A_Different_Drummer Another one of those very unusual films that really has no analogue, no similarities, to anything before or after. A tale of a spit and polish travelling Marshall who, for a price, will show up in your town and do the dirty work that has to be done. But note he does not show up alone. Clay Blaisdell (Fonda is a role that literally no other actor on the planet could play, voice and mannerisms completely unique and unforgettable) arrives with an entourage composed of just one man. The assistant played by Anthony Quinn (who I believe had the LONGEST END TO END CAREER in the history of western film) is a fussy, detail-oriented kind of mother hen. He says his job is to watch out to make sure "no one shoots Clay in the back" (very handy to have in that profession) and later in the film (spoiler!) he lets it slip that he is actually faster on the draw than his boss! When a film is one of a kind, it is hard to rate, because what do you compare it to? Another from the stable of Edward Dmytryk, the direction is flawless. Highly recommended. And watch out for the not-too-subtle hints that Quinn's character's fondness for Fonda (!) went a little further than it was supposed to, especially when Clay suddenly drops the bomb that he wants to end the partnership and settle down with a woman.

dougandwin There is no doubt that this Film was brilliantly put together both in Direction and Star Quality. When you put together Henry Fonda, Richard Widmark and Anthony Quinn, you know you are in for a treat. The story is quite superb and a far cry from many of the Westerns being churned out in the Fifties. As the Marshal who is quite dangerous, in his own way, Fonda is really the star around which so much resolves. Widmark as a reformed outlaw turned Deputy Sheriff plays his role to perfection, while Anthony Quinn as the crippled close friend of the Marshal is integral to the final outcome. They are greatly supported by a well-worn Dorothy Malone, and to me at least a surprising good performance by Tom Drake as the cruel and somewhat cowardly leader of the Outlaws. It is one of the last Cinemascope big movies by Fox, and the photography and atmosphere are quite spectacular.

johnnyboyz The town of Warlock is a downcast, downbeat and desperate zone; an isolated town out there in the Utah desert marred by gunfights, murder and disrespect to those whom wish to stomp that kind of behaviour out. The existing sheriff is both laughed and terrorised out of town, whatever ill feeling those that perpetrate such an act accentuated further by the fact one of their own was killed earlier on that week and that emotions will no doubt be running high. The innocents caught up in the middle of it all powering their own lives appear to have been pushed over that line separating action from inaction. They meet in what appears as a secluded haven in which normalised conversation and reasoning is allowed to play out, but in actuality is nothing more than someone's wood-housed store; those whom are there spending their lives garnering a living out of graft and legal work, each of them wanting to do something about the bandits living by rules of a polar opposite sort. The agreement eventually reached sees them hire a gunfighter to try and clean things up, a man with a reputation and his own way of playing things but additionally with his own experiences and knowledge, all of which will come to wrap everybody up in emotional ties and play out in dramatic fashion.Such is the way most of these really rather enjoyable Hollywood westerns of old begin, Warlock a wonderfully involving character piece covering a man and his bond with another on top of relations with a woman, with the problem of the gunslingers usually hovering perilously overhead. The film was loosely remade in an affectionate and substantial enough manner in 2007's Appaloosa, but even that falls short of what this film here achieves, Warlock a fabulous piece never loosing sight of the fact it's effectively about people dealing with violence with further violence; an enrapturing western, the painful finale of which wonderfully captures the downcast nature of the old west that furthermore, once everything has been said and done, there can still be only very little in the way of a feel-good compromise.Henry Fonda plays Clay Blaisedell, a gunfighter brought in with his second in command Tom Morgan (Quinn) to deal with the problem and help bring some stability to the town. The agonising manner in which those they're there to deal with apparently treat those of a law and order infused nature resonate when Blaisedell is placed in charge, Blaisedell the sort of man whom, when attempting to defuse a rowdy situation involving many-a person forming an angry mob, will ask for the largest and burliest to step forward to speak before laying him out cold again thus defusing the situation and dissipating the crowd. He looks down at the town of Warlock prior to arrival, a small and rounded dystopia seemingly cut off from most other places knowingly about to embark on his next crusade. Upon the arrival, it doesn't take long for either Blaisedell or Morgan to completely renovate their accommodation from downtrodden and somewhat backward living quarters into a far plusher, far richer locale upon which to operate out of here suggesting a higher or a more cultured sense of existence than might be first perceived. Furthermore, after having been greeted into the town and introduced to the general area, Morgan deduces that the showing was a "Hell of a welcoming committee", to which his boss retorts that it was "better than some I've seen" immediately suggesting prior experience and exposure to this sort of scenario.The leader of those they're there to deal with is a certain Abe McQuown (Drake); a thin, weedy, angry little man with a large group of thugs backing him up, of whom one is Johnny Gannon (Widmark), a younger member seemingly wanting to move away from their lifestyle. The two parties initially clash within the town's saloon, the construction to which is a devilishly well played improvisation of diegetic piano music acting as this nervous overlying theme tune, until it's stopped out of the pianist's own noticing of the brooding situation, with the men then spreading out. The attention to each man occupying a specific space within the locale and the permutations that come with such decisions is duly focused upon, before, just as hostilities appear to be a conclusion which will doom everybody, one of the bandits speaks out in regards to Blaisedell's guns and their golden handles, an agonising attempt at inciting violence with immediate reference to the tools of violence.Edward Dmytryk fleshes out the film in an imperial fashion, delicately going back and forth from each of the strands as each of the characters come to deal with the issues they face; one scene in particular highlighting the closer link friends and foes may very well have to each other when respective deputies, or minions to the main attraction, in Gannon and Morgan interact well enough in the street and we must realise that while Gannon does not seem necessarily as evil as those he works for, Morgan is still a man earning a trade through killing and violence - much like those he's there attempting to stamp out. Dmytryk's additional exploring of a complicated back story involving women and sex and murder and death, that later comes to threaten Morgan and Blaisedell's all-male bond with one another, is more than sufficient; the ingredients and approach to the material of which culminates in a deliciously involving film.

