Henry Fonda was always quite surprising pulling off a villainous role, and his mangy varmit in "Firecreek" is no exception (as an actor, he seems such an upright citizen that it takes a few scenes to accept him as a scurrilous killer, but he certainly makes it work). Murderous gang rides into dirtwater town and terrorizes the locals, including honorary sheriff James Stewart. Despite a very odd direction (with titillation asides), this is a formidable western with a sturdy cast. The mean-spiritedness of the picture is extremely tough to shake off however, and action-fans won't get much satisfaction until the bullet-ridden finale. *1/2 from ****
Review of Firecreek
