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film review of 'h.w.a.g.'

posted 16 years ago by dreamonforever1
3 replies | jump to latest

Heaven with a Gun (1969)
reviewed by
Jerry Saravia

HEAVEN WITH A GUN

Gunslinger: 'I am burying a man.'

Cowpoke: 'That's a sheepherder.'

Gunslinger: 'I know.'

This small dialogue exchange is the opening sequence of "Heaven With a Gun," a strange western that somehow manages to work even if it shouldn't. The parts of the film do not make a cohesive whole but they do make a watchable film, if nothing else.

"Heaven With a Gun" stars Glenn Ford as the gunslinger in that sequence, a man named Jim Killian who certainly doesn't like to see sheepherders, particularly Hopi Indian sheepherders hanged. Nonetheless, after burying the man and forcing two cattle cowpokes to make wave, Jim arrives in the town Vinegaroon, populated by the usual kinds of characters such as drunk cowboys, genial storekeepers, loose prostitutes who demand prompt payment for their duties, and so on. And, as always, there is a poker game involving high stakes with the former cowpokes Jim had confronted earlier. One of them is Coke (David Carradine), "the wild mustang," who is ready to kill Jim. And we get the obligatory scene of an impending act of violence at a poker table interrupted by the owner of the saloon/bar (known as the "Road to Ruin"). In this case, it is a breath of fresh air named Madge (the fabulous Carolyn Jones), who knows Jim from the past.

Jim's intention is to start a church in town called "The Mission Church of the Good Shepherd." That's right, he is not only a gunslinger, he is a preacher! He is heaven with a gun, similar to the character Eastwood would later play in "Pale Rider." He hopes to bring faith and communion into the town, and also hopes that the sheep herders and the cattle herders will agree that both animals can graze on the same range. Naturally, Jim's plan is met with plenty of disapproval from the cattle herders, including the grizzly Asa Peck (John Anderson). And there are also other obstacles, such as a Hopi woman named Leloopa (an unrecognizable Barbara Hershey), who wants to cook and clean for Jim since he buried her father. And perhaps Madge is a little jealous of this woman, considering that she thinks Jim is the man for her.

"Heaven With a Gun" does have its flaws. The introduction of a man named Mace (J.D. Cannon) who served prison time with Jim simply marks time - the character is evil yet has charisma and yet you wish there was more of him. Also there is a rape scene in the film that also feels extraneous, not to mention a near scalping of another character. The violence is so heavy and the sheep herders are so clearly without redeeming value that you wish there was something more than the ending that is given. It all feels anticlimactic but I will say this - it is a rare kind of ending for a western and must have been placed there because of the pacifist times in which it was made.

On the plus side, Glenn Ford is in fine form, exuding toughness, sweetness and a tinge of humor - he also makes the character of Jim soulful and forgiving. Ford's scenes with the lovely Carolyn Jones are wonderful if short-lived. I also like Barbara Hershey, despite the fact she looks too pristine to be a Hopi Indian (check out those sparkling white teeth!). Scenes of a barn being turned into a church and a nude woman sitting outside a house are rarities in this genre, not to mention the ending. "Heaven With a Gun" is fine, two-fisted entertainment but it does ring a little hollow. Nonetheless, the cast makes it as close to heaven as a western could ever be.

For more reviews, check out JERRY AT THE MOVIES at http://buffs.moviething.com/buffs/faust/

E-mail me with any questions, comments or general complaints at [email protected] or at [email protected]

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gregory 101208

p.s.,
1) where's the town sheriff/marshall?

2) surprising female nudity for the time

3) the soundtrack

[–] mloessel 16 years ago

Yes indeed a preacher and gunfighter ... what a combination. And, as you said, Glenn Ford, is in fine form playing the lead with his usual charisma. I did notice, as you pointed out, the amazing white teeth Barbara Hershey proudly displayed. I'm guessing she achieved that with a combination of a good diet and no caffeine. Carolyn Jones, a lovely lady and a favorite of mine, is very convincing as the town prostitute and John Anderson, another favorite, is no slouch when it comes to being evil. And not to be outdone by Hershey's bright whites, David Carradine, as the equally malicious son, has amazingly white teeth for the times. When I've viewed authentic western photos I rarely saw a person's teeth. I was told it's because most folks had no good dental plan. However, in Hollywood's version of a western the teeth are very white especially amongst the leading actors. Hooray for Hollywood !!! Oh well, pardon me if I digress.
With Ford, Jones, Anderson and Carradine in a 60s western you're guaranteed there will be some good acting even if the script is lame and predictable. So I agree that their presence made "Heaven with a Gun" an entertaining 60s western. And it is interesting how violent a movie it is given the passive nature of the 60s flower power and the age of Aquarius (whatever that meant).

