Each Owed the Other His Life. This Was the Moment of Reckoning!
Last Train from Gun Hill is a 1959 Western directed by John Sturges. It stars Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, and Earl Holliman. This was Douglas and Quinn's third film together after Ulysses and Lust for Life. Douglas and Holliman had previously appeared together in Sturges' Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Two young drunken cowboys rape and murder a Native American woman while she and her son are returning from a visit with her father. The boy escapes on one of the killers' horses, which bears a distinctive saddle, and rides for town. His father, Matt Morgan (Douglas), is a U.S. Marshal there.
Morgan recognises the saddle. It belongs to his old friend Craig Belden (Quinn), now a rich cattle baron and the de facto ruler of the town of Gun Hill. Assuming the saddle was stolen from his old friend, Morgan takes the train to Gun Hill to pick up the trail. Once there, he quickly realizes that Belden's son Rick (Holliman) is the killer.
Belden refuses to turn over his son, forcing Morgan to go against the entire town. Morgan vows to capture Rick and get him on that night's last train from Gun Hill.
This film provides examples of:
- Alliterative Name: Matt Morgan. Bonus points because he is a U.S. Marshal, meaning many characters refer to Marshal Morgan.
- Bittersweet Ending: Morgan survives and rides out on the last train. But he is alone: he can't take in his wife's murderers to face trial (because they're dead), and he was forced to kill his old friend, a man who once saved his life.
- Cattle Baron: Craig Belden, a rich cattle baron, is the de facto ruler of the town of Gun Hill. Belden refuses to turn over his son, forcing Morgan to go against the entire town.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Morgan's father-in-law wants to kill his daughter's murders slowly, "the Indian way." Later, Morgan describes "the white man's way" as this to Rick, with his trial, his sentencing, the wait for his execution, and even his execution providing Rick plenty of time for mental and physical suffering.
- Did Not Get the Girl: Linda clearly has a past with Craig Belden, but she is the only one in town to actually help Morgan. They have some chemistry, but as the last train pulls out of town, she stays in Gun Hill, kneeling over Craig's body.
- Disposable Woman: Morgan's wife gets only a few minutes of screen time as she tries to escape Rick and his friend, and is then raped and murdered by them.
- Domestic Abuse: Craig Belden beat his lover Linda so badly that she needed to be hospitalized, based on unsubstantiated rumours from his son Rick
- Extremely Short Time Span: The events in Gun Hill take less than a day: with Morgan arriving on the morning train and leaving on the eponymous last train at 9 PM at the end of the film. The events leading up to him travelling to Gun Hill cannot be more than two days or so.
- Food Slap: When Lee demands Linda buy him another drink, Linda replies "You can have mine" and tosses the contents of her glass in his face.
- Hand-or-Object Underwear: When Rick tears off Catherine's blouse, she covers her breasts with her arms.
- Hostage Situation: Morgan holds a shotgun under Rick's chin and uses him as a hostage when he finally takes him from the hotel to the train station.
- Human Shield: When Belden's men try shooting at Morgan through the hotel window, Morgan pushes the bed that he has handcuffed Belden's son Rick to in front of the window to get them to stop.
- I Own This Town: Craig Belden, a rich Cattle Baron, is the de facto ruler of the town of Gun Hill. Belden refuses to turn over his son, forcing Morgan to go against the entire town.
- It's Personal: Morgan insists on arresting Rick and bringing him to justice, because he took an oath as a U.S. Marshal. But everyone recognizes that his underlying motivation is the loss of his wife.
- Missing Mom: Craig's wife (Rick's mother) died several years ago.
- Mugging the Monster: Rick and his friend say the woman they raped and killed was "just a squaw". His father points out that she was the wife of Matt Morgan, and that he is coming for them.
- Plot-Triggering Death: The rape and murder of Morgan's wife kicks off the events of the movie.
- Police Are Useless: The Sheriff of Gun Hill knows which side his bread is buttered on, and refuses to help Morgan serve his two warrants.Sheriff Bartlett: Far as I'm concerned, you can go out on the street and get yourself killed anytime you want to, but, you know something, 40 years from now the weeds'll grow just as pretty on my grave as they will on yours. Nobody'll even remember that I was yellow and you died like a fool. That's your long view, son. Always take the long view.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Rick and his friend don't consider what they did to be a big deal, because the woman they raped and killed was "just a squaw".
- Pragmatic Hero: Morgan is committed to bringing Rick in, but is willing to put Rick in danger and even use him as a hostage at gunpoint if necessary.
- Rape as Drama: The rape and murder of Morgan's wife kicks off the events of the movie.
- Revealing Injury: U.S. Marshal Matt Morgan knows he will be able to identify the man who raped and murdered his wife because she laid open his cheek with a buggy whip; leaving a fresh and vivid scar.
- The Sheriff: Sheriff Bartlett of Gun Hill knows which side his bread is buttered on, and refuses to help Morgan serve his two warrants.
- Shoot the Hostage: An unintentional example. In his showdown with Rick's friend Lee, Morgan simply lowers the shotgun and shoots Lee with it. Then Rick falls to the ground, having been shot by his friend Lee.
- Showdown at High Noon: At night, just before the last train leaves, rather than at noon. Rick's friend Lee faces off with Morgan at the station, to keep him from taking Rick on the train. Moments later, Craig faces off with Morgan. It doesn't end well for either of them.
- Signature Item Clue: Petey escapes on one of the killers' horses which bears a distinctive, fancy saddle. Morgan sets off to find the killer. His one clue is the saddle, which he recognizes as belonging to Belden.
- Suicide by Cop: After his son Rick dies in the standoff between Rick's friend Lee and Morgan, Craig draws on Morgan, forcing him to kill Craig too.
- A Taste of the Lash: When Rick first accosts Catherine, she lashes him with her buggy whip; cutting open his cheek and leaving him with a Revealing Injury.
- Thicker Than Water: Craig's attitude changes the instant he realizes that his son is one of the men Morgan is pursuing.Craig Belden: You want me to beg, Matt? Alright, Matt. I'll beg. He's all I got.
- U.S. Marshal: U.S. Marshal Matt Morgan tries to bring the son of an old friend, an autocratic Cattle Baron, to justice for his role in the rape and murder of the Morgan's Native American wife.
- You Owe Me: Craig once saved Morgan's life, and figures Morgan owes him a favor.
