The Gun Hawk

Rory Calhoun was well past his movie-star prime when he starred in this inconsistent B-western. Again he's playing a loner gunman whose best efforts to have a quiet life are thwarted, on this occasion by stolid sheriff Rod Cameron and cocky James Dean-lookalike Rod Lauren (his character is named Rebel just in case you missed the similarity). There are some unexpected twists and turns as time seems to be running out for the notorious gunslinger, but the narrative meanders while the jauntiness of the score (think Carry On Cowboy rather than Shane) and the ropey B-movie acting belie the sombre undercurrent of the tale.