Decision at Sundown

Decision at Sundown(1957)

11/10/1957 (US)Western1h 18m
6.3

"At last the search was over..."

Overview

A man and his partner arrive at a small Western town to kill its most powerful man because the former blames him for his wife's death.

Budd Boetticher

Director

Charles Lang

Screenplay

Vernon L. Fluharty

Story

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Part of the The Ranown Cycle Westerns Collection

The Ranown Cycle of Westerns is the designation critics have awarded to a remarkable series of low-budget Westerns from the late Fifties, starring Randolph Scott and directed by Budd Boetticher. The Ranown films have gained in critical popularity over the years and the Criterion Collection has recently (2023) released the Ranown Westerns boxset bringing together five of the films. Each film within the collection boasts a brisk runtime, a breezily melodic score and a rising tension that pays off with an explosive conclusion.

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Decision at Sundown (1957) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]

Decision at Sundown (1957) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]

Trailer

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A review by talisencrw
8.0

Written on May 1, 2016

This may not be as strong as other Scott/Boetticher Westerns, such as 'Buchanan Rides Alone' or 'The Tall T', but it's very strong, and would make a great double bill with 'High Noon'--another fine flick about someone being brave enough to stand against the tide of local cowardice, and get things done in cleaning up the town's garbage.

This is very unique in that Scott's character, Bart Allison, is determined for revenge, three years in the making, for the bad guy seducing his wife (who ended up killing herself in disgrace). He seemed to think his wife had the moral fibre not to do that sort of thing willingly--unfortunately, the entire town, even his best friend, seems to know otherwise.

A great look at the lengths some will go to right wrongs they come across in life. Allison's dismay at the community for allowing another wrong to happen, midway through the picture, is something that haunts and stays with you, long after the film concludes. I would have given this a higher rating, aside from an obvious, amateurish mistake that happens around ten minutes into the film, when one of the women talks, but an arm from one of the actors completely occludes her mouth, straight through her entire spiel. It's a minor thing, perhaps, but I'm very surprised no one caught it by the time it was released, especially a director of Boetticher's stature.