While you'd probably not have guessed it, this movie was made by "Batjac"--a production company owned by John Wayne. His name does not appear on the film and I find it odd Wayne himself didn't appear in the film--but I am glad, as Randolph Scott did a great job.

Scott plays an ex-sheriff who is chasing seven bandits who robbed an express office and murdered his wife. The problem is exactly who the men were and where the money got to is unknown. Along the way, Scott meets up with a "greenhorn" (a man inexperienced with the West) and his wife. Given that Scott is a good and decent man, he stops to help the couple who are stuck and then he accompanies them towards California--which is en route to what Scott thinks the murders are hiding.

A bit later, Lee Marvin (who always played a great "heavy") and his friend appear almost out of nowhere and tag along--though it's obvious they are up to some sort of no good. It's also quite possible that these two were part of the gang that Scott is looking to kill--the uncertainty really helped the film. This new five-some isn't together too long, as Marvin is, naturally, a trouble-making punk and Scott chases off him and his sidekick.

Where the film goes from there I'd rather not discuss, as there are quite a few twists and turns and I'd hate to ruin it for you. However, there is excellent action, dialog and acting and it cannot disappoint you unless you are some sort of boob! Plus, I really liked how the film could have ended on a cliché but chose another, more fitting ending. Good stuff!

PS--In a very, very brief scene, Scott and the couple come upon an outpost. Scott investigates and finds an old coot hanging about the place in spite of all the Indian attacks. The old guy looks like a live version of the TOY STORY II character, "Stinky Pete". If you've seen this Disney film, keep an eye out for the old guy and then let me know what you think!

And that is meant in a favourable way. Seven Men from Now may be modest in budget, simple and short but not once does it feel simplistic or cheap. If anything the most remarkable thing about it was the depth of characterisation and how compelling the story was is as good as any film bigger budgeted and twice as long. The modest budget doesn't show either, the settings (ones that actually look like they're outdoors) have much colour and atmosphere and made terrific use of by the cinematography, which has a lot of grace but some of the camera work is quite inventive as well. Budd Boetticher's direction is efficient and lean, the characters are likable and flawed rather than black and white(even the villain has moral ambiguity which I liked) and the acting is fine too. In particular Lee Marvin as a villain where you feel the menace and the cunning but you also find yourself caring for him. Randolph Scott is a charismatic lead with a purposefully stoic presence (without ever being one-note) that is alive to nuances. Gail Russell is touching and like Scott her acting is remarkably subtle and dynamic. Add to that a rousing score that still allows the drama to speak, a script that's sharp, to the point and surprisingly meaty (none of that skim-the-surface, shallow stuff here),blistering action (especially that terrific final showdown) and a well-paced and engrossing story that allows you to engage with and relate to the characters, and you have a truly great film that makes the most of its budget and much more. Don Barry to me didn't quite fit his role in the same way that the others did, more to do with how atypical type-wise it was and that it didn't seem in his comfort zone, other than that the problems here were barely any. 9/10 Bethany Cox

John Wayne's Batjac productions was the producer of this fine B western and it shows the clout of star power. According to a book I have about those last three B western heroes, Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Audie Murphy, Wayne liked the script and wanted to do it himself, but at the time was tied up with The Searchers. He peddled the script which he owned because Burt Kennedy who wrote it was under contract to Batjac and was doing it under Wayne's auspices to a number of people before getting Randolph Scott. When it premiered Wayne cursed himself that he hadn't done it.

If he had it would have become a classic like The Searchers. Wayne was at the height of his career at that point and Randolph Scott was doing good critically acclaimed, but B programmers that filled the second half of double bills at that time.

Hard to see how the Duke would have been better than Randolph Scott. He's a former sheriff out hunting the men who robbed a Wells Fargo express office and killed his wife who was working there. While on the hunt he runs into Walter Reed and Gail Russell who are a homesteader and wife traveling to California. Scott helps them out and rides along with them. Their story and his get enmeshed as the plot unfolds.

Gail Russell was a tragic figure who was a good friend of Wayne's. She had a lot of problems both emotional and with substance abuse. Like the Duke was wont to do, he gave her a part in this hoping for a comeback. Though she was good, it was not to be the case.

Her husband in the film, Walter Reed, got another chance to work with John Wayne this time in The Horse Soldiers as one of the officers on the raid that Wayne was leading. So did Stuart Whitman who has a bit role as a young army lieutenant. Their chemistry in The Comancheros was legendary.

Speaking of The Comancheros, Lee Marvin is memorable here as one of the villains with some highly mixed motives. And he too would get to work with John Wayne in the future.

Seven Men from Now is a fine film which but for a previous commitment could have been an A picture and a John Wayne classic. But Randolph Scott could hardly have been topped for the performance he gave.