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.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

I never thought I would literally almost fall asleep watching this western.In no order of merit.There was absolutely no chemistry between Glenn Ford and Angie Dickinson.Angie Dickinson spoke her lines as though reading them off a billboard.Why Glenn Ford took this movie on I for one, will never know because Glenn Ford is up there with the greats.I found this film totally boring from start to finish.One of the reviews for this film stated, "At last an adult western".This in my view was because of the script, it was full of truths about life as a cowboy who is claimed to be fast on the draw, and there will always be a young punk who claims to be faster. That's it in a nut shell.

Even though the face to face showdown in the middle of a dusty street was more a product of Hollywood than the Old West, you know what was really incredible to me? Marshal Dan Blaine (Glenn Ford) gave up a 'notion' from girlfriend Lisa Denton (Angie Dickinson) in order to go fishing! What?? No way, or at the very least, couldn't he have found time to fit both activities in during the same day? Well, the theme here has been done in hundreds of Westerns, and for my money, the one that does it best is Gregory Peck's 1950 film "The Gunfighter". I'm talking about the young, hotshot gunslinger trying to make a name for himself by out-drawing the fastest gun with the best reputation in the territory. The twist here has the opposing gunmen, Lot McGuire (Chad Everett) and Marshal Blaine meeting up on the dusty trail as strangers, and sharing a meal and some camaraderie before their identities are revealed to each other. Once that's done, all bets are off as to McGuire's true intentions regarding the lawman.I liked Everett in this one, just a few years after appearing as Deputy Del Stark in the TV Western 'The Dakotas", an intelligently written series given the era. Come to think of it, another Dakotas alum appeared here too, Jack Elam as the underhanded trail bum who accepts Miss Denton's offer to take out McGuire before he even reaches town. That was another dynamic I haven't seen before, and made for a confrontational scene between her and the Marshal before the final showdown.Even though McGuire previewed his ability with a weapon during that rattlesnake scene, Blaine never wavered in his conviction that he could take out the undisciplined, young gunfighter. For a while, I thought the picture might have been setting us up for some conflicted resolution to the final face off, but when the time came, I was surprised how quick and efficient the whole thing went down. No wise guy dialog between the pair of gunfighters, just one man outdrawing the other in classic fashion. But this time, the traditional ride into the sunset occurred with the Marshal throwing away his gun into the opponent's coffin, and the girlfriend left to nurse a weary heart over a miscalculation that sealed her disappointment.

As a history teacher, I have a lot more knowledge about what the old west REALLY was like...and for the most part it was little like you see in westerns. In the case of this film, there is the famed fast- draw sheriff, young punks wanting to prove they are faster and the famed shootouts on main street...all stuff that really did not happen. Sure, it could have happened once or twice (anything is possible) but the west was a lot safer and civilized than you would imagine if you got your history from films! So, I knew going into "The Last Challenge" that the film was complete fiction...a myth of a west filmmakers WISHED had really been.When the film begins, yet another stupid punk comes into town to challenge the brave Marshall (Glenn Ford). Marshall Blaine blows the snot out of him and the immediate threat is gone. But of course there is another who is on his way to town to challenge the fast- draw sheriff. But something unusual happens--the pair meet on friendly terms while fishing and seem to like each other. Will that change anything or is one of them still destined to assume room temperature? This is a moderately enjoyable film with a finale that is, pretty much, a foregone conclusion. Not a bad movie...just not at all like the real west. Although a shootout between two guys is common in films, in reality lawmen were very happy to just shoot guys in the back or shotgun them or attack the thug with a group. The whole manly shootout to prove who is the fastest is just mythical.

The western showdown is as ritualistic as a bullfight which, in many respects, it resembles... The end is as quick, clean and emotionless as the dispatch of a brave fighting bull by the matador... The outcome is usually as predictable but the clash is a heightened moment of suspense that is as exciting as anything the cinema has ever produced...Richard Thorpe, a reliable director of all genre, and one of MGM's most prolific filmmaker since 1935 directed and produced 'The Last Challenge'/'The Pistolero of Red River.'Wanting a particular personal style, Thorpe never directed a great motion picture, but had a consistently acceptable batting average as a director of fine, unpretentious entertainment ranging from drama and polished adventure to comedy, musicals and westerns...With a beautiful body and a timeless loveliness of a face, Angie Dickinson looks great in her black gown... She again figures effectively as the young lady, in love, who wants to stop the shootout... The movie has a Marshal (Glenn Ford) with a reputation as a legendary wild gunfighter, heading for a showdown with a dangerous good-looking challenger Chad Everett...The John Sherry-Robert Emmett Ginna screenplay features Gary Merrill as a bushy-brow 'Five Card Stud' player, and Jack Elam as the hired killer with an evil leer...