IslandGuru Who payed the critics

Interesteg What makes it different from others?

MonsterPerfect Good idea lost in the noise

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

classicsoncall I've seen Chill Wills as a villain before, but Man, he really takes it to the limit here as outlaw Ike Slant. In an opening scene, not only does he torch a rancher's home, but shoots a woman and a crying child (off screen) before his crew makes a getaway. That was cold.Seeking revenge for the murder of his family, former bounty hunter Talion (Robert Lansing) teams up with young gunslinger Benny Wallace (Patrick Wayne) to track the killers and bring them to justice. Talion makes no pretense of what he really feels - "I just want to make sure they all die, son". This is the first time I've seen Lansing in a lead role and I thought he had the perfect look for other Western portrayals, though I don't think I've caught him in any before. As other reviewers have noted, he has that Steve McQueen look going for him, the first thing I thought of when he showed up in the picture.The story pretty much plays out by the book, with a nominal love interest for Talion in the person of Gloria Talbott's character, Bri Quince. It seems to me the writers miscalculated with the tease because at the end of the story, Talion rode off into the proverbial sunset leaving the disappointed girl behind. There was really no reason why the picture couldn't have pulled it off, it seemed like a loose end that should have been tied up.The main plot element here has to do with Talion becoming the eyes for partner Benny when the up and coming bounty hunter is blinded by an Ike Slant ricochet. Some time is spent on Talion being patient with his protégé as he learns to handle his gun visualizing the minutes on a clock. That seemed a little odd to me because clocks aren't linear, but the strategy managed to work for the final showdown.It's always cool to see Paul Fix and Strother Martin in support roles, but I have to admit, I could never get used to seeing Clint Howard as a character actor. At least as a kid; he has the perfect look as an adult for any number of roles calling for a deranged individual. Let's just say he was the complete opposite of his brother Ron.

bkoganbing If you are very lucky you'll be able to catch this western as it showed up on YouTube and I could see it for the first time since it was in theaters. An Eye For Eye is a taught and lean with a fine cast of second string players. That's no reflection on their quality just their star power.In the great MGM epic Ben-Hur one of the subplots involved Sam Jaffe who was the House of Hur steward spending many years in jail and being beaten so bad he lost the use of his legs. So he made a partnership of sorts with Ady Barber playing a big strong man whose tongue had been cut out. Each supplied the other with what he was missing. As Jaffe said in the film 'we make a considerable man'.Both Robert Lansing and Patrick Wayne have to supply some needs for the other in An Eye For An Eye. During an encounter with gunslinger outlaw Slim Pickens, both being bounty hunters kill two of Slim's running buddies but are left injured. Lansing's gun hand is crippled and Wayne's blinded.Probably in time they could recover, but do they have that kind of time because Pickens is out to get them. They devise an imaginary clock like gambit to use when they have to face Pickens inevitably. The leads are fine, but the two you will remember are first Slim Pickens who started out in westerns and got first notice as a goofy sidekick to Rex Allen. Slim expanded his range considerably and while most probably remember him for Dr. Strangelove and Blazing Saddles, he could play it mean. Western fans will also recall him in both One Eyed Jacks and Rough Night In Jericho as a villain. But he was never nastier on the screen than in this film.Strother Martin is also in this playing a nasty toad like character who'll sell anybody out for a few dollars. He's done that before most notably as one of Lee Marvin's sidekicks in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, but he brings that character to its lowest depths in An Eye For An Eye.Not much in big budget production values, but western fans, this one's a must.

Woodyanders Rugged veteran bounty hunter Talian (a fine and credible performance by Robert Lansing) and amiable eager beaver novice Benny Wallace (a likable portrayal by Patrick Wayne) join forces to nab vicious no-count cowboy Ike Slant (robustly played to the deliciously despicable hilt by Slim Pickens). Both are left crippled after a confrontation with Slant: Talian's gun hand gets maimed while Benny is blinded. The duo concoct a unique method to get revenge on Slant. Director Michael Moore, working from a compact script by Bing Russell and Sumner Williams, relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, maintains a serious tone throughout, and stages the stirring shoot-outs with real skill. This film further benefits from capable acting from the sound cast: Lansing and Wayner display a nice and natural chemistry as the engaging protagonists, Pickens makes for a pleasingly mean and detestable villain, the always terrific Strother Martin almost steals the whole show with his marvelously wormy turn as slimy and sniveling rat Trumball the Fink, plus there are sturdy contributions by Paul Fix as folksy storekeeper Brian Quince, fetching Gloria Talbott as the sweet Bri Quince, and a very young Clint Howard as cute little squirt kid Jo-Hi. Lucien Ballard's sharp cinematography gives the film a strikingly lovely picturesque look. Raoul Kraushaar's twangy score hits the harmonic spot. The climactic showdown between our two disabled heroes and Slant is quite tense and exciting. A solid and satisfying Grade B oater.

Wizard-8 Embassy Pictures was the RKO Pictures of its day - making "major studio" productions on lower budgets. In this case, VERY low - it's pretty obvious that it didn't take a lot of money (or time) to shoot this western! It starts off as a typical vengeance saga, though takes a twist when the two gunfighters are injured and must work more like a team than ever. Lansing (who greatly resembles Steve McQueen here) is okay, though a little subdued. Pat Wayne is pretty decent, and shows he could have had a bigger film career if he'd been given a chance. Slim Pickens is pretty hammy, though his character is written in a very simple-minded way, like you would expect a cowboy villain to be a few decades earlier. In fact, aside from the musical score (which has the flavor of those found in spaghetti westerns starting to come out around this time), the movie in its writing and directing greatly resembles many westerns filmed in the late '40s to early '50. Only really recommended for die-hard fans of westerns.