This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Though it does suffer from the bevy of clichés befitting for one of its genre in 1952, The Duel at Silver Creek is pretty satisfying for things you know you want to see in a Siegel feature (B-movie efficiency, surprising violence, straight-up cool noir vibes) but also some things you might not expect (a femme fetale, brilliant tracking shots, and terrific costumes). A version of this article appears in print on of the National edition with the headline: THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; U.

But before the smitten sheriff manages to pin the goods on this cowtown Mata Hari, "Duel at Silver Creek" has frittered away as just another Western, loud and grim, with a stale corn kernel for every flying bullet. The local marshal, "Lightning" Tyrone (Stephen McNally), is also tracking the gang, but receives a crippling injury during a gunfight. The Duel at Silver Creek dramatizes the perils of personal isolation and infirmity, conditions likely to prove fatal to the forces of evil. He is deputised by Marshal Lightning Tyrone ( Stephen McNally) of Silver City, who wants to defeat the claim jumpers. DUEL AT SILVER CREEK; screen play by Gerald Drayson Adams and Joseph Hoffman; directed by Don Siegel; produced by Leonard Goldstein for Universal-International.

That all combines to make The Duel at Silver Creek a solid little Western that uses the conventions of the genre well in a swift and colourful manner. Murphy is good but his character has less meat on it and he has therefore less to do that really sticks in the mind. At just 77 minutes long, The Duel at Silver Creek is hardly the lengthiest Western ever made yet Don Siegel is still able to pack into it a lot of action in his first outing in the genre. Despite it's obvious flaws this is a really good fun B-movie western and you'll like it if you view it as such. The story takes an ominous twist after the Marshall meets the scheming girl Opal Lacy who has secret plans that aren't in the Marshall's best interest.

Participating in the proceedings are Faith Domergue, Susan Cabot and Eugene Iglesias, who gives the film's best performance.Additionally, Audie Murphy's cropped, black leather jacket is sweet as hell, and this early Lee Marvin role as a local shit disturber reveals just how early he settled into playing sexy, smirking dirtbags. Photos are provided courtesy of the AMRF and may not be reproduced or copied for commercial purposes without permission of the copyright owner. Audie Murphy is the main star as the Silver Kid, two six-guns and black leather vest, while Faith Domergue plays Opal Lacy, a sexy cold-blooded killer.

Aside from Domergue the 'baddies' are fairly unmemorable; when the film started they were tough and violent but eventually we are presented Mohr's words in place of this and it really isn't enough for a fun B-movie. More Hamburger icon An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon. During the climactic gunfight where rider Rod Lacy is himself chased on horseback by the marshal and both then dismount to continue shooting at each other, Lacy astonishingly manages to fire 11 shots from what is clearly a revolver pistol (which normally fires only 6) before an attempted 12th shot reveals it to be out of ammunition, and only then is Lacy forced to reload it - he is out of frame briefly whilst on his galloping horse (the camera cuts to the chasing marshal) but could not have conceivably re-loaded during that very short time, and at no point throughout is he shown to be carrying 2 guns. The tropes and structure that he's working with here are certainly very conventional since it looks, acts, and is executed like a pretty typical Western of the classic variety.A gang of claim jumpers are forcing the owners to sign their claims over to them but then kill them anyway. I don't know what surprised me the most, a western directed by Don Siegel and such a clean one (in the sense it is not very gritty and it follows the plot points of most westerns of the 50's) or the fact that Lee Marvin once had hair which was not white.