Stranger on the Run

Fonda, a drunk in search of redemption, shows up in a dusty railhead town whose population includes an unstable sheriff, several homo-erotically fixated gunslingers and an assortment of ready-mades, like the comely widow whose teenage son is ripe for a few life lessons. This early telefeature (Siegel's third) is based on a story by Reginald Rose and its blend of popular Freud and social consciousness includes some unexpected themes, e.g. the depiction of the railroad not as an emblem of progress but as a bringer of violence and corruption. Siegel barrels energetically through a tangle of sub-plots: the film was his ticket back to big-screen projects. Michael Parks as the sheriff looks splendid but sounds as though he's speaking Bulgarian.