Decision at Sundown

This may not be as strong as other Scott/Boetticher Westerns, such as 'Buchanan Rides Alone' or 'The Tall T', but it's very strong, and would make a great double bill with 'High Noon'--another fine flick about someone being brave enough to stand against the tide of local cowardice, and get things done in cleaning up the town's garbage. This is very unique in that Scott's character, Bart Allison, is determined for revenge, three years in the making, for the bad guy seducing his wife (who ended up killing herself in disgrace). He seemed to think his wife had the moral fibre not to do that sor…

John Chard

2019-03-05

⭐ 7

They wont forget the day Bart Allison came to town. Bart Allison and Sam, his trusty companion, ride into Sundown looking for a guy named Tate Kimbrough. It appears that Kimbrough had a dalliance with Allison's wife some years earlier, an affair that led to the suicide of the erstwhile Mrs. Allison. With revenge and hatred eating away at him, Allison will not rest until he gets his man, but his very being here in Sundown will be the catalyst for not only himself, but also every other resident of this dusky town. Randolph Scott (Bart Allison) and director Budd Boetticher made seven very i…

Wuchak

2019-08-22

⭐ 6

***Quaint town-bound Western soap opera with Randolph Scott*** Two ex-Confederates (Randolph Scott & Noah Beery Jr.) arrive in the town of Sundown on the wedding day of the town boss (John Carroll), whom the leader of the two (Scott) blames for someone’s death years earlier. Andrew Duggan plays the crooked sheriff. “Decision at Sundown” (1957) has the typical Western tropes: bold stranger, his amiable sidekick, the tyrannical town boss, his crooked sheriff, their hired guns, the good girl, the bad girl, and the quaint town setting filled with the typical characters (the barber, the doc…

CinemaSerf

2026-01-18

⭐ 7

The town of “Sundown” is having itself a wedding. Their boss “Tate” (John Carroll) is to marry “Lucy” (Karen Steele) and just as the preacher asks about anyone objecting, in comes “Allison” (Randolph Scott) with his fly for their ointment. You see he thinks that “Tate” had an hand in the murder of his wife some years back. Of course the townsfolk think this is all nonsense, not least because “Tate” claims to have no idea who his new nemesis is, and “Allison” confirms that they’ve never met. A brief fracas ensues that sees the visitor and his travelling companion “Sam” (Noah Beery Jr.) holed up…