It seemed logical when [John] Sturges signed on to direct Hour of the Gun, his second picture about Wyatt and Doc, and another opportunity to provide the action, gunplay, and heroics he’d delivered so successfully before. Well, two very unexpected things happened. Instead of a straightforwardly rousing, profit-minded epic, Sturges made a demanding, elegiac meditation [...]

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In 1957, director John Sturges made a slick, Technicolor version of the story baldly titled Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, starring Burt Lancaster as Wyatt and Kirk Douglas as Doc. Lacking the artistry and textures of Ford’s film, it’s nonetheless a satisfying commercial entertainment, vitalized by its star power. With this muscular hit behind him, [...]

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