A Bullet Is Waiting

Overview

A young woman (Jean Simmons) manages a remote California sheep ranch with her father (Brian Aherne). A plane carrying a sheriff (Stephen McNally) and a man indicted for manslaughter (Rory Calhoun) crashes nearby. Both men are cared for by the girl, who doesn't know at first which is the cop and which is the criminal. She falls in love with the convicted man and believes protestations of innocence, but the vindictive sheriff tries to dissuade her of these feelings. Given several chances to finish each other off, both sheriff and convict relent. Under the influence of the girl, they agree to return to Utah together, where (it is implied) the criminal will be given a bias-free trial.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/16/2010
UPC:	0043396355484
Original Release:	1954
Rating:	NR
Source:	ALLIED VAUGHN
Language:	English
Sales rank:	45,814

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Stephen McNally	Actor
Rory Calhoun	Ed Stone
Jean Simmons	Cally Canham
Brian Aherne	David Canham
Dimitri Tiomkin	Composer

Technical Credits

Thames Williamson

Casey Robinson

John Farrow	Director
Howard Welsch	Producer
Thames Williamson	Screenwriter
Casey Robinson	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Those looking for a "different" Western are most likely to enjoy A Bullet is Waiting, a curious little item from director John Farrow that promises more than it delivers but which deserves credit for trying. Bullet is really a Western in setting only; it lacks most of the trappings usually associated with that genre, not least of which is bountiful action. Despite a few fights and a rather impressive storm sequence, there's much less action than talk here, and that is both the film's strength and its weakness. It is refreshing to see a Western that wants to be use its brains more than its fists; unfortunately, the screenwriters haven't given the script the kind of depth that it needs. As a result, there's a lot of empty talk that never really gets under the skin of the characters or beneath the social situations it raises; eventually, all the talk becomes boring and, finally, wearing. Casting is also problematic. Both Stephen McNally and Rory Calhoun are cast somewhat against type; since the film is more or less about people not being what they seem to be, this makes good intellectual sense. In practice, however, it doesn't really work, although McNally gives it a really good shot. Similarly, Jean Simmons is not really at home in this setting, although she brings considerable skill to her part. Finally, the confined setting doesn't allow for a great deal of variety; director Farrow handles this as well as he can, but it ends up a problem nonetheless.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler