Review of 7 Men from Now (1956) by Clay B — 17 Oct 2009

In "Seven Men from Now," Ben Stride(Randolph Scott) is on the hunt for seven men who robbed a Wells Fargo office in Silver Springs. He has already dispatched two of them by the time he comes across John(Walter Reed) and Annie Greer(Gail Russell) who are stuck in the mud on their way to California. Their voyage has not exactly gone as planned as he has had to take on odd jobs from time to time to earn money but their fortunes look up when Stride not only helps them get out of their predicament but also agrees to ride with them. His protection might come in handy as there are starving Indians on the warpath but not when encountering Masters(Lee Marvin) and Clete(Donald Barry) who are interested in the outlaws for a less charitable reason.

"Seven Men from Now" is a very entertaining western that is a notch and a half above the usual fare due to imaginative camerawork, a scene stealing performance from Lee Marvin of barely controlled menace, how well information is dispensed and especially character development. Notice where the characters start out compared to where they finish. At first, Masters looks down on John Greer while staring lustily at his wife. And it would be interesting to think what Stride's path would be if he had not encountered the Greers.