The Man Behind the Gun

Moviecut—The Man Behind the Gun

source: The Man Behind the Gun

The Man Behind the Gun

Seemingly, for a good part studio-bound, this bright little western is OK, as they go. It has good colour, a couple of breezy leads, some obviously staged fights and a story that seemed as vague as everybody in the film was about Randolph Scott's identity. How anybody could quite think that a tall, lean, cowboy-looking cowboy with a ten gallon hat to boot, would ever pass off as a 'schoolteacher', I don't know! In all westerns I've ever seen, schoolteachers have been pretty, demure little damsels that are just arriving by stagecoach or have been in post for years and inevitably marries the sheriff. That's a given...

Hey I liked this flick more than I would have thought given it's from Scott's earlier block of films. An interesting plot with lots of characters, many of who standout. I liked Alan Hale as Olaf and sidekick Monk (Dick Wesson). They provided comic relief not usually present in a RS flick. Scott is his usual coxcomb, cool self. Romancing two lovely ladies (a first?) and not too shabbily. He takes his uniform off to provide a look at his less than ripped (but not too shabby frame) The film unfortunately lacks a compelling villain. Some nice California scenery (not as good as One Eyed Jacks) They kinda threw the kitchen sink into this B movie. Hey it even has a catfight where the two kittens in question manage to do no damage. Lina Myway per favor. Enjoy.

I had to start this movie over twice because I realized I'd stopped paying attention, which should tell you something about the quality of storytelling here. Randolph Scott plays an undercover government agent investigating some Confederate sympathizers who want California to secede and become a rebel state. Routine western offers nothing original. It's not terrible, but it's so routine and bland that it hardly held my interest.

Its a likeable Randolph Scott movie (as they usually are). It doesn't offer much in the way of a unique story but ambles along to provide the expected level of entertainment for a Scott film. Many of Scott's films could be described as mediocre but they fall on the mediocre side of good :).

Supposed killer and Army deserter Randolph Scott heads to Los Angeles sometime before the Civil War. Posing as a schoolteacher who can't shoot straight, he gets knee-deep in some intrigue involving a group of separatists, the assassination of a US senator, and their attempts to split California into free and slave states. Costumes and sets are lavish and there's lots of great old-California atmosphere. However, The Man Behind The Gun is disappointingly routine. It's really too bad, because this is really one handsome production! The actors are game and some of their characters are quite colorful. The filmmakers should have pumped a little more action and suspense into the script, or trimmed the final product to about an hour.

All the things that made the Scott movies the most agreeable matine fare are present - an opening shoot out in foggy San Francisco streets, a stage hold up, historical plotting about stealing the L.A. water supply (well before CHINATOWN), false identity, opening an empty grave and hard riding and shoot outs in the great out of doors. On top of that it's delivered in Technicolor by some of Warners' most assured technicians, complete with stock shots from the Flynn movies and snatches of earlier Warner scores. The reason it's so mechanical must be the routine direction of Felix Feist who fades away as Scott takes on sure hands Andre de Toth and Budd Boetticher as directors. The scene with Lina Ronay against the studio sky is particularly lack lustre. Randy grins his way through events and is doubled in the final river punch out while villain Roy Roberts does his own stunts - like I mean - really!