User reviews

A modest little matinée western with little in way of style with its methodical direction, but leading the way are the strikingly prominent performances from Yul Brynner, George Segal, Pat Hingle, Janice Rule and backing it up is a lyrically well-oiled script stringed to a customary, but accessibly gripping premise that patiently builds upon its unfolding situations.

A confederate solider Matt Weaver returns back to his small town after the civil war to find out his home has been sold by the dominating town boss Sam Brewster. Causing a ruckus, Brewster hires the interestingly mysterious gunfighter Jules Gaspard d'Estaing to take care of Brewster; however Jules gets caught up in the devious shades of a town run by corrupt figures.

The way the story pans out is thoughtfully projected and the framework delivers it in an unconventional manner with some psychological interplays. The way the steely protagonist uses the situation to gain what he wants and hand out much needed justice within the shameful town simply holds you there. It's literally chatty, but never does it outstay its welcome. A sternly defined Brynner is outstanding (as the camera magnetically follows him around) and likewise is a booming Hingle. When the action/shoot outs occur they're rather sparse, but toughly staged despite its obvious studio bound sets.

I have always like westerns and would consider this one a must-see. It's quite dated in places with many of it's attitudes rooted in the 1950s and some really laughable dialog. But it's moral stance and it comments on society's treatment of it's poor, it's minorities, it's women, hits you like a slap to the face. It's always a pleasure to watch Yul Brenner at work and he really carries this movie. George Segal is okay as his presumed antagonist but the real bad guy(s) in this movie are not so easily identified. I was stunned to see how much of the plot of this movie influenced one of my favorite Westerns of all time - High Plains Drifter. The resemblance is uncanny - of course HPD does it better but still I have to recommend this to anyone who likes Westerns.

Studio-slick story with talky screenplay, it starts when Confederate soldier named Matt Weaver (George Segal) goes back to his village after the Civil War, he encounters that his house has been sold by landowner Sam Brewster (Pat Hingle). Brewster hires enigmatic gunfighter Jules Gaspard d'Estaing (Yul Brynner) to deal with Weaver and charged with taking him out but d'Estaing's independent approach settles the issues in a very unorthodox manner . When Jules is assigned for cleaning up the troubled community , he suddenly shifts loyalties and turning the balance of power. Meanwhile , there takes place a lovely triangle among the main characters (Brynner, Segal and Janice Rule).

This is a tremendously exciting story of a gunfighter-for-hire who had only one more killing to go. It begins as a slow-moving Western but follows to surprise us with dark characters and solid plot ; resulting to be a striking piece. Long on dialog but contains an exciting final with surprising duel . The tale is almost grim , a killer comes to a town just in time to make sure its citizenry but later the events get worse . Short on action Western with Brynner as rare gunslinger who is hired as professional murderous to kill outcast Confederate George Segal. The highlights are the violent destruction of the town and the climatic showdown at the ending. Phenomenal and great role for Yul Brynner as avenger angel and bitter gunfighter, he's the whole show at the height of his iconic game . Vivid and lively musical score by David Raksin. Atmospheric cinematography in glimmer color by Joseph McDonald. The motion picture is professionally realized by Richard Wilson (Al Capone , Three in Attic). Wilson was a previous associate of Orson Welles in the Mercury Theatre days and made another good Western as ¨Man with a gun¨, starring Robert Mitchum and ¨Zane Grey¨ episodes. Watchable results for this offbeat Western.

One of those Westerns in which the townspeople come to wish they hadn't hired a gunslinger to do their dirty work. I had suspected that the version I saw on TV had been edited to squeeze into programme schedules, but this website gives the running time as 92 minutes and the TV slot (including commercials) was 105 minutes. One moment Matt Weaver has stormed into the night, furious that in his absence his home has been sold, the next he's become a feared outcast who's killed a man, instantly becoming such a threat to the townspeople that they have to hire a gunman. OK, the town has lost many of its men to the Civil War, but surely its citizens could muster enough courage and guns to do the job themselves? Brynner produces a sinister screen presence and dominates the cast, many of are low key. And several plot elements are understated; racism there may be in the town, but this is only evident when the hotel owner suggests that d'Estaing might be better suited seeking a room in the Mexican quarter; there's been many a better portrayal of a corrupt town boss than Pat Hingle's; and the lady to whom d'Estaing returns her pawned jewelry looks a bit too elegant to be down to her last dress.

d'Estaing's drunken rampage through the town came as a shock; the place must have been typical of many of the postbellum period, and its racism, venality and corruption as portrayed in the film didn't seem to justify a hired assassin's rage. It would have been better had d'Estaing been exposed to more overt racism than a patronising suggestion that he finds accommodation in a Mexican establishment.

