Scott LeBrun Stephen McNally is a rugged hero, playing the marshal "Lightning" Tyrone. He goes up against a vicious gang of "claim jumpers" making life miserable for miners. He makes the acquaintance of a youth who's been dubbed "The Silver Kid", played by WWII hero Audie Murphy, and decides that he can put The Kid to use as his deputy.Although pretty average in terms of story, this is still entertaining thanks to the assured direction of Don Siegel, in the years before he'd graduated to the ranks of major A list directors. He knew how to handle action scenes, for one thing, and "The Duel at Silver Creek" is reasonably rousing at times. Overall, the filmmaking is quite capable, with top notch location work and superb creation of the classic Western look (in glorious Technicolor). You will notice that Siegel and the screenwriters don't exactly bother to keep the identities of certain villains a secret. You're also left in little doubt as to how the predictable script will unfold, so the scenario isn't about suspense, despite the fact that good guy Lightning has been badly wounded and can't handle a gun as well as he used to.There are very fine performances by a well chosen cast: McNally, a confident young Murphy, lovely ladies Faith Domergue and Susan Cabot, Gerald Mohr, Eugene Iglesias, James Anderson, Walter Sande, Lee Marvin, George Eldredge, Griff Barnett, Harry Harvey, etc.It's worth noting that the run time is a mere 77 minutes. It's always nice when actors and filmmakers can tell their story in a succinct manner and not drag it out any longer than necessary.Six out of 10.

dbdumonteil This is a very short movie but Don Siegel is that kind of director who can make the best of a 75 minutes film :remember what he did in "invasion of the body snatchers" the remakes of which could not match,in spite of a running time twice as long and a comfortable budget . This is a rather violent movie ,but anyway violence was one of Siegel 's trademarks :"the killers" nearly cut Siodmak's original.The movie begins with a series of murders committed by the claim jumpers in cold blood (including one by a woman!)This woman ,played by Faith Domergue is more original than the others :during the whole movie,the hero was had ;love is blind ,they say.Stephen McNally and Audie Murphy are convincing as is Lee Marvin (who would be scarier in "the killers" ) in a supporting part.

bob the moo A small western town is surrounded by small mines and areas of land run by their owners. A gang of claim jumpers are forcing the owners to sign their claims over to them but then kill them anyway. When Marshall 'Lightning' Tyrone takes a party after the gang he leaves old timer Dan Music as Deputy of the town. Having failed to find the gang, Lightning returns to find to find that Music has been murdered (shot in the back). Lightning sets out to get to the bottom of the murder and has several suspects already before the deceitful Opal Lacy points him towards Luke Cromwell, known as the Silver Kid. Whenever the Kid proves it could not have been him, Lightning takes him on as a deputy.I came to this film on the basis of it being Don Siegel's first western and the first film he made in colour. The plot is pretty basic and doesn't live up to the suggestions of the opening – instead becoming rather focused on the actions of a few characters. As such, it works on a B movie level and that is pretty much what I expected it to do. This focused plot is improved by a good range of fun characters – with fancy names and exaggerated characters to match: the tough broad, the kid, the tough sheriff, the old coot etc. All the clichés are here but they are delivered with a slight sense of fun that helps it move smoothly. The colour is good and Siegel's direction is solid enough (although he would do much better later).Despite top billing on imdb going to Murphy, the real lead here is McNally and he does it well. His sheriff is tough, friendly and it is him we care about when the final shoot out comes. Murphy is good but his character has less meat on it and he has therefore less to do that really sticks in the mind. Domergue is given a good character and she convinces as a sort of Western femme fatale. Cabot has a much more standard role and is less interesting as a result. Aside from Domergue the 'baddies' are fairly unmemorable; when the film started they were tough and violent but eventually we are presented Mohr's words in place of this and it really isn't enough for a fun B-movie.Despite it's obvious flaws this is a really good fun B-movie western and you'll like it if you view it as such. The plot is basic but enjoyable with plenty of likable characters who are as bright as the Technicolor they are presented in. Siegel's first western is a fun film and should be enjoyed as such – it's far from his best and fans may only come to it because of the significance in his career but it is worth seeing if you're in the mood for this type of film.

alexandre michel liberman (tmwest) This western is full of excellent action scenes from beginning to end. The color and cinematography are outstanding. Murphy is "The Silver Kid" , a man always ready to draw his guns. Stephen McNally is the sheriff, who cannot be fast on the draw because his hand is hurt, so Audie is helping him. The brawl at the poker table between Murphy and Lee Marvin is one of the best moments. Faith Domergue as the bad girl talks exactly like Marilyn Monroe. Susan Cabot is the good girl, Gerald Mohr is the real bad guy, and Eugene Iglesias is Johnny Sombrero, a bad guy who is not so bad. Don Siegel did quite a good job here, making a very enjoyable film, which together with "The Cimarron Kid" and "Ride Clear of Diablo" are Murphy's best westerns.