No Name on the Bullet

"Twenty-four "victims" had died before his lightning draw...until he came to the quiet town that had marked him for death!"

1959 1h 17m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 91

ActionThrillerWestern

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When hired killer John Gant rides into Lordsburg, the town's folk become paranoid as each leading citizen has enemies capable of using the services of a professional killer for personal revenge.

“Twenty-four "victims" had died before his lightning draw...until he came to the quiet town that had marked him for death!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Audie Murphy
John Gant
Charles Drake
Luke Canfield
Joan Evans
Anne Benson
Virginia Grey
Roseanne Fraden
Warren Stevens
Lou Fraden
R.G. Armstrong
Asa Canfield
Willis Bouchey
Buck Hastings
Edgar Stehli
Judge Benson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jack Arnold
Writers: Howard Amacker, Gene L. Coon
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 77-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Jack Arnold, shot by Harold Lipstein. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Herman Stein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Frank Gross shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Audie Murphy and Charles Drake and Joan Evans carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Twenty-four "victims" had died before his lightning draw...until he came to the quiet town that had marked him for death!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0052002 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jack Arnold directs. Harold Lipstein behind the camera. Herman Stein scores. Frank Gross cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 77-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
267 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Jack Arnold, shot by Harold Lipstein. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Herman Stein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Frank Gross shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Audie Murphy and Charles Drake and Joan Evans carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Twenty-four "victims" had died before his lightning draw...until he came to the quiet town that had marked him for death!".
8IMDB entry: tt0052002 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 91 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Harold Lipstein
Original score: Herman Stein
Editing: Frank Gross
Costume design: Bill Thomas
Makeup / hair: Larry Germain
Runtime: 77 min · 1h 17m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: No Name on the Bullet (1959)

Also by

Jack Arnold

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-06-20
★ 8/10
He could be as innocent as a baby, but the things that are happening here are still his fault. John Gant is a hired assassin, whenever he rides into a town the whole townsfolk wonder who it is who is on his list. John Gant is a very shrewed assassin for he never gets arrested because he never draws first, he psychologically gets under his targets skins forcing them to shoot first, and John Gant always has witnesses. Today, John Gant has rode into Lordsburg, and from today things will never be the same again... In CinemaScope and Eastman Color Directed by Jack Arnold, we open with a vision of sprawling hills and a vast landscape (DOP: Harold Lipstein), a man handsomely attired in pristine black clothing trots past on his shiny black horse, he gathers pace and gallops off over the hills, we next see him trotting into Lordsburg, elegance and grace oozing from his pores. This is John Gant, also known as Audie Murphy, and for me we are introduced to one of the greatest Western characters outside of the critics favoured lists of usual suspects. Audie Murphy had his critics, he himself hardly went out of his way to embrace stardom and pander to the ink scribblers, but here as Gant is a performance of icy cold wonderment that in my opinion proves any doubters wrong. Gant rides into Lordsburg and his mere presence sends the town into panic, friends and associates implode with suspicion whilst Gant just calmly floats amongst them with little leers and low speaking pearls of wisdom. As Gant forms a weird sort of friendship with Charles Drake's Dr. Luke Canfield, the picture gains some much needed heart, and once the finale arrives it helps to close the picture on a hugely rewarding note. The film reminded me very much of a Twilight Zone episode called The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street, it's a great story to work from {courtesy of Howard Amacker}, because it's morally suspicious and it has characters always on the brink of breaking the law through the sheer worry of their sins and dubious intentions coming back to get them. My only real complaints are that the film is far to short, not sure if it was down to budget or acting restrictions? But clocking in at just 77 minutes I personally feel that another 15 minutes was a must to fully flesh out the finale, and sadly the exterior filming of the gorgeous locale is sparse, which is most galling after the attention grabbing opening shots. However, the film still works a treat and comes highly recommended to even those who don't like Westerns. 8/10

Production companies