Ethan Hawke has taken the bold step of signing on to remake a 75-year-old Western movie starring Gregory Peck, which is widely regarded as one of the genre’s seminal releases. Henry King’s 1950 classicThe Gunfightermight not have captured the popular imagination quite as much as the best-known Westerns starring John Wayne or Clint Eastwood, but its importance to the genre can’t be understated.
The movie’s understated tone and heavily stylized rendering of gun-slinging duels involving Peck’s anti-hero Jimmy Ringo would bearguably the biggest influence of any film on Sergio Leone’sDollarstrilogystarring Eastwood. Like Eastwood’s Man with No Name, Ringo is an outlaw with a fearsome reputation, whose only life philosophy is “to keep from getting killed.” Meanwhile,remakes of classic Westernsaren’t completely new territory for Ethan Hawke, although his appearance in a new version ofThe Magnificent Sevennine years ago hardly set the world alight. Still, he’s as well-placed as any actor, writer or producer out there today to giveThe Gunfighteranother shot.
Gregory Peck’s The Gunfighter Is So Good, It’s Hard To Imagine How A Remake Could Top It
The Original Version Stands The Test Of Time
The Gunfighterwas initially supposed to star John Wayne as Jimmy Ringo, and the Duke must have been kicking himself when he saw Peck make the role his own. In one of hisbest movie roles, Gregory Peckgives a surprisingly rugged performance as Ringo, literally shooting from the hip and taking no prisoners wherever he goes. His characterization is an apt metaphor for the movie as a whole, which presents its set pieces with little unnecessary fanfare and handles its tragic ending withmasterful understatement that serves to elevate the mythology surrounding its protagonist.
10 Classic Western Movies Perfectly Suited For A Modern Remake
As long as there has been film there has been the Western. This means its history has been exceptionally chequered and rife for reinvention.
It’s difficult to see how anything 20th Century Studios, Hawke, or his writing partner Shelby Gaines come up with in a new remake could surpass the originalGunfighter. Moreover, Western remakes have offered up mixed results in recent decades, with even an all-round success like theCoen Brothers’ 2010 remake ofTrue Gritfeeling somewhat superfluous to the genre. Hawke is taking a huge risk by meddling with a genuine cult classic, which only seems to get better with age.
If Anyone Can Do The Gunfighter Justice, It’s Ethan Hawke
Hawke Has Experience Of Remaking Westerns And Loves Peck’s Version
YetHawke is certainly a dab hand at making Western movies, having starred in three himself during the past nine years. WhileThe Magnificent Sevenmay have garnered the most attention, the best of these three films is actuallyIn a Valley of Violence, in which he plays an outlaw type who knows how to kill a man, not unlike Jimmy Ringo.Hawke also countsThe Gunfighteramong his favorite moviesof all time, demonstrating his passion for a project in which he’s about to play a major role. His remake won’t be a throwaway grab at franchise filmmaking, but an artistic labor of love.
Ethan Hawke’s 10 Best Movies, Ranked
Ethan Hawke has had incredible roles since his acting debut in 1985. With action-packed moments and complex characters, these are his very best movies
It’s ultimately not realistic to hold Hawke’s prospective remake up against the original version ofThe Gunfighter, since the movie’s new iteration will inevitably be very different in style and substance. Hawke also has the advantage of remaking a film that isn’t especially well-known outside circles of Western enthusiasts, unlikeThe Magnificent SevenorTrue Grit. If he and his fellow filmmakers manage to put their own definitive stamp onThe Gunfighter, there’s even a chance that their version becomes a classic in its own right.
