A little western wonder that fits an adult story, several finely drawn characters, and terrific suspense into a mere seventy-eight minutes. There’s not an inch of fat on this one. It’s the first of seven films that team director (and former bullfighter) Budd Boetticher with ultra-stoic western star Randolph Scott. Cult movie fans can never decide which of their films together is best and Seven Men From Now is as good a candidate as any. As in most of them, Scott plays a troubled loner on a revenge kick and who gets involved with a married woman along the way. Here, he’s a former sheriff casing the Arizona desert for the gang of thieves who killed his wife during a gold heist.
Scott is great as always with screen presence to spare, but the best performance comes from Lee Marvin as a surly outlaw who tags along with Scott so he can grab the gold for himself once all the robbers are wiped out. Marvin has the meatiest role in the film as a guy who, even after the movie ends, you’re not sure whether or not to call him a villain. Every time you think you hate him, he does or says something honorable to change your mind. Screenwriter Burt Kennedy (this was his first produced script) relished creating likable bad guys and he nailed it here.