Saturday, September 10, 2011

"Re-Visiting an old Western Friend"

Hello fellow Cowpokes:
I was mindin' my own business working on my Zombie Epic (messy business them Zombies) while watching the NASCAR race (the last one for the chase at Richmond). After it was over (Kevin Harvick won, his fourth for the year) I decided to turn on the Encore Western Channel to see what they had going on. I looked at the screen and just happened to catch the beginning of a movie I haven't seen in many settings of the sun, "Hour Of the Gun," a movie about Wyatt Earp and the events following the ever famous fight at the OK Corral. I'd seen this movie a couple times while growing up and always liked it. Needless to say, I put the zombies to bed for a couple hours (it's hard to "corral" the living dead when they ain't done playing) and plopped my butt down to watch the movie.
I was drawn in right away. The acting and directing in this movie is top notch and it makes it a real joy to watch. The action in this movie is top notch leaving little time to catch your breath in-between. Rounding out a really good movie is an excellent sound track by Jerry Goldsmith.
Most of the story takes place after the events at the OK Corral. The crippling of Wyatt's brother Virgil followed by the shooting death of his other brother Morgan set Wyatt on a murderous rampage to avenge the shooting of his brothers. Interestingly enough it was Ike Clanton's revenge for his losses at the Corral that led to the maiming and killing of Wyatt Earp's brothers. Oh what tangled webs they weaved back in 1881.
Anyway, the rest of the movie follows Wyatt Earp (James Garner) and company, including the ever famous Doc Holiday (Jason Robards) as they hunt down those hired by Ike Clanton (Robert Ryan) to kill the Earp Brothers. There's plenty of shoot-em-up action in this movie as the bad guys are tracked down and dealt with. There are even a couple scenes where Wyatt visits Doc Holiday in a sanatorium in Colorado.
So if you want to see a good movie make sure you catch "Hour of the Gun." Director John Sturges has put together a real fine Wyatt Earp movie that is both good and exciting.
Have a Great Day!!!
John (aka, The "Critter")

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