Film

Support Your Local Gunfighter

Name: Support Your Local Gunfighter
Genre: Comedy, Western
Released: 1971
Cast: James Garner, Suzanne Pleshette, Jack Elam, Harry Morgan, Joan Blondell

A perfectly silly western con game where a charming drifter plays two feuding mining companies against each other, each convinced he's a legendary gunslinger. James Garner's easy charisma carries you through ninety minutes of increasingly absurd schemes and double-crosses. It's what happens when a western stops taking itself seriously and just wants to make you laugh.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy shaggy, good-natured parody westerns where the joke is a fast-talking hustler wriggling out of trouble and the cast plays it all with a wink.

Skip it if you want a serious, gritty western or a tight plot; this one is loose, silly and happy to wander off into sight gags and unhurried bits of business.

What it asks of you: About ninety minutes of easygoing, episodic comedy with no real urgency, so you need to be willing to sit back and let the goofiness roll.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Support Your Local Sheriff!1969

The spiritual predecessor with the same director and star. Garner cons a whole town into believing he's a tough lawman. Same warmth and comedy timing, slightly tighter plotting. Essential viewing.

But It's gentle rather than hilarious. Some jokes land softer than others, and if you need constant laughs you might find it slack.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance1962

Western mythology meets con artistry as a man builds a false legend. James Stewart and Lee Marvin in a film that's part satire of the frontier myth, part genuine drama. Serious bones beneath the game.

But It's darker and more reflective than Gunfighter. Moves slowly. The final act abandons comedy almost entirely for something more melancholy.

The Great Race1965

Blake Edwards directing Jack Lemmon in an elaborate con-man comedy western that sprawls across continents. Wildly ambitious, beautifully shot, packed with sight gags and character reversals. Pure entertainment.

But Runs nearly three hours. Sometimes the ambition outpaces the execution. Tonal shifts from slapstick to sentiment can feel jarring.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Support Your Local Gunfighter

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Paper Moon1973

Both films are about the charisma required to sell a lie, and how the con itself becomes a kind of performance art. But where Gunfighter stays light, Paper Moon lets you feel the cost.

Ryan O'Neal and his real-life daughter Tatum as a con-man and the orphan girl he recruits into his schemes across Depression-era America. Shot in black and white, funny and touching by turns, about the strange intimacy of shared deception.

But It's quieter and more character-driven than Gunfighter. The con is secondary to the relationship. Some scenes feel digressive. Not action-packed.

Cat Ballou1965

Jane Fonda as a woman who recruits an aging drunk gunslinger to avenge her father. Comic western with heart, a brilliant supporting turn from Lee Marvin, and genuine warmth alongside the jokes.

But The tone bounces between comedy and real violence. Some of the humor is very broad. Works better if you're in the mood for something deliberately weird.

Johnny Guitar1954

Nicholas Ray directing Joan Crawford in a western where sexuality and power games matter more than gunfights. Strange, stylish, genuinely surprising. Shows how the con-artist energy can lurk in unexpected places.

But It's oblique and takes itself seriously. If you're looking for plot clarity or conventional western beats, you won't find them. Slow in places.

The Ballad of Little Jo1993

A woman cons an entire frontier town by posing as a man, but the deception becomes something more complicated and painful. Suzanne Stern's direction is patient and wry. Real weight beneath the premise.

But It earns its sadness. The comedy fades as the consequences of the con become real. Some viewers want lighter entertainment.

The Ladykillers1955

Ealing Studios masterpiece. A gang of criminals pose as musicians while planning a heist. Brilliant ensemble cast, impeccable comic timing, and a plot that ties itself in increasingly delightful knots.

But British sensibilities and pacing. Some gags are subtle. If you need constant action or broad comedy, it might feel mannered.

Rustlers' Rhapsody1985

Tom Berenger as a singing cowboy hero in a film that's essentially a parody of B-movie westerns. Knows what it is and commits completely. Weird and earnest in equal measure.

But The joke is sometimes just 'this is silly,' which gets tired. Feels occasionally like it's laughing at itself rather than with you. Cult film, not crowd-pleaser.

The Grifters1990

Both center on the con as a way of life, but Gunfighter treats it as play while The Grifters treats it as survival. Same structure, opposite temperature.

David Mamet's screenplay, Stephen Frears directing. Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, and Annette Bening as three con artists circling each other with predatory grace. Noir-dark, morally complicated, genuinely tense.

But It's cynical in the extreme. No one is likeable. The ending is bleak. If Gunfighter's warmth is what drew you, this will feel like the inverse.

Singin' in the Rain1952

Both are about maintaining a false front for entertainment and profit, but Singin' in the Rain asks us to celebrate the artifice while Gunfighter asks us to delight in the deception. One is open about being a show; the other pretends to be real.

Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor in the greatest movie musical ever made. A Hollywood con—a starlet faking her talents while a stuntman does the work—fuels the plot. Dazzling dancing, perfect comedy timing, infectious joy.

But It's a musical. If you don't want song-and-dance numbers or if you're skeptical about old Hollywood spectacle, this won't convince you. Tone is relentlessly cheerful.