Brynner's trademark feline grace and air of disdainful superiority are used to full advantage in this tale of a small town hiring a gunfighter to deal with a hometown boy gone bad. The performances of the other actors and solid direction provide a sharp portrait of a dusty, narrowminded, small-town society. They've created one monster of their own, and invited another monster in to deal with him--now, how do they deal with the new menace? Particularly memorable is the scene in which D'estaing gives instruction in the proper pronunciation of his name.