That was an excellent one.

There are women in the film, but none has anything you could call a personality.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

WWII hero Audie Murphy gets a mighty fine showcase here in this tense, intelligent widescreen Western from noted sci-fi director Jack Arnold. Audie's character John Gant (that's a great name) is an interesting, cagey, enigmatic individual, certainly a man with layers to him.Gant has come to the small town of Lordsburg, and most everybody in the town knows Gant by profession: he's a hired killer, and he most likely is in town on business. The thing is, nobody but Gant knows exactly who his target is. As Gant himself says, "everybody's got enemies", and those locals who have done anything worth punishing start getting nervous and creating all sorts of problems.The local sheriff (Willis Bouchey) feels powerless to do anything, so some of the citizens take it upon themselves to stand up to Gant and try to get him to leave. But he won't leave until the job is done, no matter how upset all of them get. Amiable doctor Luke Canfield (Charles Drake) feels Gant out in the attempt to understand what makes him tick.Gorgeously photographed (by Harold Lipstein) and scored (by Herman Stein and Irving Gertz), "No Name on the Bullet" is riveting from moment to moment as we keep our eye on Gant and try to predict just who his victim will be. And even if the viewer guesses correctly, the film is still quite worth sticking with as the dialogue is solid and the performances are excellent.The supporting cast includes Joan Evans, Virginia Grey, Warren Stevens, R.G. Armstrong, Edgar Stehli (a delight as the ailing judge), Karl Swenson, and Whit Bissell, but Murphy, by sheer nature of his mysterious character and soft spoken performance, is truly the one to watch as he keeps his business to himself.Highly recommended to Western fans.Eight out of 10.

In Paul Buhle and Dave Wagner's biography of blacklisted writer/director Abraham Polonsky, Polonsky tells them he had worked as a writer without credit on many films. But he would not divulge the names of all these films because he honoured agreements not to do so. These titles Polonsky took to his grave. Jack Arnold's excellent philosophical western, "No Name on the Bullet", repeats the classic Polonsky line from "Body and Soul": "Everybody dies!". In fact, this is the overt theme of "No Name on the Bullet" which explores the notion of life and death at great length. The retired judge is old enough to sacrifice himself for the town. His selflessness seems to diminish any high morals his fellow townsmen may have. Audie Murphy as the assassin Jim Gant recognises this, even though he did not kill him as he initially planned, recognises the old man's bravery and defiance when he refuses to accept Dr Charles Drake's offer to treat his arm. There is not a bad performance in this thoughtful and engrossing western and it shows how well Audie Murphy could act with a first-rate director at the helm. Jack Arnold's best film seems to have Polonsky's poetic touch. I wonder if someone out there can confirm if Polonsky was involved with the script of "No Name on the Bullet". Is my theory likely?

OK...nobody is going to be able to compare Audie Murphy's acting with Olivier, but he effectively underplays this role, and seems to relish being the "villain" of the piece. His gamut of emotions, here, range from a sneer to a smirk, and that is all he needs for this film. The rest of the "B" list cast does an adequate job in framing this tale of morality. Similar films include Bad Day at Black Rock, High Plains Drifter, and High Noon, where the moral character of the Townfolk are called into question. I feel that No Name On the Bullet is more effective that the "A"-listers mentioned, because any damage done to the town and it's people are, essentially, completely self inflicted due to guilt or suspicion. Audie initiates none of the action, and while he philosophizes about the townsfolk's foibles, he is above even judging them. His mere presence starts the chains of events, as one's conscience might move a guilty one to action.This story was done as a "B" western, by people who did "B" westerns, but, could work in many other settings, and is interesting from start until the final credits roll.

Why this got the good reviews it did in the books I read, is a mystery. It's basically a "one- angle" story in which a hired killer enters a town and the whole place goes wildly paranoid wondering who is going to be the man's victim. That sounds fairly interesting but it didn't play that way, getting tiresome very quickly. Then again, some people like this kind of suspense-but nothing-happens type of story, sort of like the popular "High Noon."Audie Murphy ("John Gant") is interesting to watch as the cool-attitude killer but I couldn't much else to get excited about here. The rest of the cast combined can't equal Murphy's effort here. This is more of a melodrama than a western, which may suit a lot of people, but I was looking for a good "western," which usually means a little more action than this dull film.