"Man from God's Country" reteamed square-jawed George Montgomery with his "Last of the Badman" director Paul Landres. This sturdy western shoot'em up ranks as one of Montgomery's best, thanks in part to scenarist George Waggner's first class screenplay. Not only does Montgomery reteam with Landres, but also House Peters, Jr., of "Black Patch" is back. This time Peters plays our hero's old pal from the American Civil War. Everything that you want in a good western appears in this lean, mean dust-raiser. Clocking in at a trim 72 minutes, "Man from God's Country" doesn't stray. Frank Wilcox and James Griffith qualify as excellent adversaries. As the entrepreneurial dude who owns the saloon, Wilcox exudes egotism and charm to the max, while Griffith is equally as treacherous as Wilcox's bushwhacking henchman. Wilcox is cast as the owner of a freight business who doesn't want to see the railroad lay track through his stomping grounds until he has cleaned up. We'll probably never know if Spaghetti western director Sergio Corbucci ever saw "Man from God's County," but the pistol-packing finale anticipates "The Mercenary" with competitors who face off but gun down their adversaries. Meantime, the supporting cast is first class with Phil Terry as the sheriff who has more spine than most star-packers. Leading lady Randy Stuart made her last big-screen appearance here as a saloon girl before she took advantage of the television. She is the other lady with a slightly tarnished past who never gets a chance to put a lip lock on our hero, while Susan Cummings is the good girl who is romantically attached to Peters' gunhand. Although this is a low-budget Allied Artists oater, "Man from God's Country" boasts a solid, atmospheric budget. Veteran western producer Scott Dunlap doesn't short-change this sagebrusher that confines itself largely to town settings. The title seems a mite misleading. You don't see any preachers in "Man from God's Country" and our hero is a former sheriff who is a sure shot with a six-shooter. None of the scenes occur in a sanctuary and the Bible isn't quoted by anybody. Typically, gospel means a narrative about the life and death of Jesus. A couple of characters do change their over the duration of the story and our hero calls his advice to a youngster as preaching, but that is as close as it comes to religious. Altogether, "Man from God's Country" is a western worth watching.
Review of Man from God's Country