No great surprises in the ending, but again it wasn't convincing when the Anglo-Americans united with the Mexicans in a gesture of respect.

Take away Brynner and this would have been an extremely average Western.

Largely on the strength of 'Al Capone' (1959), director Richard Wilson was considered sufficiently noteworthy during the mid-sixties to rate an entry in the Thames & Hudson 'Encyclopedia of the Arts' (1966).

This talky, awe-inspiringly pretentious 'adult' western (scripted by Wilson and his wife Elizabeth) that a few years earlier would have signalled it's seriousness by being in black & white (like 'High Noon' or '3:10 to Yuma') is instead shot in incongruously pretty colour by veteran cameraman Joe MacDonald on the Universal backlot, where Brynner later trashes the already flimsy-looking sets with suspicious ease.

Based on a 1957 TV play, it was made too early to be influenced by Sergio Leone, but was obviously influenced (as was Leone himself) by the samurai films of Kurosawa.

The cast was largely recruited from TV and the New York stage, some of whom - like George Segal and Strother Martin - became more familiar a few more years later; while David Raksin's woodwind score lingers in the memory.

Co-star George Segal gives a creditable performance as Matt Weaver, the one Reb soldier in a Union town who returns home from the war to find his house and woman taken away from him. When he is later thought to have killed homesteader John Medford (an unbilled Russell "The Professor" Johnson), the townspeople agree to hire a gunslinger to eliminate Matt. The man they hire is a smooth Creole with the fancy name of Jules Gaspard D'Estaing (Yul Brynner). Jules doesn't really like the place, or the people, but he hangs around long enough to take their money, and ultimately go to war with his own conscience.

What this viewer appreciated about "Invitation to a Gunfighter" was the fact that it didn't play out in an obvious, formulaic way. It's definitely a Western with a social conscience, taking place in a supposedly enlightened town where racism can still be revealed in modest ways. The screenplay is by producer / director Richard Wilson ("Man with the Gun") and his wife Elizabeth, working from an adaptation (by future 'Night Gallery' veteran Alvin Sapinsley) of a story by Hal Goodman & Larry Klein. There is a fair amount of nuance here, and not just gun fighting. Most unexpected was the drunken rampage that our hired killer goes on in the final third of the picture. What we learn from the evolving storyline is how things are not always the way that they appear to be.

Brynner, as always, has a very commanding screen presence. If other viewers overall don't care much for the film, they can at least agree that it delivers for fans of the star. Janice Rule has definite appeal as the wife of the local storekeeper (Clifford David); other familiar faces appearing throughout include Strother Martin, Clifton James, Brad Dexter (one of Brynners' co-stars in "The Magnificent Seven"), Mike Kellin, Bert Freed, and William Hickey. Pat Hingle is excellent as the town boss who knows just how to keep his citizens riled up and passionate. Future big-time cinematographer John A. Alonzo (who'd also acted in "The Magnificent Seven") plays Manuel here.

In general, "Invitation to a Gunfighter" makes for reasonably interesting viewing, and is paced quite efficiently, clocking in at a little over an hour and a half.

Seven out of 10.

"Invitation to a Gunfighter" is a film searching for a consistent tone. By turns it's stilted, silly and melodramatic, and the result is mostly just confusing. The kernels of a very good movie are present, but often left "unpopped." For example, the town is initially portrayed as morally upright, and Brynner's character as amoral, and the film tries to flip this on its head. The trouble is, we rarely see anything to prove this; instead, we're forced to fill in the blanks ourselves from sparse pieces of (vague) dialogue. The story is so buried in subtext and so much is not shown that scenes like Yul Brynner's drunken rampage is robbed of its dramatic potential because we haven't seen anything that would seem to justify it. On it's own, that could have been a powerful idea, since Brynner's character is given a back-story like nothing these townsfolk have ever known, but in that case, the movie devotes far too much time to the troubles of the townsfolk instead of focusing on Brynner's inner turmoil.

The acting is all over the board in this one, as well. Brynner's performance can't be faulted; he's his usual simmering, silent presence, but seems miscast in a role which could have been quite interesting if it weren't so poorly-written. Janice Rule seems confused in her role as Ruth Adams (and well she should be, forced to serve as the love interest between--count them--three men, all trying to kill each other at some point or another), and spends most of it looking vaguely sad and disinterested, and Pat Hingle is neither evil enough nor serious enough to make a compelling villain. Clifford David fares better as the perpetually angry Crane, and George Segal, as the unfortunate Matt Weaver, is just about the only member of the cast that seems to have any idea what he's doing. The rest of the townsfolk are a mixture of clichés and stereotypes that make it seem as though Yul Brynner mistakenly wandered onto the set of "Blazing Saddles." Brynner's presence, and the multi-layered, operatic scale of the plot might warrant repeat viewings, and the film should be credited for trying to tackle weighty issues of morality and racism, but ultimately "Gunfighter" misses its mark. The classic mantra in storytelling is "show, don't tell," and this film doesn't do that, rendering what should have been a very good movie into a very mediocre one.

