Written, Produced, Directed by Samuel Fuller
Cinematography: Joseph Biroc
Art Direction: John Mansbridge
Music: Harry Sukman
Film Editing: Gene Fowler Jr.
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck (Jessica Drummond), Barry Sullivan (Griff Bonnell), Dean Jagger (Sheriff Ned Logan), John Ericson (Brockie Drummond), Gene Barry (Wes Bonnell), Robert Dix (Chico Bonnell), Jidge Carroll (Barney Cashman), Paul Dubov (Judge Macy), Gerald Milton (Shotgun Spanger), Ziva Rodann (Rio), Hank Worden (Marshal John Chisum)
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With a Sam Fuller movie, there’s always something kinda off. Not off in a bad way, off as in different from anything else you’ve ever seen — except another Sam Fuller movie. The performances, pacing, editing, dialogue — they’re just different. And that’s before you get to the story itself.
A great example of this is Fuller’s Forty Guns (1957). It’s unlike any Western you’ve ever seen.
Forty Guns is a big sweeping epic on one hand and a glorified Regalscope picture on the other. There’s a scene pretty early in the movie where John Ericson and his gang of punks are busting up the town. They throw stuff, shoot stuff and just generally create total mayhem. Fuller cuts back and forth across the street as they shoot from one side and their bullets hit windows or whatever on the other side — then to the helpless, wigged-out townspeople watching all this. The footage doesn’t cut together in the smooth, traditional Hollywood way, but it perfectly creates the chaos and movement the scene needs.
Barbara Stanwyck is terrific as Jessica Drummond, a female take on the rancher who runs the town. Barry Sullivan is Griff Bonnell, a former gunman now working for the government. So far, it sounds like one of your standard B Western plots — how many times was Roy Rogers a government agent? But that’s where the similarities end, as Forty Guns goes off in directions only Sam Fuller would even think of taking it. And he’s got a cast and crew eager to help him get there.
It has one of the damnedest opening sequences I’ve ever seen, as the Drummond and her 40 guns come thundering along a deserted and pass by Sullivan and his brothers. I’d love to experience it on a big curved CinemaScope screen.
But from one end to the other, Forty Guns is a movie absolutely filled with striking images, cooked up by Fuller and delivered in gorgeous B&W CinemaScope by Joseph Biroc — and all flawlessly captured on Blu-Ray by Criterion. They’ve really got the contrast perfectly dialed-in on this one. Wish every black and white movie looked like this on video — everybody who helps bring old movies to TV and video needs to take a look at this.
Of course, it’s got a typically Criterion-ish slew of extras — interviews, a documentary, even a chapter of Fuller’s autobiography. It’s a pretty deep dive, and it’s always a treat to wallow in Sam Fuller. He was a real character, a true original and one helluva filmmaker. Highly, highly recommended.
50 Westerns From The 50s. 
I know how fashionable it is to salute Barbara Stanwyck and Forty
Guns, but not me. The good stuff. Forty Guns looks great, and so are all the guys, especially the two Barry’s, Gene and Sullivan. As for the leading lady, her wardrobe is absurd to the point of operatic. She comes on too strong, is too old, and if she was ever cute, Union Pacific, those days have been gone since Sorry Wrong Number, an unsympathetic shrew. That she could do. A sex symbol? The Madame in a bordello, coming soon.
I agree, this is an excellent release!!!
I saw this movie a long time ago and its very good. I will add it to my wish list for 2019. But I do agree with Barry Lane, I’m not a big fan of Barbara Stanwyck – she should have been cast in soap operas.
The word that always comes to mind when I consider Forty Guns is “overheated.”
I think this release is long overdue. It would be fun to see a restored print and enjoy wallowing in the extras.
Barbara Stanwyck is a good actress but I am not a big fan and FORTY GUNS is not one of my favourite westerns ,so I won’t be buying it as it is already in my collection.
Good news from Kino Lorber .They say on their Facebook page that more westerns are on the way.Yippy Ky Yah.
Correction to my previous comment.Kino Lorber did not say that more westerns are on the way.Someone was hoping that Kino keeps them coming.I’m sure that we will see more westerns from them.
KL does have a few more Westerns in the works, mostly Universal titles. Some good ones.
Already have the Region-B Eureka Masters of Cinema Blu-Ray of FORTY GUNS. I agree with Patricia that the movie is “overheated.” It’s melodramatic in the extreme. Lots of self indulgence from Fuller—tracking shot that goes on forever, POVs through gun barrels. I love Westerns, but this one is mediocre despite all the wackiness. I like some of Fuller’s war movies, but I don’t think he ever made a really good Western.
I was never a fan of Sam Fuller OR ”FORTY GUNS.” However, I DO think he made a good western or two, namely his very first film ,”I SHOT JESSE JAMES” (1949- or, almost- a- fifties western…!).
I have the Eureka release of this and it looks very good. I’m a big fan of the movie – it is overheated and as stylized as they come but it Fuller’s energy and passion is apparent in every frame and I think Stanwyck (who rarely put a foot wrong in my opinion) is a delight playing off Sullivan. Jagger too is very affecting and the whole movie just picks me up and sweeps me along every time I see it.
I love it, too, though I can understand how it can run some folks the wrong way. Jagger is great, and I find Hank Worden’s scenes very touching. It’s one of those movies that strikes you a different way each time you see it.
Toby is correct-and this film deserves another viewing for sure.-and the DVD from my old FOX classic western 4-pack provided me with just that–another look changed my opinion, anyway. Some Epic scenes inserted here, in an 80- minute black & white ‘CINEMASCOPE picture– thinking this was a good novelty in itself. I can believe that it takes some experienced folks to make a film memorable with a shorter-than-usual running time. I can recall THE HIRED GUN ’57-MGM , several of the REGALSCOPE PICTURES, and the later MAURY DEXTER color/scope westerns for FOX -early 1960’s–ALL running a little over the 60 minute comfort running time. (WALK TALL, PURPLE HILLS, etc.) All pretty neat COMPACT ENTERTAINMENT FOR SURE. Do you all remember when FOX ARCHIVES would put a flat version on one side and the proper ‘scope version on the other? I had forgotten that two-sided disc when we were given the choice!! Why couldn’t they do that presently, and let us flip over the current ‘pan and scan’ version of, say, SIERRA BARON, so we can WATCH IT IN SCOPE!!