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Western

Showdown

- Enemies Chained Together Like Mad Dogs!

A cowboy has to get 12,000 dollars in stolen bonds from the ex-girlfriend of his partner, or the gang holding him hostage will kill him.

Release Date : 1963-05-03

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Universal International Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Showdown

Cast

Audie Murphy

Character Name : Chris Foster

Original Name : Audie Murphy

Gender : Male

Kathleen Crowley

Character Name : Estelle

Original Name : Kathleen Crowley

Gender : Female

Charles Drake

Character Name : Bert Pickett

Original Name : Charles Drake

Gender : Male

Harold J. Stone

Character Name : Lavalle

Original Name : Harold J. Stone

Gender : Male

Skip Homeier

Character Name : Caslon

Original Name : Skip Homeier

Gender : Male

L.Q. Jones

Character Name : Foray

Original Name : L.Q. Jones

Gender : Male

Strother Martin

Character Name : Charlie Reeder

Original Name : Strother Martin

Gender : Male

Charles Horvath

Character Name : Hebron

Original Name : Charles Horvath

Gender : Male

John McKee

Character Name : Marshal Beaudine

Original Name : John McKee

Gender : Male

Henry Wills

Character Name : Chaca

Original Name : Henry Wills

Gender : Male

Joe Haworth

Character Name : Guard

Original Name : Joe Haworth

Gender : Male

Kevin Brodie

Character Name : Buster

Original Name : Kevin Brodie

Gender : Male

Carol Thurston

Character Name : Smithy's Wife

Original Name : Carol Thurston

Gender : Female

Dabbs Greer

Character Name : Express Man

Original Name : Dabbs Greer

Gender : Male

Reviews

J

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

I would have let you die! Showdown is directed by R.G. Springsteen and written by Bronson Howitzer. It stars Audie Murphy, Kathleen Crowley, Charles Drake, Harold J. Stone, Skip Homeier, L. Q. Jones and Strother Martin. Music is by Hans J. Salter and cinematography by Ellis W. Carter. Plot has Murphy as Chris Foster who has to get 12,000 dollars in stolen bonds from the ex-girlfriend of his partner, Bert Pickett (Drake), or the gang holding him hostage will kill him. Filmed in black and white, something which didn't sit well with Murphy, this turns out to be a well photographed (the sumptuous back drop of the Alabama Hills, Lone Pine) low budget Oater of interesting ideas. The outdoor prison used here - criminals chained by neck collars to a pole in the center of town - is refreshingly original and a superb plot device that thrusts good guys (Chris and Bert) and bad guys together as a unit, for a while at least that is... Trouble is, is that this is only a small section of the story which occurs at the pic's beginning. We get some exciting action and character laying foundations for the inevitable break out, and then it moves away from the jail scenario. The premise is so good one kind of hankers for much longer of this story angle, maybe even for the story to have been different and made this the bulk of the movie as a character piece - with the break out and subsequent held to ransom aspect in the last third. But I digress whilst forgetting this is a 1960s low budget job. Narrative contains themes of addiction, tortured love and blind loyalty, which is credit to the writing of the wonderfully named Bronson Howitzer (really Ric Hardman!). However, the romantic thread bogs things down since it comes off as nonsense, with Crowley - as lovely as she looks - utterly unbelievable in the Western setting. Worse still is the head villain played by Stone, who not only makes preposterous decisions, he's also just not very villainous into the bargain. Still, Murphy is on good enough form and he's backed up by some notable genre performers. A mixture of the usual good and bad for a Murphy 1960s Oater, but enough here to make it a comfortable recommendation to fans of star and genre. 6.5/10