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The psychological makeup of a dangerous gunman is probed in Jack Slade. Beginning with his childhood, Slade (Mark Stevens) is shown to be extremely unbalanced; in fact, he kills his first man at age 13. Growing up in the West, Slade comes to the conclusion that his gun is his only friend. At first, he is regarded as a hero because he does his killings on the side of the law; eventually, however, his homicidal tendencies overwhelm him, and he shoots without discretion or even reason. It is a tribute to actor Mark Stevens that he is able to make this character fascinating, rather than totally repellant. The only fault that can be found in Jack Slade is its length; the film would be twice as effective if shorn by 15 minutes or so.