Better Late Then Never

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Blistering performances.

There is a very good print of this film out on DVD. It is a somewhat odd little film, a modern western, a confined setting, but it does have items of interest. There are only 4 actors in the movie and for most of it, only 3. This creates an interesting dynamic between the players. Then there is the beautiful scenic location, which is not a Hollywood "set", and is excellently photographed. The actors are very watchable, and Simmons and Calhoun make a good couple. This is a passable western, not a great one. The dialogue is okay and did not have many moments to make you wince. The story line is terrific, but there is a lack of real tension that makes the film drag at times. However, the real problem is the ending. It ends a little too pat, a little too safe, a little too Hollywood. Overall it is better than many such B films, and does manage to maintain interest throughout.

Not a western but an entertaining if improbable drama set in an isolated area in the west. Jean Simmons is full of guarded, wounded vulnerability, a very fine actress. She and Rory Calhoun make a surprisingly simpatico pairing. Stephen McNally's character is rather one note, a more distinctive actor could have perhaps fleshed it out but it doesn't hurt the film. Makes some observations about a man's true nature even if he has committed a criminal act. Brian Donlevy shows up near the end to act as a sort of catalyst for the resolution and is fine as always but the picture could have done without him. Not a classic but a solid film.

John Farrow directed this unusual western about a bounty hunter (STEPHEN McNALLY) and his prisoner (RORY CALHOUN) seeking shelter in a remote cabin owned by JEAN SIMMONS, biding their time until the bad weather passes so that McNally can bring Calhoun to justice for a crime he's committed involving McNally's brother.Somehow the casting seems adrift. McNally is usually much more at home as a villain and should have played Calhoun's part. And yet, Calhoun and Simmons don't seem like a good match, she being completely out of place in this sort of western and he not convincing enough as the bad man McNally is after.The storm sequences are well done, the settings are good, and everyone tries hard to keep the melodramatics on a believable level--and most of it works quite well.BRIAN AHERNE, as Simmons' absent father, only makes an appearance toward the end of the story when his role becomes important in the scheme of things. He too seems oddly out of place in a western.Despite the flaws, makes an interesting watch.

A BULLET IS WAITING - 1954 A small aircraft crashes just off the coast and two men manage to escape the wreckage and reach shore. The two, Stephen McNally and Rory Calhoun, though hand-cuffed together, engage in a good down and dirty kick and stomp fistfight. Calhoun gets the upper hand, gets the cuffs off and heads inland.Just off the beach he runs into Jean Simmons, who with the help of a rifle, asks Calhoun what he is doing on her land. McNally, who has suffered a broken leg during the fight hobbles on to the scene. He informs Simmons that he is cop, and Calhoun a prisoner being taken in on murder charges.Simmons takes the pair to a small isolated sheep ranch were her father, Brian Aherne, and herself live. They must stay for several days since a recent storm has wiped out the only road to town. While McNally is laid up, Calhoun starts putting the moves on Simmons hoping she will help him escape.Simmons falls hard for the smooth talking Calhoun and the tension begins to build. It turns out that Calhoun is charged with the murder of McNally's brother. McNally just wants some revenge and hopes to bump off Calhoun when he tries his escape. Does Calhoun make his break? A couple of weak points in the story are covered up nicely by director Farrow's always reliable hand.A good looking film with five time Oscar nominated, Franz Planer handling the cinematography. Planer is well known to noir fans for his work on, THE LONG WAIT, 99 RIVER STREET, THE SCARF, 711 OCEAN DRIVE, CHAMPION, THE CHASE and CRISS CROSS. He also was the d of p on BREAKFAST AT TIFFANYS, THE CAINE MUTINY, 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, ROMAN HOLIDAY and THE BIG COUNTRY.Nice timewaster.