In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Friday, 13 January 2017

Invitation to a Gunfighter (1964)

A confederate soldier returns to his New Mexico hometown after three years away, but all is not as he left it. Things get out of control and the townspeople hire a gunfighter to do their dirty work. Enter a chiselled-jawed Yul Brynner in a dapper suit and armed with a shitload of attitude. Brynner is a cool-as-ice presence, a powerful and unreadable force that's the opposite of the open book folks that hire him; he owns a scene just by being in it.
The second most important factor is a woman (Janice Rule) who finds herself caught in the middle of a complicated situation that seems destined to end badly for her, regardless of the actual outcome.
Brynner fans will most likely be more than happy with the Russian-born actor's performance, but the film itself might not stir the same feelings.

3½ storefront refurbishments out of 5

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