This Western is the worst western movie ever made. It featured Jimmy Stewart as the hayseed farmer-sheriff trundling about in his 60s, carrying his Senior Citizen Discount Card to the General Store. Stewart also happens to be the father of two young boys, and his young wife is pregnant at the farm. Jimmy Stewart was WAY TOO OLD for this role. Sure, Tony Randall and lots of other men have had kids way into their 70s, but it seemed like this role was meant for a much younger man. In this film, Stewart looks like he needs a walker as he is walking around bent over during most of the film.

Jimmy Stewart was never a very gritty actor, and he always seemed to play weak men in dramatic roles and nice guys when he was in comedies. In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Stewart also played another gutless wonder who had to be saved by John Wayne. Then there is the movie where he had an imaginary rabbit friend. In short, I never liked Jimmy Stewart except for his role in that Frank Capra movie. This role is perhaps the worst movie that Stewart ever made.

In Firecreek, Jimmy Stewart basically spends the entire movie "turning the other cheek" while also trying to be the volunteer "Town Sheriff." I could only think of Mayberry RFD meets the Hells Angels as a comparison. Except that Mayor Ken Berry had more charisma and smarts than Jimmy Stewart. Even Sheriff Andy Taylor and Barney Fife would have been a lot smarter than Sheriff Jimmy Stewart! An outlaw gang rides into town led by Henry Fonda, who is only in the movie for about ten minutes and yet he steals the show from the lame cast of has-been actors. The outlaw gang spends most of its time humiliating Jimmy Stewart and the townies, and Jimmy just keeps telling them to be "good boys." Eventually someone gets raped and someone gets killed. Not even in Mayberry did the jail have an open door (sort of like a lobby). A retarded guy who happened to be the town deputy gets lynched by the bad guys thanks to James Stewart being at home with his young wife while the outlaws were burning down the town. Thanks to Sheriff Jimmy Stewart for providing incompetent leadership. As Jimmy Stewart keeps saying all during the movie, "Now let's not have any trouble."

Of course, at the end it is the gutless wimp who wins the gunfight, though we all know that Henry Fonda could have smoked James Stewart with his eyes closed.