RELEASED IN 1964 and directed by Richard Wilson, "Invitation to a Gunfighter" details events in a New Mexican town in Summer, 1965, when a Rebel Vet (George Segal) comes home to discover his small ranch sold by the local banker (Pat Hingle) and his fiancée (Janice Rule) married to a one-armed Union Vet (Clifford David). After a dubious killing, the town leaders employ a gunman to kill the former Confederate, a mysterious man-in-black from Louisiana (Yul Brynner).
This is such an offbeat Western it took me a while to catch a grip. Except for the scenic opening, the locations are confined to the town with lots of scenes taking place indoors. This and the fact that it's dialogue-driven rather than action-oriented give it a TV-Western vibe (the action mainly takes place at the close). You have to listen closely to catch all the verbiage.
Despite these arguable drawbacks, there are several things to appreciate, particularly Brynner's charisma as the mysterious gunfighter (he made baldness cool). There's a revelation about him in the last act that I didn't see coming. Rule plays a quality character and is easy on the eyes; plus it's interesting seeing Segal when he was so young. The tone's mostly serious with a couple worthy insights, but there are also some amusing moments, like when Jules Gaspard d'Estaing (Yul) gives instructions on the proper pronunciation of his name.
THE MOVIE RUNS 92 minutes and was shot in Arizona and Universal Studios, CA. WRITERS: Incredibly, there are five writers listed in the credits.
GRADE: B-/C+
This is such an offbeat Western it took me a while to catch a grip. Except for the scenic opening, the locations are confined to the town with lots of scenes taking place indoors. This and the fact that it's dialogue-driven rather than action-oriented give it a TV-Western vibe (the action mainly takes place at the close). You have to listen closely to catch all the verbiage.
Despite these arguable drawbacks, there are several things to appreciate, particularly Brynner's charisma as the mysterious gunfighter (he made baldness cool). There's a revelation about him in the last act that I didn't see coming. Rule plays a quality character and is easy on the eyes; plus it's interesting seeing Segal when he was so young. The tone's mostly serious with a couple worthy insights, but there are also some amusing moments, like when Jules Gaspard d'Estaing (Yul) gives instructions on the proper pronunciation of his name.
THE MOVIE RUNS 92 minutes and was shot in Arizona and Universal Studios, CA. WRITERS: Incredibly, there are five writers listed in the credits.
GRADE: B-/C+