Colt .45

• Directed by Edwin L. Mann
• May 5, 1950 (New York City)

A gun salesman hunts a lethal outlaw who stole two new Colt .45 repeating pistols during a jailbreak.

Today’s audiences might be shocked at one of the overriding ideas of the Randolph Scott vehicle Colt .45 which is that guns are only as good or bad as the person using it. Not an uncommon thought in entertainment of the era. The ‘50s TV series The Rifleman once built fatherly lesson around that idea. That point is framed from the start with some opening text. Steve Farrell (Randolph Scott) represents the good user while the dastardly Jason Brett (Zachary Scott) is the bad user.

It is a none too imaginative film. This is the most comforting of comfort foods that wears its point on its sleeve. Farrell is a forthright salesman selling his wares to a local sheriff when the evil Jason Brett is brought in only for Brett to get ahold of the guns and use them to escape. This leaves Farrell implicated in the escape until a passing judge declares “NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE!” upon which Farrell is set free and dedicates himself to apprehending Brett.

The story moves at warp speed. Farrell, hot on the heels of Brett, finally connects with him at a stagecoach where he and Paul Donovan (Lloyd Bridges) are plotting. Donovan’s situation struck me as weird and that is being kind. He is married to Beth (Ruth Roman) who is involved in the gang and their inside person on the stagecoach. She is okay with Paul being in the gang but does not want him in on the planning because it is a step too far? It sounds like a stupid way to make her redeemable.

Randolph Scott is fine as the upright and good Farrell seeking justice on his own terms rather than waiting on a system that doubts him. Zachary Scott walks the path of serious yet family-friendly villainy adding enough menace and charm to his villain that you like watching. Ruth Roman is interesting even if Beth is mostly inconsequential.

There is nothing too striking or surprising in Colt .45 other than the twist with Sheriff Harris (Alan Hale, Sr.) of Bonanza Creek being in league with Jason Brett. Though they speak in a manner that might sound offensive today, the Native Americans portrayed are not only victims of racism when attempted to be framed but also important to the resolution. It is rough by today’s standards but enlightened by those of the ‘50s.

Its issue is that it is little better than an hour. Clocking in at around 74 minutes, the script packs in a very long timeline but the limited number of minutes to handle everything makes this a very basic film based on action over character. It developed nothing. I wasn’t expecting Academy Award material. I was just expecting a good story, and I only got an adequate one because so much went to waste.

Conversely, it feels like it’s a lot longer than it is. It has so much happening in such a short period but it’s all empty calories. It needed something more. Some substantive padding was necessary to make this feel greater than an extended episode of an average TV Western.

The message/theme it had was very pronounced in the beginning but was faded or just forgotten by the credits. Good won out and always would but the message was that guns are only as good or bad as the user. It did not end in a way that brought that together. In my perception Scott’s films tended to have a point that was bludgeoned home by the end but this movie really did not.

Colt .45 is okay. It’s comfort food and you won’t feel disappointed while watching but you may not be raring to watch it ever again.