I loved Yul Brynner in this movie, and Janice Rule did a good job as the frustrated wife of the crippled, hard-drinking, ex-Civil War fighter. Yul Brynner is excellent as the brooding, cold, mercenary who has a job to do, but falls for the lady whose house he's decided to stay in while doing it. I was in my "Yul Brynner" phase when this one came out, and I can still see it over and over--much as I feel about The Magnificent Seven, the Return of the Seven, The Journey, or The King and I. I couldn't help but wonder if he actually played that harpsichord. He obviously couldn't sing, and only spoke the song while he played the tune on the lady's harpsichord.

Yul Brynner was a smoker, and the cigar is ever present. I met him in 1972 out in Malibu, and I asked him if he could quit smoking for his health's sake. He said, "Nope. Too hooked." He was, and sadly for his fans, it was his undoing. He signed a photo for me for my birthday that year, which I still cherish. The world lost a great actor when he passed. He was the best in a Western, wearing black and walking that walk...a man of few words.

Stanley Kramer is one of my favorite producers and directors, so it's almost a sure bet I'll watch anything he puts his name on. Invitation to a Gunfighter had a bit of a strange start, with George Segal putting on a Southern accent to match his Confederate uniform, but I decided to stick with it. It turned out to be a very entertaining western, and even though I didn't like the way it ended, I was glad I watched it.

George returns from the war to his home in neutral New Mexico. Because the Confederacy lost the war, George's farm was repossessed and sold, and everyone in town has turned against him. With no home, his sweetheart Janice Rule married to someone else, he confronts the head honcho (and persuasive bad guy) in town, Pat Hingle. Pat tries to get George arrested, but George breaks out of prison and kills the man who bought his farm. Now a wanted man, and a feared one, Pat hires a gunfighter to take care of the local problem. Yul Brynner's entrance in town is very too-cool-for-school, and his strong, silent type is very attractive. It's no wonder Janice can't keep her eyes off him - but will she keep her hands off him?

Many westerns feature a less than stellar actress who can't shake her contemporary presence. Whether it's too much makeup, too blonde a wig, or too strong a modern accent, the B-actresses often featured in westerns are disappointing. George, in one of his early roles, tries hard to be a rebellious Southerner with nothing to lose. Yul gives a very good performance full of conflict, and even some emotional tenderness. Janice is pretty obviously from 1964 California. Oh well; you can't win them all. If you're a Yul Brynner fan, you'll really like this movie. It may seem like a standard action flick, but he puts a lot more into it. And ladies, he looks really good while he's doing it.

Rebel soldier Matt Weaver returns to town after the Civil War, only to find that his home has been sold by unscrupulous town boss, Sam Brewster. Brewster, fearing for his safety, hires gunfighter Jules Gaspard d'Estaing to eradicate Weaver. But as d'Estaing's settles in to town it becomes clear to him just what a corrupt and morally bankrupt bunch the townsfolk are.

It grieves me to mark a film like this, with so many good people involved with it, down so low. The thematic heart of this picture is fabulous, nothing none of us haven't seen before, but tales of hired gunmen straightening out dirty towns are always of interest if handled with care and a commitment to the moral essence. Invitation To A Gunfighter, in spite of starring Yul Brynner, George Segal, Brad Dexter, Pat Hingle and Strother Martin, and being directed by Orson Welles collaborator Richard Wilson, is ploddingly paced and acted like a low budget C movie. The score from David Raksin is intrusive and completely out of sync with the nature of the piece, whilst the back lot location is all too evident.

The piece briefly picks up entering the final third, where thankfully Brynner is asked to earn his pay outside of walking around glumly, but it's a false dawn as the finale has all the excitement of a runny nose. I'm in the minority judging by the comments written for this film thus far, so maybe it caught me at a bad time, but the chances of me ever seeking this one out again are remote to say the least. 3/10

