"Seven Ways from Sundown" producer Gordon Kay began his career as an associate producer bank rolling westerns in the late 1940s with Allen Lane as the cowboy champion. Indeed, Kay spent the bulk of his career producing sagebrushers, with occasional forays into social drama "Voice in the Mirror," the Esther Williams vehicle "An Unguarded Moment," the George Nader suspense thriller "Man Afraid," .the Tony Randall animal comedy about a lion "Fluffy," and a World War II combat saga "The Young Warriors" with "Virginian" James Drury. "Seven Ways from Sundown" was the second of seven sagas that Kay produced with Audie Murphy riding tall in the saddle. You can spot the usual Universal Pictures back lot sets. Interesting enough, "Seven Ways from Sundown" used the same Ranger headquarters set that the television western "Laredo," about Texas Rangers, used for its two season run. The scenic Alabama Hills look majestic in the sprawling outdoors scenes with the principals riding through them. Veteran western novelist Clair Huffaker of "The War Wagon" adapted his own novel for the screen with "Fort Dodge Stampede" director Harry Keller, who helmed six of Murphy's sagebrushers, calling the shots. No, "Seven Ways from Sundown" isn't half as good as "The War Wagon." Meanwhile, Keller collaborated on eight films with producer Gordon Kay. He helmed "Covered Wagon Raid," "Man Afraid," "Voice in the Mirror," "The Unguarded Moment," "Six Black Horses," "Day of the Badman," "Quantez," and "Seven Ways to Sundown." This formulaic, 80-minute, horse opera about a heroic young man and an older villainous gent makes for an amiable, easy-going, but mildly entertaining western. Former World War 2 hero Murphy is adequately cast as the wet-back-the-ears Texas Ranger protagonist, while Barry Sullivan has a field day as his charismatic quarry. In many ways, Keller and Huffaker look like they must have seen those memorable Randolph Scott westerns that Bud Boetticher directed and Burt Kennedy wrote where the villains were so charming that they emerges as sympathetic. Initially, trigger-happy hellion Jim Flood (Barry Sullivan of NBC-TV's "The Tall Men") is shown killing for four, well-armed hombres and burning down a saloon. Our hero, Seven Ways (Audie Murphy of "To Hell and Back"), rides onto the scene the day after the conflagration armed only with a Winchester repeating rifle. It seems that he has only recently signed up with the Rangers. The irate citizens are prepared to lynch him for turning up so late in the game, so he skedaddles before they can lay hands on him. In the town of Buckley, Texas Ranger Lieutenant Herly (Kenneth Tobey of "The Thing from Another World") orders Sergeant Henessey (John McIntire of "Backlash") to take the kid along with him to capture Flood. Henessey argues that Herly should send more men after Flood. It turns out that Henessey knows a lot about the elusive Flood. He knows enough about the outlaw to not trust anything that any of Flood's friends or acquaintances tells him about the gunman. As they embark on their search for Flood, Henessey has to wet-nurse Seven because the young man doesn't know squat about handling a six-gun, but he is a crack shot with his Winchester. Eventually, Seven gets pretty adept with his Colt's revolver and proves himself in later scenes when he is forced to intervene in predicaments.
Things take a dramatic turn for the worst when the cunning Flood bushwhacks Henessey on the trail and the older Ranger, who had served as a mentor for Seven Ways, dies. Seven refuses to heed Hennessey's advice to forget about Flood and ride back to Texas. Our tenacious young hero catches up with Flood, wounds him with a lucky shot, and takes him captive. The two men form a relationship vaguely reminiscent of that between Seven and Henessey. Keller and Huffaker never let us forget about the treacherous of Ranger Lieutenant Herly whose cowardice prompted the death of Two for the Money Jones, one of Seven's older brothers. The cast is sturdy, and the dialogue is memorable, though the storyline remains a mite formulaic. Our hero is given a love interest, but the action sidetracks this affair for the search for Flood. "Seven Ways to Sundown" is the kind of oater where the hero and the villain bond but in the long run they have to turn on each other for one to survive. The Italians would take this dramatic situation and work it out in some instances, particularly in Sergio Corbucci's westerns where the hero and villain would reconcile their differences and emerge as friends.
Things take a dramatic turn for the worst when the cunning Flood bushwhacks Henessey on the trail and the older Ranger, who had served as a mentor for Seven Ways, dies. Seven refuses to heed Hennessey's advice to forget about Flood and ride back to Texas. Our tenacious young hero catches up with Flood, wounds him with a lucky shot, and takes him captive. The two men form a relationship vaguely reminiscent of that between Seven and Henessey. Keller and Huffaker never let us forget about the treacherous of Ranger Lieutenant Herly whose cowardice prompted the death of Two for the Money Jones, one of Seven's older brothers. The cast is sturdy, and the dialogue is memorable, though the storyline remains a mite formulaic. Our hero is given a love interest, but the action sidetracks this affair for the search for Flood. "Seven Ways to Sundown" is the kind of oater where the hero and the villain bond but in the long run they have to turn on each other for one to survive. The Italians would take this dramatic situation and work it out in some instances, particularly in Sergio Corbucci's westerns where the hero and villain would reconcile their differences and emerge as friends.