It's a familiar story with a mostly light-hearted approach: an aging lawman gets pushed out before he's ready and gets help from an unexpected source. But what a cast! Mitchum and Nettleton, two of the finest ever at their craft, are joined by Martin Balsam, George Kennedy, Marie Windsor, John Davis Chandler...
Mayor Wilker (Martin Balsam) is a hoot, the quintessential small-time politician with grandiose dreams. Like many politicians, he is amoral. His only regard for morality or anything else, outside of his pursuits of local women, is how such things affect the vote. His ideas are often disastrous, but he nonetheless emerges smelling like a rose over and over due to the actions of others. He believes he's destined for great heights and he's likely to reach them even though he's clearly incompetent beyond his gift for gab.
When he gathers the town and gives a surprised Marshal Flag (Mitchum) a gold watch before introducing his meek replacement, he's obviously made a mistake. The mistake is soon amplified and the new marshal is put to the test, which he runs away from, when a large gang descends on the town. This problem draws the bumbling mayor into the scheme Flag has hatched with an old foe who has flipped on his former gang, partly because he has been usurped and partly because he can't stomach the gang's new way of doing things-which include shooting old men in the back.
Some funny lines delivered in grand style definitely raise the quality of the film. There is a bit of drama interspersed among the laughs, but it's mostly a good time even though Marshal Flag is on a serious mission.
Mayor Wilker (Martin Balsam) is a hoot, the quintessential small-time politician with grandiose dreams. Like many politicians, he is amoral. His only regard for morality or anything else, outside of his pursuits of local women, is how such things affect the vote. His ideas are often disastrous, but he nonetheless emerges smelling like a rose over and over due to the actions of others. He believes he's destined for great heights and he's likely to reach them even though he's clearly incompetent beyond his gift for gab.
When he gathers the town and gives a surprised Marshal Flag (Mitchum) a gold watch before introducing his meek replacement, he's obviously made a mistake. The mistake is soon amplified and the new marshal is put to the test, which he runs away from, when a large gang descends on the town. This problem draws the bumbling mayor into the scheme Flag has hatched with an old foe who has flipped on his former gang, partly because he has been usurped and partly because he can't stomach the gang's new way of doing things-which include shooting old men in the back.
Some funny lines delivered in grand style definitely raise the quality of the film. There is a bit of drama interspersed among the laughs, but it's mostly a good time even though Marshal Flag is on a serious mission.
