Boetticher’s purest exercise in tension-building, at least of the films I have seen, and all the more worthwhile for the masterfully executed anticlimax. Some might consider the “philosophizing” too on-the-nose, but this is a tired and irrelevant complaint in a genre so often praised for brash stylization (at least of the Spaghetti variety). I don’t recall how gender roles functioned in the other three Boettichers I’ve seen (Seven Men from Now, Ride Lonesome, The Tall T), but this film offers a rewarding reversal of classical Hollywood sexism - most often, female characters are defined solely by their relationships with men; in Decision at Sundown, Allison and Kimbrough’s differences are marked most pointedly by their perspectives on women. “I understood women better than he did,” remarks Kimbrough. For all his destestable qualities, by the unresolved conclusion, it’s hard to disagree.
(An aside for readers: I'll be watching and reviewing a lot of westerns in the months to come, as part of an independent study course I'm taking on the current state of the western genre. For those who haven't seen many beyond the established classics, Boetticher provides a wonderful jumping-off point into the many forgotten treasures of this great American tradition.)
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