doug-balch This is a really good movie with a great script and great cast. I gave it a 6 out of 10 rating in IMDb. It faired pretty well in my ranking system for a "town" Western devoid of humor, scoring 13 points out of 24, which is above average. Here's what I liked: It was very strong thematically, deeply exploring the concepts of law versus order in the changing West. The plot was very sophisticated and complex, with multiple heroes, multiple heavies and multiple romantic interests. It even had two climaxes, just like "The Tin Star" another Fonda movie from a few years earlier. They managed to tell a very complicated story with few plot holes (just when did Clay and Jessie decide to get married, anyway?). Fonda is masterful as he always is, Widmark is solid as he always is, but Anthony Quinn almost steals the movie as Clay's bizarre crippled friend/protector/implied lover. If you don't believe there's an intentional homoerotic subtext to Clay and Morgan's relationship, why does the script go out of its way to show them sharing the same rooms? And the first thing they do when they move in is discuss redecorating. Now how many gunfighters would do that? Unlike most "town" Westerns, Warlock managed to score a point in my landscape category. It shows you that "town" Westerns don't have to be devoid of Western landscapes. There are innumerable plot devices to get the characters out of town. Warlock does an excellent job of this. The romantic subplots weren't completely gratuitous. Both women were fairly well developed, although in both cases the development of the relationships was rushed. I can understand why though. As it was, the movie ran over two hours already. Maybe somebody can help me out here, but Morgan basically commits suicide at the end when he outdraws Clay, but only shoots his hat off. Clay also rides off to eventually meet his maker as a wandering gunman. Is this the first "there's no point in going on" gunfighter suicide? The Magnificent Seven had a similar theme, as did "The Wild Bunch". Now here's what kept the movie from being better: Could have benefited from a more charismatic heavy than Tom Drake. He should also have had a henchman who put a little scare into Clay. I don't think it was necessary for the movie to be so grim. There was not a bit of comic relief or musical relief . The soundtrack was very intrusive and irritating. While I'll give them credit for exploring their theme thoroughly, I'm not sure the theme is deep enough or relevant enough to warrant such a examination. "There's no more place for gunfighters and the law should be duly appointed by the government". Fine, I get it. It's not like the danger of vigilante justice is a big issue for me in my personal life.