94
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Time OutTime OutMagnificently directed and shot (by Arthur Miller), flawlessly acted by Peck and a superb cast, governed by an almost Langian sense of fate, it's a film that has the true dimensions of tragedy.
- 100Entertainment WeeklyKen TuckerEntertainment WeeklyKen TuckerA ruthlessly heartbreaking tale of a famous gunslinger (Gregory Peck in a black mustache and a little black hat) grown weary of facing down an increasingly young bunch of challengers to his quick-draw supremacy.
- 100TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineAn arresting, superbly produced and downbeat Western photographed in stark black and white, The Gunfighter presents an unglorified view of the Old West as a grim, dirty and decidedly desperate place.
- 100Los Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonLos Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonThe atmosphere is unremittingly tense, the undercurrents poignant and grim. It's the best movie ever made by pastoralist Henry King. [26 July 1988, p.21]
- 88Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumOne of the earliest and best antiwesterns, made before the subgenre became self-conscious about critiquing the standard myths. Some that followed are merely contrary; this has the ring of truth.
- 80EmpireEmpirePeck's tired resignation, and the authentic atmosphere and building tension make for a compelling retribution drama of the West.
- 80The New York TimesBosley CrowtherThe New York TimesBosley CrowtherOne of the tautest and most stimulating Westerns of the year.