Seven Men From Now

Seven Men From Now (1956)

Runtime: 78 minutes

Directed by: Budd Boetticher

Starring: Randolph Scott, Gail Russell (no relation), Lee Marvin, Walter Reed, John Larch

From: Warner Bros.

Here is something I don't review or just plain see enough of: Westerns. This is one I am glad I saw. I explain it all in my Letterboxd review below: 

This is not only my first time using the free Paramount Vault YouTube channel, this is my first Budd Boetticher film; from a messageboard, I know someone who is a big fan of the director and has enjoyed pimping his work. Finally, I sat down and checked one out. I can say that the Paramount Vault channel is something I approve of as watching it via a YouTube app on my Blu player on a big screen TV, the picture looked nice an I had no problems with streaming this first collaboration between Boetticher and Randolph Scott; they did seven movies altogether.

The plot sounds simple enough: Scott is an ex-sheriff who is on the hunt for seven men as they were the ones who committed a robbery and during said robbery they murdered his wife. But it is more complex than that: he meets up with such people as former adversaries Lee Marvin and Don Barry, and a couple heading to California (Walter Reed and Gail Russell... no relation). It was very compelling watching all those characters interact with each other; that is a big part of the movie, those characters having time to establish who they are and both Marvin and Barry are “grey hats” in not being evil yet not being heroes either. But don't worry there is enough violence/shootouts during Scott's attempt at retribution if that is your thing.

Scott was in his late 50's when he made this movie. He was a tall tanned handsome man who looked weathered and wearied yet quite experienced; in short, he was a great fit as a classic older cowboy who you know is a pro at his job. The rest of a cast does a swell job but to me it was Old Randolph and Marvin who were the standouts. They both have scenes where their characters do amazing things and those actors delivered with their performances. Scott's character definitely a noble hero that is easy to root for, even if at times he has a gruff manner. Interesting is that with the couple of Reed and Russell, it is the woman who is the more dominant personality and the one who you trust to take charge of things. All this takes place on a backdrop of beautiful California desert scenery.

This was made by John Wayne's Batjac production company, as it was originally going to star The Duke. But The Searchers came along so he did that instead. That is how the fruitful collaboration between Scott and Boetticher began. At the time those films weren't box office hits but now they have a lot more respect. With this in particular, in only 78 minutes something very compelling was presented. As this can be seen free of charge, I recommend this for those that enjoy the genre, or just wish to see more from the genre.