[–] Arthur21743 12 years ago

You made reference to the pacifist times in which this film was made, and that brings me to what I consider a fatal flaw in this story: "You can't combine faith and gun slinging. The two are mutually exclusive", or words to that effect. And this from a saloon keeper and brothel madam, who no doubt kept a shotgun behind the bar to keep the rowdies in check. I can't think of a more unqualified individual to tell a preacher how to do his job. What arrogance!

One lives by faith at one's peril. In this movie the hero sets aside the shotgun and makes it through the climax ok, but am I the only one who saw the schizophrenic dichotomy wherein a gun still brought about the peace and an ultimate cessation to the violence, just one wielded by someone else -- and someone who said he wouldn’t have actually pulled the trigger? That is the pacifist/liberal way, isn't it? Let someone else do the dirty work when it comes to cleaning up society’s evils, but the individual citizen has no business (or right) to do it himself.

Speaking of living by one's faith, the cemeteries are full of people who did just that. A lot of them are called martyrs. Stepping out on faith assumes we can tell God when and how to act. But if He is really God, He doesn't take orders from His lesser beings. He does what He sees fit, and if our plans do not dovetail with His, then we are the ones on the short end of the stick.

All one has to do is examine the world around us to see that God is about creating a perpetual good-vs.-evil conflict on the earth. As Mark Twain said of the god of the Bible, "A God who could make good children as easily as bad, yet preferred to make bad ones; who could have made every one of them happy, yet never made a single happy one; who made them prize their bitter lives; yet stingily cut it short..."

Is God going to appreciate someone who messes with that? Maybe He might begrudgingly render such a one a little respect, but I wouldn't count on it being permanent.

Too bad our hero didn't hold true to his statement earlier on in the movie, when he said that if any killing was to be done, he would be the one doing the killing. A pacifist preacher coming to town in a place like that would have been lucky to just be run out of town on a rail all naked and tarred and feathered.

A much better ending (IMHO) would have been where the preacher backed up his scripture message with the persuader on his hip, and then later retired it when it was no longer needed.

Or at least, semi-retired it... until the next time some evil tried to gain superiority over good.

[–] Wuchak (8112) a year ago

You zero-in on the biggest problem with the film -- the shallow tip of the hat to pacifism under the guise of being biblical when the story's actually hypocritical: The protagonist gives up his firearms at the end to nobly confront the situation in a nonviolent manner, but the situation is resolved by another man with a gun. I suppose such doublespeak could be defended on the grounds that the wise MIDDLE GROUND between absolute pacifism and rash violence is the way to go. In other words, speak softly and strive for peace, but carry a big stick for when you might need it. This is LIMITED pacifism.

Absolute pacifism is actually not biblical, but limited pacifism is. Sure, the Messiah told Peter in Gethsemane “Those who live by the sword will perish by the sword,” but his initial instruction was for Peter to “put the sword back in its place,” NOT throw it away (Matthew 26:52). There’s a difference between living by the sword and utilizing it when necessary, which explains why some of the disciples carried swords during their ministerial travels with Christ in the first place (fully known to him).

A good example of limited pacifism is when the returning Hebrews restored the walls of Jerusalem, they posted armed guards for protection from deadly enemies (Nehemiah 4:7-9). Simply put, in a fallen world arms are sometimes necessary, such as any potentially life-threatening situation.

There’s enough good in “Heaven with a Gun” to make it worth checking out, like Angelique Pettyjohn never looking better as Emily, but the storytelling is a little tedious even though spliced with interesting bits. It needed a rewrite to flush out its potential.