The Gunfighter
Twentieth Century Fox | Release Date: June 23, 1950 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
94
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 8 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
Magnificently directed and shot (by Arthur Miller), flawlessly acted by Peck and a superb cast, governed by an almost Langian sense of fate, it's a film that has the true dimensions of tragedy. Read full review
100
Entertainment WeeklyKen Tucker
A ruthlessly heartbreaking tale of a famous gunslinger (Gregory Peck in a black mustache and a little black hat) grown weary of facing down an increasingly young bunch of challengers to his quick-draw supremacy. Read full review
100
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
An arresting, superbly produced and downbeat Western photographed in stark black and white, The Gunfighter presents an unglorified view of the Old West as a grim, dirty and decidedly desperate place. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesMichael Wilmington
The atmosphere is unremittingly tense, the undercurrents poignant and grim. It's the best movie ever made by pastoralist Henry King. [26 July 1988, p.21]
90
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
The Gunfighter is a sock melodrama of the old west. There's never a sag or off moment in the footage as it goes about depicting a lightning draw artist, the fastest man with a gun in the old west, and what his special ability has done to his life. Read full review
88
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
One of the earliest and best antiwesterns, made before the subgenre became self-conscious about critiquing the standard myths. Some that followed are merely contrary; this has the ring of truth. Read full review
80
EmpireStaff (Not Credited)
Peck's tired resignation, and the authentic atmosphere and building tension make for a compelling retribution drama of the West. Read full review
80
The New York TimesBosley Crowther
One of the tautest and most stimulating Westerns of the year. Read full review
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