Seven Men From Now (1956)

The first of a series of classic Westerns with Randolph Scott and Budd Boetticher. Randolph Scott is a former Sheriff, now pursuing the seven men who killed his wife during a robbery of the Wells Fargo office. Lee Marvin is the opportunistic outlaw - not directly involved in the robbery - who sees a possibility to get his hands on the stolen money. They join up with a pair of slightly naive travellers from the east, the wife of which falls for Randolph Scott's manly charm.

The only real criticism I have of it is that the exposition surrounding the back story with Randolph Scott's wife is a bit clunkily done, and doesn't really need to be there to make the film work. Highlights include the scene in the wagon where Lee Marvin relates a story about a woman he knew that ran off with a man looking a lot like Randolph Scott, the final gunfight, and a scene where the wife misreads the situation and goes to kiss the hero.

Obviously quite low budget, with a cast of about 10, but a classic in almost every way.

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