A whodunit with a twisty, suspenseful and slightly predictable plot played out as a western with a lighthearted tone... It's a Dean Martin after all.
A poker game, gone wrong in a small gold rush town leaves a new comer lynched for cheating. Soon the other players begin to turn up dead one by one, each in a gruesome and unusual manner (related to hanging). The remaining players work to uncover the identity of the killer before they become the next victim. The whole mystery is meant to parallel a poker game but the film is a little weak in making that connection.
Dean Martin gives a solid performance as Van Morgan, a gambler and lady's man caught up in the deadly game. Robert Mitchum is of course creepy as an enigmatic preacher, new in town, with his own agenda. Roddy McDowall delivers a memorable performance as a young hothead and general loose cannon. Yaphet Kotto has a part with some good lines, it's interesting to see him in something like this.
It's not quite a comedy, but well crafted and doesn't take it too seriously.
"A man's gotta be a damn fool once in a while. It proves he's still alive."
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