But, man alive, how many movie problems could be avoided if it occurred to men FOR EVEN A SECOND that women might not be the helpless, delicate flowers as which they portray themselves? By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. Slimy brutal villains and great characters abound in a film that sure doesn’t feel like Don Siegel’s first crack at the Wild West.

A half-hearted attempt to steer a little Western slightly off the beaten trail was unfolded with the Palace's new stage show yesterday. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses. The screen play written by Gerald Drayson Adams and Joseph Hoffman familiarly stacks the motivations and incidents and, unfortunately, blunts some picaresque possibilities.

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. Tyrone deputizes Cromwell, and the two take on the murderers together, while trying to resist the charms of Opal (Faith Domergue), the new beauty in town.

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). Meanwhille, Marshal Lightnin' Tyrone is also after the gang; recovering from one raid, he meets femme fatale Opal Lacy, who may not be healthy for him to know. 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.As for the ladies, the nice one, Miss Cabot, runs around garbed like the village blacksmith, complete with smoking revolver. The plot is basic but enjoyable with plenty of likable characters who are as bright as the Technicolor they are presented in. The plot is pretty basic and doesn't live up to the suggestions of the opening – instead becoming rather focused on the actions of a few characters. Ruthless claim-jumpers, femme fatale guile, tenacious lawman, vengeful quickdraw-turned-deputy: The Duel At Silver Creek is lean, pulpy, ‘50s b-western fun. We hear his narration of the case of a gang of claim-jumpers led by Gerald Mohr as Rod Lacy, Opal's slimy brother.

Siegel's first western is a fun film and should be enjoyed as such – it's far from his best and fans may only come to it because of the significance in his career but it is worth seeing if you're in the mood for this type of film.six-shooter-filled minutes of a playful script bolstering the director’s sturdy craft and action staging, unabashedly embracing cliches to pack its runtime with noirish personalities and fast-paced law-vs-outlaw maneuvering. don 'the don' siegel directs with intense grit -- a comparative trifle, but the seeds of greatness to come; the rare one of his films that actually has interesting female characters, including a high-femme villain! This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Lightning sets out to get to the bottom of the murder and has several suspects already before the deceitful Opal Lacy points him towards Luke Cromwell, known as the Silver Kid. Don Siegel's cool western bubbles over with action while there's a lot of stuff you can read into it that's hidden between the lines.