This is probably the episode of the first three that I was the least enamored by and have the least to say though it remains a very solid outing for THE TWILIGHT ZONE and its creator and main writer Rod Serling. The episode is about a once great gunslinger now reduced to town drunk and laughing stock, who mysteriously finds a gun appear before himself, and begins a game to regain control of his own destiny.
Once again, the underlying thematic narrative that is embedded within the actual plot is very interesting. Al Denton is the town drunk, a once great and respected man who has clearly hit rock bottom. The gun, which Serling in his narration says is a representation of Mr. Denton's second chance is the element through which he will once again regain control of his life. It's a story about the glorified old days, also marked by the Western setting, itself a romanticized figure of Hollywood in the days.
Dan Duryea plays the titular character and gives in an excellent performance that had me sympathizing with the character throughout the episode. He plays the various shifts in his character beautifully and brings to the screen a well-rounded performance. He's utterly convincing as the drunk, he's imposing as the reinvigorated gunslinger and entirely natural when he rides this cathartic journey. The ending to the episode is both tense and beautiful and acts almost like a cautionary tale and much like the previous episode, "One for the Angels", finds an inherently powerful message with which to end the episode.
The episode also features the late and great Martin Landau, early in his career around the time of Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" as the episode's central antagonist, who on multiple occasions humiliates Denton and ultimately is met with swift retribution. His performance is both convincing and compelling to watch on-screen even if the character is a little simplistic for a great future-Academy Award winning actor.
The least memorable episode and the only one with inherent pacing issues, "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" is still a compelling and at times powerful experience with a strong emotional core". It is less of a humorous episode or an atmospheric and unsettling episode like the previous two but it's an engaging, if at times stalling, experience.
Once again, the underlying thematic narrative that is embedded within the actual plot is very interesting. Al Denton is the town drunk, a once great and respected man who has clearly hit rock bottom. The gun, which Serling in his narration says is a representation of Mr. Denton's second chance is the element through which he will once again regain control of his life. It's a story about the glorified old days, also marked by the Western setting, itself a romanticized figure of Hollywood in the days.
Dan Duryea plays the titular character and gives in an excellent performance that had me sympathizing with the character throughout the episode. He plays the various shifts in his character beautifully and brings to the screen a well-rounded performance. He's utterly convincing as the drunk, he's imposing as the reinvigorated gunslinger and entirely natural when he rides this cathartic journey. The ending to the episode is both tense and beautiful and acts almost like a cautionary tale and much like the previous episode, "One for the Angels", finds an inherently powerful message with which to end the episode.
The episode also features the late and great Martin Landau, early in his career around the time of Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" as the episode's central antagonist, who on multiple occasions humiliates Denton and ultimately is met with swift retribution. His performance is both convincing and compelling to watch on-screen even if the character is a little simplistic for a great future-Academy Award winning actor.
The least memorable episode and the only one with inherent pacing issues, "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" is still a compelling and at times powerful experience with a strong emotional core". It is less of a humorous episode or an atmospheric and unsettling episode like the previous two but it's an engaging, if at times stalling, experience.