Invitation to a Gunfighter is a 1964 DeLuxe Color Western film directed by Richard Wilson (not that one), starring Yul Brynner and George Segal.
In the aftermath of the costly Civil War, the veteran Confederate Army soldier, Matt Weaver, returns to his hometown of New Mexico and his dusty ancestral farmhouse, only to discover that his property has been confiscated and resold by the immoral town boss, Sam Brewster. As the hamlet's only Rebel trooper attempts to repossess his ranch, an unfortunate complication will have the suave Creole gunslinger, Jules Gaspard d'Estaing, hot on his trail, paid by the crooked land baron to kill Weaver. Nevertheless, right from the start, the mysterious hired gun seems to have plans of his own. Will Jules finish what he got paid for?
Tropes:
- An Arm and a Leg: Crane Adams lost an arm during The American Civil War and is very bitter about it.
- As the Good Book Says...: Morally Bankrupt Banker Sam Brewster cements his status as a hypocrite by frequently quoting Bible verses to justify his bigoted prejudices, racism and corrupt methods.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Jules Gaspard d'Estaing cements his status as a Cultured Badass by wearing a finely tailored black suit that makes him look more like a Professional Gambler than a gunfighter, and makes him stand out admidst the roughly garbed yokels.
- Bald Head of Toughness: Cultured Badass Jules Gaspard d'Estaing, the eponymous, is easily the physically and mentally toughest character in the film, and is bald as an egg (being played by Yul Brynner).
- Blasting It Out of Their Hands: When Jules forces Brewster to Kneel Before Zod, The Sheriff starts to draw on him from behind. Jules spins and shoots the gun out of the sheriff's hand—leaving his hand injured—because he respects him. the same is not true of Crane, the next man to draw on him, and Jules shoots him dead. No one else tries to draw after that.
- Bullying a Dragon: Jules Gaspard d'Estaing is a professional gunfighter who is hired to deal with Matt Weaver because no one in town feels capable of standing up to him. Jules intimidates everyone in town from the moment he arrives. Following Ruth's rejection, Jules runs amok in the town and one of the local Gossipy Hens likens him to a dog in a garbage dump. Jules responds by using her hat for target practice.
- Career-Ending Injury: According to Ruth, Crane Adams was a talented harpsichord player before he lost an arm in The American Civil War.
- Cultured Badass: Jules Gaspard d'Estaing, the eponymous gunfighter, is the son of a black mother and white well-to-do Southern father and was raised with a cultured background, grounded in English and French, taught to play the harpsichord, outwardly appearing erudite and gentlemanly in appearance and manner.
- Determined Homesteader: Following The American Civil War, Matt Weaver returns to his hometown of New Mexico and his dusty ancestral farmhouse, only to discover that his property has been confiscated and resold by the immoral town boss, Sam Brewster. Weaver retakes his homestead by force, and becomes such a nuisance that Brewster is forced to hire a gunfighter in an attempt to get rid of him.
- Half-Breed Discrimination: Jules Gaspard d'Estaing explains to Ruth what growing as a Creole of colour (with a white well-to-do Southern father and a quadroon mother) in New Orleans meant: was raised with a cultured background, grounded in English and French, taught to play the harpsichord, outwardly appearing erudite and gentlemanly in appearance and manner, but raised to know his Creole place.
- I Own This Town: Morally Bankrupt Banker Sam Brewster took advantage of the absence of most of the men during The American Civil War to cement his control of the town: owning a percentage of most businesses, and outright controlling many of them. Matt Weaver's return to town threatens to upset his control, so he hires a gunfighter to take out Weaver: a move that backfires badly on him.
- Kneel Before Zod: Jules forces Morally Bankrupt Banker Sam Brewster to kneel in the dirt in front of a burro and confess his sins (of being a thief, a hypocrite, etc.) in front of the entire town.
- Magic Poker Equation: During a high-stakes poker game, Kenarsie lays down four aces, only for Jules—who is dealing—to lay down five kings. He is obviously cheating but is actually making a point: Brewster has the town so cowed that it never even occurs to them to question the dealer.
- Malicious Misnaming: Jules teaches the ignorant town how to pronounce his name correctly in French. In one of his many petty power plays, Small-Town Tyrant Sam Brewster chooses to keep calling him 'Jewel' and the rest of the town—scared of his power—follow suit.
- Morally Bankrupt Banker: Sam Brewster is the town banker who used Weaver's to sway the town's occupants towards his own bigoted prejudices, racism and corrupt methods, all so that he can gain financial and peremptory control of the town.
- Shoot Him, He Has a Wallet!: During their final confrontation, Jules deliberately does not his draw gun so as to demonstrate to Weaver that he has no hostile intent, and only wants to leave town peacefully. The suspicious Weaver keeps his rifle trained on Jules while he speaks. Then Jules sees Brewster hiding behind Weaver and drawing a bead on one of them. Jules draws his own gun and Weaver, thinking Jules is drawing on him, fires and shoots Jules in the chest.
- Small-Town Tyrant: Sam Brewster is a Morally Bankrupt Banker who has used the opportunity presented by the Civil War to steal land and sell it at a profit, gain a controlling interest in most of the businesses in town, and make himself mayor.
- Still Wearing the Old Colors: Matt Weaver arrives back in town still wearing his Confederate uniform, which does not endear him to the rest of the locals. Several Union veterans in town still wear their kepis and other parts of their uniforms.
- Wardrobe Wound: After one of the town Gossipy Hens likens Jules to a dog in a garbage dump, Jules the hat off her head, frisbees it into the air, and uses it for target practice: shooting it twice while it is in the air.
- White Shirt of Death: At the finale, Jules sees Brewster drawing a bead on him and draws his gun. Matt Weaver—thinking Jules is drawing on him—shoots him. The mortally wounded Jules goes through a final confrontation with Brewster with a red stain slowly spreading across the front of his frilly white gambler's shirt. The stain covers almost the entirety of the shirtfront before he finally expires.
- William Telling: When Kenarsie angrily demands a sharpshooting display from Jules while holding the king Jules had just won the poker game with, Jules pulls the sheriff's gun from its holster and shots a bullet through the playing card while it is still in his hand, before proceeding to shoot down the Union banner hanging on the saloon wall.
