Support Your Local Gunfighter

Starring: James Garner, Suzanne Pleshette, Jack Elam, Harry Morgan, Joan Blondell, Chuck Connors, Marie Windsor, John Dehner
Directed by: Burt Kennedy
Rating: G
Genre: Comedy, Western, Romance
1971

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A man (James Garner) arrives in the town of Purgatory, and is mistaken for a famous gunfighter. As two battling sides seek to hire his services, he uses the mistake to his own financial gain.

Review:

Tim: Support Your Local Gunfighter is a really, really fun movie. There's just something intangibly cool about this goofy, humorous Western. The movie's main purpose is to entertain, and it certainly achieves this end. Western comedies can be great, but they can fall under their own weight, too. This movie balances everything so well- it's always funny, but there is a cute romance and a little danger thrown into the mix as well. It's a charming story, and a film I thoroughly enjoyed.

The biggest strength of the film is James Garner. He is terrific as Latigo. He brings so much charm to the role, but also courage to not be afraid to look silly. His character is so cool, so conniving, and yet, has a sense of honor and duty buried under his con-artist exterior. He had a great character (I love when he is challenged to a gunfight, hits his opponent over the head from behind, and breaks both his fingers), and it was fun watching him turn Western cliches on their head. He's our hero, but he is slow on the draw, doesn't like to ride, has an embarrassing tattoo, drinks sody-pop, doesn't like to fight, is a con-artist ladies' man, and has a bad gambling problem. What a crazy, unique, fun character Latigo Smith is- and - James Garner was the perfect actor to bring him to life.

The script is really good, too. It puts a twist on movies like A Fistful of Dollars, but it really spoofs many conventions of Westerns. And yet, this is still very much a Western. It just proves smarter than most films in this genre, and manages to add to the genre while poking fun of it at the same time. This isn't an easy balance to maintain, but the film does it brilliantly. I loved the different twists and turns of the story- I never knew what to expect next, but I knew I'd be thoroughly entertained. The story was funny and engaging, and I never lost interest.

In addition to Garner, Jack Elam was pretty good as Jug. Elam isn't as good of an actor as Garner, but he makes a fairly good supporting character. This brings me to Suzanne Pleshette. I really struggle with her character. When she's introduced, she is a crazy, violent, unstable woman. She has a dream, but all you see is how unhinged she is. Through the movie (and a little too quickly), she suddenly transforms into a potential love interest for our protagonist. This wasn't handled very well. It seems to make sense as the movie progresses, but it just doesn't make logical sense. The woman we see at the beginning of the film undergoes a huge transformation, with nothing really to support why it happens. This was one of the biggest flaws of the whole film- asking the audience to believe she becomes this other, more stable, wonderful person. I never bought it, and it hurt the film. Now, I'm not criticizing Pleshette- she brings great energy to the role, and it was fun seeing a strong female character in a Western. She did a terrific job in the role, it's just that the script really hurt her character.

I do have to say I felt the film was a bit scattered. There's so many different characters, and not all of them are fascinating. I liked that it really felt like you were part of the town of Purgatory, but I would have liked to see the story a bit more focused. Latigo Smith is such a fascinating character, and I would have liked more time with him, and less with some of the supporting characters. The end of the film is a bit hard-to-believe, and the showdown is a little anticlimactic.

Still, Support Your Local Gunfighter is a funny, entertaining comedic Western. I really enjoyed watching this movie, and I would definitely recommend it. This movie made me want to track down some of James Garner's other earlier films- his charismatic performance made this movie, and really impressed me.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Support Your Local Sheriff!