Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- foreboding
- morally uneasy
- classic western night
- mystery movie marathon
What critics said
Critics generally viewed it as a polished, professionally made western that uses a suspenseful murder story to rise above routine genre conventions.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The lynching of a cheating card player is followed by murders of the lynch mob using hanging, strangling, or smothering.
The card players collectively execute a suspected cheat, and the surviving participants become targets of retribution.
Van Morgan investigates successive deaths while suspicion falls on the original lynch mob and the newly arrived preacher.
Reverend Jonathan Rudd arrives in town as the murders begin, making his motives and identity central to the suspicion.
Films like 5 Card Stud, and why
El Dorado
shared late-1960s western setting, charismatic male stars, frontier justice, and suspenseful murder investigation
Bandolero!
shared ensemble western format, morally compromised townsmen, and polished studio-era action
The Tall T
shared western mystery structure, revenge themes, and a charismatic outsider disrupting a frontier community
The Night of the Following Day
shared western suspense, gambling-related conflict, and an investigation into escalating killings
Movie Details
- Director
- Henry Hathaway
- Release Date
- 1968-07-28
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (95)
Cast
- Dean Martin
- Robert Mitchum
- Inger Stevens
- Roddy McDowall
- Katherine Justice
- John Anderson
- Ruth Springford
- Yaphet Kotto
- Denver Pyle
- Bill Fletcher
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is 5 Card Stud about?
- A gambler investigates a string of revenge killings targeting the men responsible for a frontier lynching.
- What is 5 Card Stud like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of 5 Card Stud as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is 5 Card Stud violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in 5 Card Stud as brutal.
- What did critics think of 5 Card Stud?
- Critics generally viewed it as a polished, professionally made western that uses a suspenseful murder story to rise above routine genre conventions.
- Which films are like 5 Card Stud?
- Films with a similar feel include El Dorado, Bandolero!, The Tall T, and The Night of the Following Day.
- How long is 5 Card Stud?
- 5 Card Stud runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch 5 Card Stud?
- In United States, 5 Card Stud is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
