Not Rated | 1h 38min | Crime, Western | 1948
I’ve seen a number of outstanding Westerns starring Gregory Peck, with “The Gunfighter (1950),” and “The Big Country (1958)” being counted among my personal favorites. However, a lesser-known film titled “Yellow Sky” (1948) is perhaps the most unconventional: a hodgepodge of seemingly incongruous elements that, under the guidance of a lesser director, could have fallen apart at its seams.
However, under the brilliant direction of Oscar-winner William A. Wellman (“A Star is Born,” “The Ox-Bow Incident”), everything coalesces into a beautiful tapestry of drama, high tension, sultry romance, and action-packed shootouts.
Things kick off in the Wild West of 1867, a couple of years after the Civil War (1861– 1865) ended. Like scraggly tumbleweeds, a gaggle of seven scurrilous bandits rolls into a little dust-strewn town. They’re composed of leader James “Stretch” Dawson (Gregory Peck), Dude (Richard Widmark), Bull Run (Robert Arthur), Lengthy (John Russell), Half Pint (Harry Morgan), Walrus (Charles Kemper), and Jed (Robert Adler)….