Wednesday, October 05, 2022

The Hangman (1959)

 A deputy marshal specializes in bringing fugitive outlaws to justice. In this occasion, he has to arrest a man accused of armed robbery before the only witness against him is executed. The problem is that he has never seen the accused one and only has a basic description of his features. He locates a woman who knew him and offers her money to identify him in a town where he is reportedly living.

(spoiler herein) This Western has what seems to me a fatal plot hole right in the middle of it: it is not clear why the man who is being executed would falsely testify against someone who helped him unwittingly. Anyway, aside from that, the script has a cerebral playfulness whereby the protagonist must find ways to ascertain that the man he suspects is the one he is after. The moral of this overly contrived story is ultimately trivial.

Rating: 43

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