Firecreek (1968)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Vincent McEveety

Writer:

Calvin Clements Sr. (written by)

Release Date:

March 1968 (Austria)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

JAMES STEWART -- HENRY FONDA MEET IN THE HEAT OF FIRECREEK (original ad - all caps)

Plot:

A peace-loving, part-time sheriff in the small town of Firecreek must take a stand when a gang of vicious outlaws takes over his town.

Plot Keywords:

Sheriff | Indian Woman | Mixed Race Child | Sociopath | Wound

Cast

James Stewart	...	Johnny Cobb
Henry Fonda	...	Bob Larkin
Inger Stevens	...	Evelyn Pittman
Gary Lockwood	...	Earl
Dean Jagger	...	Whittier
Ed Begley	...	Preacher Broyles
Jay C. Flippen	...	Mr. Pittman
Jack Elam	...	Norman
James Best	...	Drew
Barbara Luna	...	Meli
Jacqueline Scott	...	Henrietta Cobb
Brooke Bundy	...	Leah
Robert Porter	...	Arthur (as J. Robert Porter)
Morgan Woodward	...	Willard
John Qualen	...	Hall

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M (TV rating) | Norway:16 | UK:12 | USA:Approved (certificate #21452) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

North Ranch - Lindero Canyon Road at Kanan Road, Agoura Hills, California, USA

Company:

Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Quotes:

Evelyn Pittman: It's obvious you and your men are hired killers down from the northern range wars.
Bob Larkin: We work in the open. We eat and drink with the ranchers who hire us... and are as much respected as anyone in the country.
Evelyn Pittman: Don't quibble any fine line with me, Mr. Larkin. You're as dishonest as any common road bandit.
Bob Larkin: I'm not ashamed of the part I play. There's not a territorial border we cross where there's men waiting... hoping I can take them on... waiting to call themselves Larkin men.
Evelyn Pittman: You're admitting your only importance is collecting men who don't care whether they live or die... who only live for the moment.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in John Wayne Made Me Cry: Our Western Heros (2002) (TV)

Worth watching

Must take issue with a previous reviewer who characterized Fonda's performance as all bad, all the time. In fact, while Fonda's men are evil incarnate, Fonda's character is more nuanced and complex, and he is as much a victim of his choices and the men he chooses to "lead" as the townspeople they terrorize. In fact, if the movie has a dominant theme, it would be about how people become trapped by their own fears and doubts, and can only break out of their personal prisons by finding the courage to face their fears and overcome them. The movie is dark, and borrows elements from many earlier westerns; especially High Noon. It is not relentlessly negative however, and ends on a positive and life affirming note. While the pace is slow and the plot is derivative, the performances, particularly Stewart's and Fonda's, are superb and make the movie worth watching. The supporting case is a who's who of wonderful character actors and actresses.