flesh it out. One opening scene depicts four children, riveted by Morgan playacting his adventures as a young man defending the law. A closing scene, too, hints at how children need adult role models they can aspire to. That’s not just about playacting with ponies and toy guns. It’s also about instilling in them values they’ll risk their lives for as adults. Petey’s been brought up to be brave; his instinct, frail as he is, is to fight his mother’s attackers. But he’s also been brought up obedient. So, when she frantically tells him that he’s better off riding for help, he does that.
Belden and Morgan are both successful, but only Morgan’s respected; Belden’s merely feared. When they meet for the first time in years, Belden admits, “I don’t think I’ve made a friend since you and me split up.” Then he smiles self-consciously and comments, “I’ve bought a few though.” His might-is-right worldview makes him believe he can buy out or bully those who cross him. For most of his life, he figures he’s vindicated. But he defends Rick, not because he cares for him. It’s just that he sees his son as an extension of himself, and what he’s really doing is saving his own skin.
One Belden crony counsels Morgan to take the “long view” of the law and the rest of the town echoes him, at one point or another. Why, they seem to ask, bother with principle, when pragmatism is more profitable? Then, awestruck by Morgan’s one-man stand, Linda reconsiders.
Another Belden stooge wags a finger at Morgan, “You’re breaking the law.” Morgan thunders back, “I am the law!” That’s for dramatic effect, but isn’t meant literally. What does Sturges mean in hinting that every man must take the law into his hands? Unless everyone upholds and defends the law, even a town full of lawmen won’t be able to. If vendetta alone powers Morgan’s crusade, he wouldn’t be able to holster his weapon when every bone in his body demands that he pull the trigger.
