Lee Van Cleef’s contribution to Western films was massive. His roles in such genre classics as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, For A Few Dollars More, and Death Rides a Horse helped cement him as one of the prominent actors of the genre. However, not every Western he appeared in was memorable. Take 1976’s God’s Gun, for example.
Van Cleef plays twin brothers John and Lewis. John, a priest in the small town of Juno City, is gunned down by Sam Clayton (Jack Palance) early in the film after John tracks the gang down for wreaking havoc in Juno City. Local boy Johnny (Leif Garrett. Yes. The singer. This movie is all over the place) heads to Mexico to find Lewis so he can vindicate his brother’s death. The classic Western trope of avenging gunfighters is put to good use, but that’s really all the film has going for it.
God's Gun is notable for actor Richard Boone, who plays the Juno City Sheriff, walking off the set decrying the quality of the production. It isn’t hard to see why he’d do this. Palance does his best with a mediocre script, but Clayton isn’t a convincing villain. Van Cleef seems bored in both roles. There’s a paternity subplot involving Clayton and Johnny that feels rushed and adds nothing to the overall tone of the movie. This one is only for diehards of the genre, and can best be described as “How the West was dumb." God's Gun is not recommended for library collections focused on the western genre.
Discover more titles with our list of western movies.