Paranoia grips an Old West town when an infamous assassin arrives but refuses to reveal who he has been hired to kill in this nifty mix of western and mystery elements. Audie Murphy is perfectly cast in the lead role with the film attaining much suspense from the question of whether Murphy really is who he says he is; after all, he is so young and "sounds more like a preacher" with the way he constantly waxes philosophical about life. As the film progresses though, and Murphy's ramblings turn morbid with thoughts such as "everybody dies", it gradually becomes clear that he is every bit as dangerous as his reputation, and more so if anything. Clocking in at less than 80 minutes long, the film never gets to develop of all its supporting characters, and therefore it only partly succeeds in its portrayal of a town full of corrupt individuals, each believing that they will be killed. As a study of how Murphy ticks though, the film works excellently. Most impressively, the film reveals deep intelligence behind his ostensibly cold and heartless approach to life, questioning "who is the villain" if he carries out justice with his slayings. There is also a lot to like in how he does not kill for the sake of it, and actively tries to only wound those who get in his way. It might be a push to call Murphy a sympathetic character, but in a town full of ignoble individuals, it is hard not to feel for his approach to life. Add in a glorious mystery of element of just who will be his victim, and 'No Name on the Bullet' really rises above the ante of the typical western in which a stranger rides into town.

I've not seen all of Audie Murphy's films, just most of them, over 30. After a lifetime of watching him, last night I came across this gem, so I can pose the question, was this Audie Murphy's best acting performance? I know he had little regard for the parts he played saying they were all the same, but watching this picture, which could have done with a better director with more vision, I couldn't help but think that this could have been a truly great western. Murphy plays against type as a hired killer, not the hero he usually is, and in spite of his small frame, completely dominates every scene against much larger men. What makes this a superior western is Murphy's outstanding performance, chillingly ruthless, and the intelligent complex script and supporting performances. It just goes to show how good minor actors can be when given the right words to perform. Charles Drake, never better, R.G. Armstrong, Karl Swenson, Willis Bouchey etc all giving fine acting lessons. Terrific underrated western.

Audie Murphy is at his best in this western as the quiet gunslinger John Gant. The drama and personal emotions that this character brings to the screen only adds to the build up of John Gant. The friend ship that Gant and the Doctor (Charles Drake) develops is admirable in that they both have different values. When Gant compares himself to the Doctor the comparison is truly magnificent. Some of the lines will live forever. Thats my prescription physician you better have it filled, I might even have one for you store keeper. Thats sets the stage for who wants to die. Reminds me of the scene in Warlock. When Henry Fonds says "Well who's to do it".

When you know Audie Murphy's story, decorated war hero, small man, his character here as hired gun John Gant shows how versatile he was, playing the hero or the villain equally well. This is a short movie, listed at 77 minutes but actually running a bit under that, and is the proper length to tell the story. His reputation is well known, and when he comes to this small town a number of the men have to worry. Gant takes his time, to see what will develop. As it turns out, his target is Judge Benson, who is now elderly and sick, confined to a wheelchair. But Gant is a professional, he has a job to do, but can even he shoot a man in a wheelchair?MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW. The pretty Joan Evans plays Anne Benson, the daughter to Judge Benson. Gant gets her in his hotel room, and all we see is him ripping her dress, exposing her in undergarments. We don't see what happens next. But, when Gant visits Judge Benson a few minutes later, he pulls a part of Anne's dress out of his pocket, showing it to the Judge, implying he had harmed her. The old man gets up, grabs a gun as Gant walks outside, prepared to "defend" himself. But the old man dies on his own, Gant has him cleaned without firing a shot.The irony is, the town doctor shows up a minute later, not knowing what transpired, as Gant turns hits Gant on the shoulder with a large hammer, wounding him and partially crippling his shooting arm. The Doc offered to look at it, but Gant took his fate in stride and rode off, to the END of the movie, knowing that his time had come too.