The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writers:

Ben Hecht (1947 screenplays)
Charles Lederer (1947 screenplays)

Release Date:

1 August 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

DON'T BE ASHAMED TO SCREAM! Everyone in the theatre will be screaming with you!

Plot:

In this western remake of Kiss of Death (1947), a convicted bank robber serving his sentence, and wishing...

Plot Keywords:

Remake | Prison | Place Name In Title | Killing Spree | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Robert Evans	...	Felix Griffin
Hugh O'Brian	...	Daniel Slade Hardy
Linda Cristal	...	Ellen Hardy
Stephen McNally	...	Marshal Frank Emmett
Edward Andrews	...	Judge Parker
Shari Lee Bernath	...	Janie Hardy
Dolores Michaels	...	May Matthewson
Ken Scott	...	Paul Finney (robbery leader)
Ron Ely	...	Deputy Jim Dyer
Emile Meyer	...	Ames, Head Prison Guard
Gregory Morton	...	Gage (defense attorney)
June Blair

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:18 | Finland:(Banned) (1958) | Sweden:15

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

In his autobiography, "The Kid Stays in the Picture," Robert Evans says that this movie had the following working titles: "The Hell-Bent Kid", "Rope Law", "Enough Rope", "Quick Draw", "Quick Draw at Red Rock", and "The Hell-Bent Kid II". This mistakenly created the impression that Evans was appearing in more films than he actually was. The final title came from a marketing exec trying to cater to both western and horror film audiences.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Kiss of Death (1947)

A very unusual and interesting western

Much of this film will seem familiar to anyone who's seen 1947's "Kiss of Death", which plotwise it closely resembles, and some of the theme music heard over the opening credits was borrowed from 1951's "The Day The Earth Stood Still". That having been said, however, this film has much to recommend it on its own. Most critics disapproved of Robert Evans in the title role, but I found him very impressive: funny and likeable one minute, menacing and really frightening the next; the stuff of any true psycho. The film isn't without flaws; the direction is frankly uninspired, and several opportunities missed. But Evans (in one of his last roles before giving up acting to become a producer) remains fascinating to watch; he's very unlike any other western villain you've ever seen. Emile Meyer (as a brutal prison guard) and Stephen McNally (as a good guy for a change) offer strong supporting performances; Hugh O'Brien is his reliable self as the hero.