I won't remember any lines or scenes from this film like I do from the Bogart film version of this Hemingway tale, but this is a decent film and worth watching for Audie Murphy and Don Siegal fans. I actually find this version more accessible for younger viewers as I feel that the Bogart version is chock full of clichés and it's also very drawn out, IMHO. This version because it was made in the late 50's can be related to a lot more then a film from the 40's, mostly because of the lack of street slang used in this version that in the Bogart film is outdated and forgotten. It's worth watching Murphy as the law breaker, he always had such a young looking average man's face, he will never pull the weight of a Bogart, but for me it's refreshing to watch as he looks very vulnerable, much more so then a Bogart is able to come across. I was able to follow this version a lot better as it was pretty straight, with the Bogart 40's films (and a lot of Noir from that time) they took an extra turn or two to add to the suspense but also could get kind of confusing and drawn out. Everett Sloane plays the rummy, and for me he did a great job. I'm sure that Walter Brennan has a ton of fans and probably won or got a nomination for his rummy role in the Bogart version, but for me he was annoying as all get out, so much so that because of To Have And Have Not, I cringe whenever I see him in a film thinking of that way over the top role he played. Eddie Albert has a decent bad guy role, and this may be one of his first as the villain although his career goes way back before this so I don't know, but his condescending villain in such films as The Longest Yard is displayed fully here. Jack Elam and Richard Jaeckel have bit parts that do nothing much for their resumes, and Robert Phillips another henchman on the ending scene is recognizable in the Star Trek pilot "The Meangerie" talking about the dancing green Orion slave women's sexual prowess with Captain Pike, as well as a pretty decent role in another Don Siegal movie, The Killers (one of my favorites). All in all it's a straight forward crime film about people that get drawn into crime during hard times. Murphy has nothing to be ashamed of in this film, and I rate it a 7 of 10 and worth watching.
Review of The Gun Runners
