A Time for Dying (1969)
If you know that this is the last western from one of genre's most beloved directors, Budd Boetticher, and also the last screen-appearance by war-hero-turned-actor Audie Murphy, it might come as a surprise that it is so little known. Two big names, but the film wasn't born under a lucky star: Murphy, who also produced, had troubles financing it (he actually had serious financial problems himself) and Boetticher only accepted to do the film because Murphy was a personal friend (*1). When it was finished, it was several minutes shorter than projected. Murphy tried to collect funds to complete the film in post-production, but the project was aborted when he died, on May 28, 1971 in a plane crash. The whole thing was entirely forgotten until 1982, when it got a brief theatrical release (*2). Most heroes from Boetticher's more famous westerns (usually played by Randolph Scott) were desillusioned middle-aged men who continued their self-imposed mission, even if they knew their ...
