Review of 7 Men from Now (1956) by Caleb D — 24 Apr 2008

An interesting film that should probably have taken more time to explore the moral deterioration of its main character. The psychosis involved in murdering seven people to avenge one is, in my mind, a can't-miss opportunity to blur the line between the good guys and the bad guys. Instead, the startlingly pat ending really threw me for a loop; Gail Russell's choice to follow Randolph Scott's character is disturbing at best, unrealistic at worst. What exactly is so attractive about an emotionally unstable, obsessive murderer - and what does that attraction say about the poor girl?

Then again, there's a certain Twilight Zone-ishness about the whole thing that makes it work. Plus, ya got Lee Marvin.