Invitation to a Gunfighter
A hired gunfighter turns a corrupt postwar town’s scheme against itself while confronting his own exhaustion and moral uncertainty.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- offbeat
- sardonic
- classic western night
- character driven movie night
What critics said
Critics and later reassessments find a strong central performance and provocative character work within an uneven, confusing western.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jules Gaspard d'Estaing is portrayed as arrogant yet depressed, with the story treating his arrival as a late-life moral reckoning.
The town boss manipulates property and hires violence while the townspeople reveal broader corruption and moral bankruptcy.
Brewster hires d'Estaing to remove Matt Weaver, but the gunfighter's independent approach disrupts the town's expected solution.
The film's unorthodox handling of town conflict and conflicted protagonist distinguishes it from a conventional frontier morality tale.
Films like Invitation to a Gunfighter, and why
The Gunfighter
revisionist western atmosphere, postwar social tension, and a morally conflicted gunfighter
High Noon
western examination of corrupt civic power, outsider intervention, and community cowardice
The Left Handed Gun
offbeat western tone, morally ambiguous protagonists, and critique of frontier authority
Movie Details
- Director
- Richard Wilson
- Release Date
- 1964-10-14
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (61)
Cast
- Yul Brynner
- Janice Rule
- George Segal
- Alfred Ryder
- Clifford David
- Mike Kellin
- Brad Dexter
- Pat Hingle
- Bert Freed
- John A. Alonzo
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Invitation to a Gunfighter about?
- A hired gunfighter turns a corrupt postwar town’s scheme against itself while confronting his own exhaustion and moral uncertainty.
- What is Invitation to a Gunfighter like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Invitation to a Gunfighter as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Invitation to a Gunfighter violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Invitation to a Gunfighter as moderate.
- What did critics think of Invitation to a Gunfighter?
- Critics and later reassessments find a strong central performance and provocative character work within an uneven, confusing western.
- Which films are like Invitation to a Gunfighter?
- Films with a similar feel include The Gunfighter, High Noon, and The Left Handed Gun.
- How long is Invitation to a Gunfighter?
- Invitation to a Gunfighter runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Invitation to a Gunfighter?
- In United States, Invitation to a Gunfighter streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel .
