Death of a Gunfighter

Marshall Patch... he lived by the law of the gun...

1969 • 94 min • Western

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Synopsis

In the turn-of-the century Texas town of Cottonwood Springs, marshal Frank Patch is an old-style lawman in a town determined to become modern. When he kills drunken Luke Mills in self-defense, the town leaders decide it's time for a change. That ask for Patch's resignation, but he refuses on the basis that the town, on hiring him, had promised him the job for as long as he wanted it. Afraid for the town's future and even more afraid of the fact that Marshal Patch knows all the town's dark secrets, the city fathers decide that old-style violence is the only way to rid themselves of the unwanted lawman.

Our family guide

Best from age 13

Movie Knight Score

43 reviews

63 Audience · 43 · 100%

Marshal Frank Patch, an old-school lawman, faces a town that wants to modernize. After a self-defense shooting, town leaders demand his resignation, but he refuses. Fearing his knowledge of their secrets, they resort to violence to remove him.

Violence & peril: 5/10
Language: 2/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 4/10
Romance & sensuality: 1/10
Scary moments: 3/10

Heads up

Gunfights and shootouts
Alcohol consumption and drunkenness
Themes of corruption and betrayal

What it models well

Standing by your principles
Consequences of greed

Talk about it after

When is violence justified?
What does it mean to be honorable?
How do communities change over time?

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Death of a Gunfighter. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.