FOUR FAST GUNS (director: William J. Hole Jr.; screenwriters: James Edmiston/Dallas Gaultois; cinematographer: John M. Nickolaus, Jr.; editors: Henry F. Salerno/Reginald Brown/Harold Wooley; music: ; cast: James Craig (Tom Sabin), Brett Halsey (Johnny Naco), Martha Vickers (Mary), Edgar Buchanan (Dipper), Paul Richards (Hoag), Blu Wright (Farmer Brown), Richard Martin (Quijano), John Swift (Zodie Dawes); Runtime: 72; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Kenneth Altose; Odeon Entertainment; 1960)
“The oddball western is interesting only because it’s so strange.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

William J. Hole Jr.(“The Devil’s Hand”/”Springtime in the Rockies”/”The Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow“) helms this obscure B western. James Edmiston and Dallas Gaultois co-write the script. It’s set in the 1870s, in a small town in Arizona.

Gunslinger Tom Sabin (James Craig) rides into the wild town of Purgatory, that has a sign that says “When You Ride Into Purgatory, Say Goodbye to God,” and notifies everyone he is the “town tamer” and will restore law and order. The wheelchair-bound invalid, Hoag (Paul Richards), runs things in town and is the local saloon-owner. His unsatisfied wife, Mary (Martha Vickers), hits it off with Sabin. This irks the cripple and he orders three hired killers to gun him down. But Sabin gets the better of them. So Hoag sends the outlaw Johnny Naco (Brett Halsey) to do the job. He’s Sabin’s brother.

The oddball western is interesting only because it’s so strange, otherwise it’s second-rate.

REVIEWED ON 1/19/2015 GRADE: B-

Dennis Schwartz: “Ozus’ World Movie Reviews”

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