wes-connors Educated in the Orient, peaceful pistol-packing Tom Laughlin (as Finley) is also a samurai swordsman. He shoots and slashes people who want to take land away from Native Americans and Mexicans. They've just stolen California from them. A US government shipment of two million dollars in gold is involved. "One Week Later," birds peck at what could be a carcass. Many shots of "The Birds" amount to what could be homage to director Alfred Hitchcock. An entire family is missing. Twitching the flesh around his left eye expertly, best friend or enemy Ron O'Neal (as Paulo) and others are led to believe Mr. Laughlin stole the gold. He's clearly full of himself. Helping pass many dull stretches is beautiful Barbara Carrera (as Eula).*** The Master Gunfighter (10/3/75) Tom Laughlin ~ Tom Laughlin, Ron O'Neal, Barbara Carrera, Lincoln Kilpatrick

wrathchild1387 Great music score,great scenery,interesting camera angles,good atmosphere(especially during the showdown moments),good to decent acting and gun/sword fighting and awesome cinematography. Whatelse can I say about the 'Master Gunfighter', it is a very entertaining Hybrid/Anti-western movie only Tom Laughlin and the crew could bring. Sure some of the movie elements could have been better like some of the editing (which wasn't that bad but could've been better) and some parts from the novelization of the movie should have been in the movie to explain some scenes better but all in all it is a really entertaining blend of Spaghetti western,samurai, and Tom Laughlin.The story revolves around Finely (Tom Laughlin, one of the coolest figures in motion picture history) a guilt tripped gunfighter and swordsman who witnessed a massacre of a peaceful coastal Native Americans by his brother-in-law and lifetime friend Don Paulo (Ron O'Neil, thats right Priest from 'Superfly') and his goons. Finely leaves but returns three years later when Paulo plains to do it again. This is where the gun play and samurai sword comes into play. Both Laughlin and O'Neil have a six chambered, double action pistol almost like a LeMot and a Samurai sword. A lot of critics and people complain about the peace through violence or redemption through revenge method but "To expect peace, prepare for war"-(Tom Jane,THE PUNISHER). Either that or they complained that it is too much like Billy Jack or not enough like Billy Jack, this movie was never meant to be a 'Billy Jack' movie. But I would suggest renting or borrowing the DVD, watch the movie and the special features to learn about the movie even more, it is actually quite interesting when I watch the interviews with the cast and crew. But if you are a western,samurai,Tom Laughlin, or just a 70s cinema fan then you should pretty much buy the movie. But everyone has their own opinions so I would say rent before buy.The story was adapted from an 1969 samurai flick called 'Goyokin' and this movie alone was only made on a budget 3.5 million of the Laughlins' own money and it is better than most movie with 10 times it budget.I also recommend 'Red Sun' or the legendary TV series 'Kung Fu'.

Charles Eagle SPOILER ALERT! This movie does have its problems it's true, but credit should be given to Laughlin's idea of transporting a Samurai-trained gunfighter into Zorro territory. As in his Billy Jack films racial and moral injustice play a major role and, unfortunately, the United States is the off-camera villain. The wealthy spanish Dons of early California are being taxed to death by the American government and one of the most prominent of the Spaniards, Don Paulo (O'Neal), revisits a plot that has already worked once: enlist a village of Indians to wreck gold-carrying American ships on the coast and plunder their riches, then murder the Indians so no one will know. But the Don has a small problem in the guise of his sister's husband, Finley McCloud (Laughlin) who was brought up in Japan as the son of the American Ambassador and has shared his skill with the Samurai sword with his brother Paulo. Finley is also a master of a one-of-a-kind 12-chambered revolver (nowhere in the movie is it called a LeMat)and having left the family when the first murders are committed he returns to intervene when he learns they're going to happen again. Martial arts in the American West are an interesting combination (check out "Red Sun", "Kung Fu", or the newer "Shanghai Noon" films)and Laughlin's haunted gunfighter-swordsman had great potential which I'm afraid to say usually failed to materialize onscreen. Much of the problem was a screenplay that continually put the hero in situations that made him look foolish: he stares down an adversary after his oversize sombrero has been chopped in two, eliciting laughs, or he hangs helpless from a tree while discussing the conspiracy with the villains. Also Laughlin's character talks too much, especially about himself---"My life as a wandering gunfighter---", ughh,gag. Turning the hero into a clown is a mistake not unique to this movie though; catch Schwarzenegger's embarrassing crying fit while dressed in pajamas and a KKK-hat in the otherwise excellent "Conan the Barbarian", or Will Smith's humiliating dancing-girl disguise in "The Wild, Wild, West"---that movie was excrement, they should've paid me to sit through it. Also bad was Burgess Meredith's mind-numbing narration, which starts the movie on a sour note. The California coast and photography were excellent however, and the costumes, fantastic. The climaxing duel between Finley and Paulo, decked out in their Spanish noblemen finery, is memorable as image, but another misstep in execution. It's obvious that the final confrontation between the two Samurai-pistoleros is meant to pay tribute to Sergio Leone's spaghetti-Westerns, but the pacing is too drawn out and effect is lost in the translation. What an idea though. Even the title---mastery of the pistol is not only a skill, but a discipline. An idea familiar to all fans of martial arts films. So despite the negatives, "The Master Gunfighter" has to be included in the collection of any red-blooded follower of Tom Laughlin---which I definitely am.

dexter-3 A terrible film set against the natural beauty of the California coast (my guess is the creators knew what a dog they had). Mexicans with samurai swords and training? A gun that looks like a six-shooter but holds 12 shots (is this a LeMat)? TOM LAUGHLIN? He should credit himself as "Laugh (as in "funny")-lin". The best scene occurs when Laugh-lin (astride his horse) faces off against a bad dude about to commit rape. As in "Billy Jack," Laugh-lin woodenly tells the dude "I don't want to kill you. I'll just ride away." The dude can't deal with the karma emanating from Billy - oops, I mean Finley, and Billy - sorry, Finley - kills him. The dude doesn't know that when Billy - er, Finley - takes off his hat and rubs his hand on his head and face and speaks in a weary tone, that's it! Yikes!A better title may be "Billy Jack - Sorry, Finley - Kicks Ass on the Monterey Peninsula." Punctuated by really boring gun and sword battles (other viewers will anxiously wonder - as I did - who's going to win). This should be a "0."