Strong and Moving!

How sad is this?

Captivating movie !

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I couldn't get into this one. A cavalry patrol recaptures a stolen Gatling Gun, and must escort it (and the gun thieves) back to a safe location through hostile Apache territory. I noted the anti nuclear weapons subliminal message discussed early on in the movie's dialog. One scene I found baffling involved a pacifist preacher, who knew the hostile Apache chief, Two Knifes, coming out of a homestead while being restrained by the homestead family and the Cavalry patrol commander, yelling for Two Knives that his friend the preacher was in the homestead. Out of nowhere arrows hit the pacifist preacher, yet for some reason do not hit the cavalry commander and the other combatants....lack of realism. There are corny old school cinematic (what you see in black and white films) romantic subplots...I do not understand how one of the females who was part of this cavalry / civilian group, and involved in the corny romance sub plots, was able to untie one of the gun thieves being escorted in order to have their corny face touching moments...no one was watching the prisoner? Why didn't these people steal one of the horses and run, especially if the gun thief knew he was probably going to be executed anyway? I could not watch this film any longer, I had to end it there. It took a lot for me to give it a 3. Brian Ghilliotti

As you may have guessed by what I wrote in the above summary line, "The Gatling Gun" is far from the classics the western film genre has managed to produce. True, the movie managed to round up an interesting cast, from John Carradine to Woody Strode. But despite the talent on display, the movie stubbornly gives the majority of them precious little to do, and an even smaller amount that is actually interesting or compelling. Stronger characters would have helped, but the movie would still have suffered from a slapdash feeling. As I said, this movie is pretty cheap, from the tacky costumes to filming every scene on drab locations. Director Robert Gordon also seems unable to inject any excitement; the sporadic action is pretty flat. The only things that may raise viewers from a slumber are one scene involving fire (you'll know it when you see it) and John Carradine's hilariously hammy performance, though Carradine exits the movie pretty early before he can tickle us some more.

"The Gatling Gun" was originally titled "King Gun" and shot in 1969, but not released till 1971. It's a cavalry vs. Indians Western focusing on the eponymous weapon with a great cast of familiars -- Guy Stockwell, Robert Fuller, Phil Harris, Woody Strode, Patrick Wayne, John Carradine, Pat Buttram and BarBara Luna (from Star Trek's "Mirror, Mirror") -- highlighted by curvy redhead Judy Jordan, to say the least.Critics write it off as "routine" and akin to a TV Western. True, it is Grade 'B' and comic-booky, so proceed with caution. BUT the notable cast clicks and the story delivers the goods, as far as Western (melo)drama & action goes. It's essentially a survival tale of a small group of soldiers and civilians who team-up to survive a desert trek threatened by Two-Knife (Carlos Rivas) and his rogue tribe. If you're a sucker for desert-survival tales (like me), such as "Sands of the Kalahari" (1965), "Flight of the Phoenix" (1965), "Escape from Zahrain" (1962) and "They Came to Cordura" (1959), you'll probably appreciate "The Gatling Gun," as long as you can forgive the TV budget (although it's not technically a TV movie and was dubiously released to theaters). It's not as good as the first three, but it's more entertaining than the last one. While "Cordura" is a more serious production with overall superior production values, it's also more hokey in a lame 50's Western sense.The trek through the desert features a lot of drama but the movie ends with a bang as the group squares-off against Two-Knife and his braves. Stockwell stands out as the alpha male Army Lieutenant who naturally attracts the babe (Jordan), whereas Fuller is effective as Private Sneed, done-in by his own lust for filthy lucre.The film runs 87 minutes and was shot at Eaves Movie Ranch and Ghost Ranch near Sante Fe, New Mexico. DIRECTOR: Robert Gordon. WRITERS: Mark Hanna & Joseph Van Winkle.GRADE: B-

Low-budget, by-the-numbers western, routine in every department: writing, direction, acting, you name it. The plot is nothing special: a ragtag detachment of soldiers must protect a new Gatling gun from falling into the hands of rampaging Indians. A somewhat decent cast gives this picture a bit more than just a passing interest, but not much more. Phil Harris looks out of place, John Carradine was at a point in his career where he took just about anything and everything that was offered to him--which explains why he's in this--Guy Stockwell looks tired, and the only even remotely energetic performance is given by veteran western actor and John Ford favorite Woody Strode. Listlessly directed and sloppily written, this cheap-looking film has a burst of action near the end that breaks the monotony, but not enough to make it worth sitting through. Skip it.