Captain Coburn (Audie Murphy ) has plenty of trouble on his hands when Apache chief Cochise goes on the warpath - and it's vital that a shipment of new repeating rifles reaches the fort at Apache Wells.
But a resentful ex-sergeant steals the rifles and invites the other members of Coburn's troop to make their fortunes by selling them to the marauding Apaches.
Cliche-ridden, but exciting, action-packed and tautly-plotted, visually arresting western backed with a stirring tune by Richard LaSalle. It's refreshing to see the lexicon of the fifties westerns utilized energetically in an era where it was seen as outdated. And William Whitney directs with energy; he was well-known for rousing action sequences.
Audie Murphy, sadly in his last feature film as a lead, is excellent as the cynical captain who finds opposition in a nasty villain played well by Kenneth Tobey. His character has serious anger issues- his rather harsh and unrelentingly impetuous behaviour affects the men under his command, driving them hard; he even drives a young man into the ranks of traitors as well as making an enemy in one of his subordinates, a scheming Corporal Bodine (Kenneth Tobey). In the sixties, Murphy's acting had vastly improved and it shows here - he's a world-weary Captain and a fairly flawed character. He is more than willing to beat and berate his men into submission.
Great outdoor location, action, some grittiness, drama and top notch heroics as well as some cliffhanger situations like the cool scene of Murphy being tied to a wagon loaded with dynamite makes this a solid watch. It's an old-fashioned western that was popular in the fifties, but I love these type of westerns so I don't care if it wasn't trendy in 1967. Never been obsessed with what is popular, anyway. Well worn formula? Most stories are just recycled; what's important is that a film is infused with energy and an engaging plot. 40 Guns ... achieves this. It doesn't try to be anything but an entertaining western. Can't believe some find this western boring - I wonder which film they find exciting!!
But a resentful ex-sergeant steals the rifles and invites the other members of Coburn's troop to make their fortunes by selling them to the marauding Apaches.
Cliche-ridden, but exciting, action-packed and tautly-plotted, visually arresting western backed with a stirring tune by Richard LaSalle. It's refreshing to see the lexicon of the fifties westerns utilized energetically in an era where it was seen as outdated. And William Whitney directs with energy; he was well-known for rousing action sequences.
Audie Murphy, sadly in his last feature film as a lead, is excellent as the cynical captain who finds opposition in a nasty villain played well by Kenneth Tobey. His character has serious anger issues- his rather harsh and unrelentingly impetuous behaviour affects the men under his command, driving them hard; he even drives a young man into the ranks of traitors as well as making an enemy in one of his subordinates, a scheming Corporal Bodine (Kenneth Tobey). In the sixties, Murphy's acting had vastly improved and it shows here - he's a world-weary Captain and a fairly flawed character. He is more than willing to beat and berate his men into submission.
Great outdoor location, action, some grittiness, drama and top notch heroics as well as some cliffhanger situations like the cool scene of Murphy being tied to a wagon loaded with dynamite makes this a solid watch. It's an old-fashioned western that was popular in the fifties, but I love these type of westerns so I don't care if it wasn't trendy in 1967. Never been obsessed with what is popular, anyway. Well worn formula? Most stories are just recycled; what's important is that a film is infused with energy and an engaging plot. 40 Guns ... achieves this. It doesn't try to be anything but an entertaining western. Can't believe some find this western boring - I wonder which film they find exciting!!