A Gunfight
In Bajo Rio, they pay to see a man kill a bull. Today, they'll pay to see a man kill another man.
1971 • 89 min • Western · Drama
Synopsis
Will Tenneray and Abe Cross are two aging, famous gunfighters, both in need of money. Tenneray comes up with the idea to stage a duel to the death in a bullfight arena, with the ticket proceeds going to the winner.
Our family guide
Best from age 10- 100 Reviewers · 3 · 58%
- 59 Audience · 40 · 42%
Two aging, respected gunfighters, down on their luck, agree to a public duel to the death in a bull arena for prize money. This Western drama explores themes of legacy, honor, and mortality.
- Violence & peril
- 6/10
- Language
- 2/10
- Drinking, drugs & smoking
- 3/10
- Romance & sensuality
- 0/10
- Scary moments
- 4/10
Heads up
- Duel to the death is central to the plot
- Some drinking and smoking
- Themes of aging and financial desperation
What it models well
- Honor and reputation
- Consequences of choices
- Facing mortality
Talk about it after
- What makes a man honorable?
- Is violence ever a solution?
- The value of a human life versus money
Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for A Gunfight. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.
Where to watch
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Top billed cast
Director: Lamont Johnson • Crew: Harold Jack Bloom
Trailers & clips
A Gunfight (1971) Trailer
Reviewer notes
Recommended**_Two aging gunmen meet in a Southwest town_** The quick-draw contest was mostly an invention of dime novelists and moviemakers. Sure, you can cite the Wild Bill Hickok and David Tutt gunfight over a pocket watch in the town square of Springfield Missouri in 1865, a few months after the Civil War ended. Good luck finding any other documented examples. In the Old West, if you wanted to shoot someone, you just did it.…
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersHmmm, I’m not sure this is really anyone’s finest hour nor does it really pay much of an homage to it’s genre as we see two ageing shootists struggling to make ends meet. “Cross” (Johnny Cash) fancied his chances pan-handling but all he got was backache; “Tenneray” (Kirk Douglas) satisfies his days trading on his reputation whilst poncing drinks from the gullible and the easy impressed.…
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersWhoever wins loses. A Gunfight is directed by Lamont Johnson and written by Harold Jack Bloom. It stars Kirk Douglas, Johnny Cash, Jane Alexander, Karen Black and Raf Vallone. Music is by Laurence Rosenthal and cinematography by David Walsh. Will Tenneray (Douglas) and Abe Cross (Cash) are two ageing gunfighters who after meeting each other in town hit it of straight away and actually like and respect each other.…
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Details
- TMDB audience
- 5.8/10 (40)
- Age rating
- PG
- Status
- Released
- IMDb
- tt0067168
Keywords
