Gunfighter (1999)

Chris Lybbert is Hopalong Cassidy, who’s off helping another rancher deal with rustlers when an old friend comes calling at the Bar 20 ranch where he works.

The old friend is Tex, aka The Man in Black, a man Hopalong embarrassed in a gunfight years earlier, suggesting he might want to practice with pistols for 40 years, then try another showdown.

Except Tex doesn’t wait 40 years to round up a band of henchmen and attack the Bar 20.

They rustle the cattle the Bar 20 was about to take to market. They kill some of the Bar 20 riders.

They leave owner Buck Peters badly wounded. And Tex kidnaps Hopalong’s girl, Mary Meeker (Adrienne Stout-Coppola), intending to make her his own.

Naturally, Hopalong sets out in pursuit, accompanied to two of the uninjured Bar 20 riders.

He’s also wearing a pair of gloves bearing stars, signifying the fastest gun in the West.

Tex would like to get his hands on those gloves too.

Chris Lybberrt as Hopalong Cassidy, ready for a showdown in The Gunfighter (1999)

Lou Schwiebert as Tex, finally getting his hands on Hopalong’s gloves in The Gunfighter (1999)

Review:

Not as bad as its reputation, as long as you don’t take it too seriously and go in realizing it’s a low-budget Western.

It’s certainly a different take on the Hopalong story. You hear the character’s name and think you’re about to watch a Western aimed at 10-year olds.

But this is surprisingly violent. One scene features Hoppy and his pals facing a group of Mexican bandidos. It plays out like a Spaghetti Western.

In another scene, one of Tex’s henchmen tries to run for his life. He’s lassoed by a man who promptly gallops his horse in the other direction, snapping the bad guy’s neck.

Director Christopher Coppola is nephews of Francis Ford Coppola, who brought us “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now.” The director’s wife plays the female lead.

This marked the only film to date for Chris Lybbert. The rodeo scene near the end makes more sense when you realize that’s his claim to fame. He qualified for the National Rodeo Championship eight times.

As for Robert Carradine and Martin Sheen, they play a washed-up singer and a mysterious drifter. The latter tells this story to the former, hoping to inspire a new song.

Adrienne Stout-Coppola as Mary Meeker, the girl Hopalong left behind and now has to rescue in The Gunfighter (1999)

Clu Gulager as Buck Peters, Mary’s uncle and owner of the Bar 20 ranch in The Gunfighter (1999)

Directed by:
Christopher Coppola

Cast:
Chris Lybbert … Hopalong Cassidy
Lou Schwiebert … Tex, the Man in Black
Clu Gulager … Uncle Buck Peters
Adrienne Stout-Coppola … Mary Meeker
Pat Bourke … Red Connors
Tom McDermott … Lanky Smith
James Oseland … Feret
Will Hutchins … The judge
Robert Carradine … The Kid
Martin Sheen … The Stranger
Pat Bourke … Red Connors
Peter Ridet … Billy Floyd
Tom Gulager … Jimmy
Kenny Mills … Deacon
Bud Clark … Shango
Tony Dingman … Devil’s Bluff sheriff

Runtime: 94 min.

aka:
Ballad of a Gunfighter
Ballad of Hopalong Cassidy

Martin Sheen as The Stranger, sharing the story of Hopalong in The Gunfighter (1999)

David Carradine as The Kid, expecting a bar gig and getting a Western story instead in The Gunfighter (1999)

Memorable lines:

The Stranger: “Courage is a powerful thing. But it isn’t a thing a man loses. It just gets misplaced sometimes.”

Johnny, lying wounded: “Hey, Red, bring me one of those rustler’s ears.”
Red: “Bring you a whole washtub, Johnny.”

Hopalong, as he and his companions split up to search for Shango: “Shoot a hole in the sky, and we’ll all meet up again.”

Tex: “Remember me?”
Hopalong: “Well, sure, Tex. You’re the babe with the gun.”

Hopalong: “Those gloves don’t belong on your hands, Tex.”
Tex: “Why don’t you just come and get ’em.”

Pat Bourke as Red Connors, one of the Bar 20 riders in The Gunfighter (1999)

Peter Ridet as Billy Floyd, one of the Bar 20 riders in The Gunfighter (1999)

Kenny Mills as the Deacon, one of Tex’s men, threatening Mary in The Gunfighter (1999)

Bud Clark as Shango, one of Tex’s allies in The Gunfighter (1999)