Holt on Hero Duty Again
Having been on their travels again Tim (Tim Holt) and his womanizing friend Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin) arrive at the Blake ranch where they have been hired to work and where Chito can't take his eyes off of beautiful Terry Blake (Joan Dixon). It is with Terry that they meet father and son; Sam (Robert Bice) and Chip Martin (Harper Carter) who are looking for former business partner Matt Potter (Mauritz Hugo) who not only now goes by the name of Curt Landry but double crossed Sam out of his fortune. But Sam ends up not only double crossed again but hanging from a tree with Chip having hidden ending up back at the Blake ranch saying that Matt Potter and his men killed his father. The trouble is no one in town no one knows who Potter is leaving Tim, Chito and Terry trying to solve things.
For the most past "Gunplay" is typical of the western series which Tim Holt and Richard Martin starred in during the 40s and 50s with them ending up involved with a woman and a wrong doing to put right. There is the typical sort of dialogue from this sort of western with young Chip saying he needs to find Matt Potter before he can settle down and Richard Martin brings that same sense of comedy as Chito Jose Gonzalez Bustamonte Rafferty, the Irish-Mexican which he did in so many movies. As such for those who enjoy Tim Holt westerns will find this one pleasant enough.
But "Gunplay" does have a few things which is different to other westerns, there is a touch more grit to "Gunplay" than in other westerns and alongside typical scenes such as a bar room brawl there is one featuring Sam's lifeless body hanging from a tree which his son sees. Unfortunately alongside the grit is the groan and there is the sort of things such as Tim saying the boy is in protective custody and then where he is to some bad guys which unfortunately really lets it down.
What this all boils down to is that "Gunplay" is for the most just a typical Tim Holt & Richard Martin western which entertain those who still love older westerns. But it has issues which let it down and spoil what is a grittier aspect which other western in the series lacked.
