The Dirty Five Out West

In the final days of the U.S. Civil War, the Confederate Army needs to stop a stagecoach carrying an enemy spy from reaching Washington, D.C. With soldiers in short supply, the Confederates pardon five convicts whose "skills"--they're all killers--make them uniquely qualified to accomplish the mission. In addition to capturing or killing the spy, the ruthless ex-cons are tasked with retrieving $30,000 for the South's coffers.

The quintet consists of: a gambler (Mike "Touch" Connors); a sociopath and his older brother (Jonathan Haze and R. Wright Campbell); a cattleman (Paul Birch); and an outlaw (John Lund), who becomes the group's de facto leader. Amid much bickering, alliances are secretly forged among the men as they make their way to a stagecoach station near an abandoned mining town. Once there, they encounter a young attractive woman (Dorothy Malone), who runs the station with her boozing uncle. Jealously quickly pits the killers against each other as they await the stage.

Made in 1955 for a paltry $60,000, Five Guns West marked the directorial debut of maverick filmmaker Roger Corman. The former Stanford University-educated engineer wasn't new to the film business. By the mid-1950s, Corman had produced three films and decided he could save money by directing his own movies. 

Five Guns West is a textbook example of how to make a film on a shoestring budget. Other than a few extras, there are only seven characters--limiting the costs of cast salaries. Most of the action takes place outdoors, so few sets were required. The Indians, mentioned several times as a threat to the mission, appear only via stock footage.

Dorothy Malone.

The only two "stars" in Five Guns West are John Lund and Dorothy Malone. After some lead roles in "A" films such as The Mating Season (1952), Lund's career had already begun a slow decline. In contrast, Dorothy Malone had forged a solid career, though she was unhappy with her parts. Corman once said that he was only able to hire her because she fired her agent and took a reduced salary. Determined to change her image, Malone died her hair blonde and sought more challenging roles. The year following Five Guns West, she co-starred in Written on the Wind (1956)--and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Paul Birch and Mike Connors.

Despite their star status in Five Guns West, Lund and Malone fail to generate much drama on the screen. Supporting player Mike Connors--billed as Touch Connors--steals the film as a charismatic gambler more interested in the $30,000 than Malone's fetching heroine. Veteran actor Paul Birch is also convincing in his few scenes as one of the five. Birch appeared in several Corman films and later had a recurring role on The Fugitive TV series as Captain Carpenter, Lieutenant's Gerard's superior in the police department.

Given its budget limitations, Five Guns West is a watchable Western reminiscent of the later fact-based blockbuster The Dirty Dozen (1967). The opening scenes on the trail are well-written and hint of a tight drama of internal friction. However, that initial promise gives way to a conventional tale once the five reach the stagecoach station. Still, it gets bonus points for an imaginative shoot-out between Lund and Wright in the crawl space of the station's house.