Shotgun is another revenge themed western, well scripted and performed. Sterling Hayden plays Clay Hardin, the man out for revenge and his hard-bitten, callous character holds the viewers attention. Along the the way he picks up Abby ( Yvonne DeCarlo ),a tough and sassy saloon girl, who doesn't think much of Clay at first, but soon finds herself warming towards him. Soon they come to the aid of Reb Carlton ( Zachary Scott ) a sleazy bounty hunter, who happens to be hunting after the same men as Hardin. Some tense moments develop between Hardin and Carlton over the triangle relationship now simmering over the desirable Abby. Shotgun is not a sappy cowboy picture, it has an adult themed story-line with some violence and action to keep it interesting. Like so many westerns from the 1950s, Shotgun features beautiful Technicolor vistas, and offers the audience satisfactory entertainment.

Great scenery, vivid Technicolor photography (though the DVD print ain't exactly in pristine condition),and a fine music score are the chief assets of this revenge Western, which suffers however from a very ordinary story (though the bad guy does pull a smart dirty trick in the climactic (shot)gun duel that I can't remember having seen before) and an unconvincing romance (he treats her like dirt so she falls for him!) between Sterling Hayden and Yvonne De Carlo (in a highly unflattering hairstyle). Most of the movie is taken up by horse-riding and track-trailing, but it does get occasionally punched-up by some random - and pretty long - fight scenes. Good to look at, but nothing extraordinary. ** out of 4.

Shotgun is one of the best directorial efforts of Lesley Selander who has his name on about a gazillion B westerns, a large percentage of them the Hopalong Cassidy series. He brings a love of the genre to this ambitious Allied Artists films shot on location in Arizona with a fine trio of stars, Sterling Hayden, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Zachary Scott.

Guy Presscott should have left well enough alone because he decided to gun down marshal Lane Chandler on the street of his town. He also had his deputy Sterling Hayden in mind, but Hayden got one of Presscott's henchmen instead. After that Presscott goes about his usual villainy which includes selling guns to the Apaches.

Presscott took on the first mission because he blamed Chandler and Hayden for a stretch in prison. He should have nailed Hayden when he had a chance because now Hayden has a mission, to avenge the killing of the man who had rescued him from outlaw life.

Along the way Hayden picks up as traveling companions mixed racial Yvonne DeCarlo and cynical bounty hunter Zachary Scott. It's not a harmonious trio by any means. Scott has some really good lines in this film and gives one of his best screen performances.

The film has some beautiful Arizona scenery as it was shot in the desert country of Sedona. The final encounter with Hayden and Presscott features something I've never seen before or since in a western, a duel with shotguns. Really unique and original.

Try not to miss this one if it's broadcast.