A corrupt and bigoted town hires Jules Gaspard d'Estaing (Yul Brynner), a nattily-dressed gunfighter, to kill Matt Weaver (George Segal), a bitter Confederate Army veteran who recently returned to find his home confiscated and sold by town-boss Sam Brewster (Pat Hingle). Needless to say, the cure turns out to be worse than the disease (a premise similar to that in Clint Eastwood's superior 'High Palins Drifter' (1973)). The film wears its heart on its sleeve as the churlish townies depreciate the local Mexican population, cash in on the plight of poor war-widows, can't be bothered to correctly pronounce d'Estaing's name, etc. Despite being on the losing side of the Civil War, Weaver is portrayed as a good man (in contrast to the town's risible Yankees) and ends up in an awkward understanding with d'Estaing, who reveals himself to be the son of a slave woman (Brynner's complexion seems surprisingly dark and the Russian-American actor may be in partial 'blackface' to better fit his backstory). While the film's social goals are laudable, as entertainment, it isn't very good. Brynner's character (impeccably dressed, erudite, playing multiple musical instruments, speaking several languages) seems contrived and artificial, and, despite the obligatory display of gunmanship, really doesn't come off as very menacing. His and Weaver's motivations are presumably complex and conflicted but I found the dialogue hard to follow, and perhaps for that reason, may have missed the point of some key scenes (such as d'Estaing's endless 'vandalism' spree, presumably representing his hatred for the town). Segal is fine as the Reb but the female lead Janice Rule (as Ruth Adams, a seemingly one-person love triangle) doesn't add much to the story. The score (by David Raksin), which starts off sounding like a knock-off of Elmer Bernstein and later includes a harpsicord (?) that sounds like something out of 'The Addams Family' (1964), was often intrusive or out-of-place. The film had some odd flourishes (such as the 'Greek chorus' of crippled Union vets who comment on events) and the ending, while somewhat unexpected, was undercut by a mawkish 'can't we all get along' final scene. All in all, the film tries too hard to be a morality play and relies too much on Brynner's overdone and hackneyed 'man in black' character to carry the story.

People are nothing but a bunch of coward bad sheep. That's what this movie is proving. Between Chris Larabee Adams of "The Magnificent Seven" and The Gunslinger of "Westworld," Yul Brynner plays a similar role, as a paid gunman, but for a different cause. Janice Rule is beautiful and talented. George Segal, Pat Hingle and Strother Martin are credible and efficient as usual.

It is very interesting to note the name of the mysterious gun fighter played by that superb actor,Yul Brynner. He is named Jules Gaspard D'Estaing. Altogether a French name which he teaches Pat Hinkle's character to pronounce just right. Interesting thing is that Yul is Russian for Jules and that name was given to Mr. Brynner after his Russian grandfather. I wonder if Yul chose that name himself for the character he played, was it co-incidence or chosen by the script writer.I have no answer and I would wish someone who knows about the genesis of this name would enlighten us all. Yul Brynner plays a Creole;half French half Black man who has been given an artificial dark complexion. Along with his shaved head and dark eyes he does look his part. He reminded me of that other fine actor,Woody Strode.

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 an underrated western with a great moral lesson about both racism and judging too quickly from appearances. The townspeople led by Pat Hingle in this northern leaning western town hire Yul Brynner to gun down George Segal who has returned from the Civil War after fighting for the Confederacy. George Segal has come back to claim his land and his woman, each of which has been taken by another.

AS the movie progresses it's slowly revealed that the Union leaning town is not what it seems to be. Pat Hingle plays a politician very common for 30 years after the Civil War, adept at what they called "waving the bloody shirt." Just demagogue away at who did what and where during the war and ignore the current issues both social and economic.

During the course of The Magnificent Seven, Yul Brynner's Chris Adams is referred to as a Cajun. Here he's given a proper Cajun name of Jules D'Estaing and when his secret is revealed, a whole lot of people in that town have to confront their own prejudices.

Makes for worthwhile viewing.

Afterwards of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN a smashing worldwide success the egocentric Yul Brynner became a stereotyped character often wearing black outfits as he did in the picture cited above, no so close by the way he is portraits a Cajun character from New Orleans, Jules Gaspard d'Estaing, a French-African descendant, also a so weirdo gunfighter with an unusual modus operandi, he arrives randomly at a dry-border town and was quickly hired by City's Big Boss Sam Brewster (Pat Hingle) to kill a recently arrived rebel confederate soldier Matt Weaver (George Segal) due Brewster had sold his farmer to someone else, meanwhile he also lost his beloved fiancé Ruth Adams (Janice Rule) to an Union soldier Crane Adams (Clifford Davis) now one-arm man.

Slowly the odd gunfighter figures out that such Union citizen stink, somehow becoming susceptible for those less fortunate as the Mexican borders citizen, even sympathizing with his prey Matt Weaver, also has romantic interest in the beauty Ruth Adams as well, therefore becoming a menacing guy to the chief-towners, thus envisages troubles ahead the scheming Sam Brewster manages a truce with Matt Weaver delivering his deed of land in exchange kill the ominous gunfighter, worst he is taking aim Ruth as mistress.

A well-drafted screenplay focuses in the damages of the American Civil War, concerning the hard impoverishment the society as a whole for the benefit of the mighty ones, taking it on account the bleak gunfighter starts reproach his own position and for whom the Union fighting for? Fine premise and well-structured western with acids dialogues.

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 1984 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.