The Hanged Man

1974

Drama / Western

4
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 25%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 25%
IMDb Rating 5.7/10 10 506 506

gunfighter

Plot summary

A gunfighter who survives his own hanging helps a young widow who is trying to keep a ruthless land baron from taking her ranch.

Director

Michael Caffey Photo
Michael Caffey

Top cast

Michael Masters Photo
Michael Masters as Deputy Sheriff
Bill Catching Photo
Bill Catching as Executioner
Cameron Mitchell Photo
Cameron Mitchell as Lew Halleck
BarBara Luna Photo
BarBara Luna as Soledad Villegas
720p.WEB
677.81 MB
900*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 13 min
Seeds 15

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by classicsoncall 7 / 10

"What did Lazarus do with the rest of his life?"

Reviewed by bkoganbing 6 / 10

The Hanging That Didn't Take

The title role of The Hanged Man is played by Steve Forrest who plays a notorious gunfighter who was duly hanged for a crime he committed and declared dead. But the only problem was the report of his demise was greatly exaggerated. Whether he was cut down too soon or the rope wasn't tight enough or some unseen power intervened, point is that Forrest is still walking around and breathing. And he's reflecting on a new chance at life because his old life had led him up thirteen steps to the hangman's noose. And he's legally dead.His first chance at redemption comes in helping widow Sharon Acker and her little boy Bobby Eilbacher fight off the designs of mining tycoon Cameron Mitchell. He's not too squeamish about his methods and has young gunslinger Brendon Boone on his payroll who despite the mystique surrounding Forrest is eager for showdown.This unsold TV pilot which was produced by Bing Crosby didn't break any new ground and westerns on television were getting scarce. Around this time Bonanza and Gunsmoke ended their runs and the few that have succeeded them up to this time haven't had their staying power. Speaking of Bonanza this was Ray Teal's farewell role and Bonanza fans will remember his semi-regular presence as sheriff Roy Coffey of Virginia City.The Hanged Man might have been picked up for a television series fifteen years earlier when westerns were a glut on the market. As it is western fans will have little reason to complain.
Reviewed by Wuchakk 5 / 10

TV Western with Steve Forrest and Sharon Acker

Released to TV in 1974 and directed by Michael Caffey, "The Hanged Man" is a Western starring Steve Forrest as a condemned man who miraculously survives a hanging and decides to help a widow (Sharon Acker) prevent a ruthless land baron (Cameron Mitchell) from chasing her off her remote desert ranch. Will Geer is on hand as an old-timer on the ranch while BarBara Luna plays the condemned man's babe. Brendon Boone appears as the lead henchman while Rafael Campos plays a priest."The Hanged Man" was a pilot for a series that never materialized. Producers would make these pilots long enough to be released as a self-contained movie to recoup their losses in the event it wasn't picked up and this was the case with "The Hanged Man." Despite being a TV movie, it has a generally realistic vibe. The premise is interesting, the cast is fine and the movie's short-and-sweet. But it lacks the pizazz to cull it from its TV Western mediocrity. There's a reason it wasn't picked up for a series. Still, it's worth checking out if you favor the actors and late 60s/early 70's Westerns.Speaking of the actors, the movie features two alumni from the late 60's Star Trek TV series: BarBara Luna appeared in the acclaimed 2nd Season episode "Mirror, Mirror" while Sharon Acker appeared in the 3rd Season Golden Turkey "The Mark of Gideon." BarBara later appeared on two 2nd Season episodes of Buck Rogers and the 25th Century as Hawk's (totally hot) babe. The film runs 73 minutes and was shot in Old Tucson & Mescal, Arizona, and Red Rock Canyon State Park, Cantil, California.GRADE: C+
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