The Kansas Law Dog! Wichita was directed by Jacques Tourneur and written by Daniel B. Ullman, featuring Joel McCrea, Vera Miles, Wallace Ford, Edgar Buchannan, Lloyd Bridges, and Keith Larsen. The film utilizes Cinemascope/Technicolor with cinematography by Harold Lipstein and a score by Hans J. Salter. Wichita presents the background of Wyatt Earp (McCrea), preceding his arrival in Dodge City—the site of that well-known gunfight. It’s essentially a story about a town tamer; Earp comes to a growing Wichita as a buffalo hunter, but when cowboys flood into town and things take a grim turn, he can't refuse the offers from the town leaders to become its Marshal. It’s one of those Western movies that helped create Western movie enthusiasts—a film you might have watched when younger and fully embraced the straightforward conflict between good and evil. Naturally, as kids we wouldn’t have noticed things like capitalism overshadowing common sense or deeper philosophical ideas at play, all while a talented director was crafting visually striking shots and compositions. We probably would have missed the intelligence and sophistication in the writing too; those darker moments would just seem like unimportant events. Wichita is excellent filmmaking. It isn't packed with constant action—there’s some fisticuffs, a bit of a stalemate, and the usual gun battles—but these are simply ways to get to smart and engaging human drama, which is brought to life by McCrea and the rest of the cast. Tourneur, Ullman, and Lipstein ensure there's nothing wasted in the script or the visual presentation; the costumes look authentic and appealing, and the story itself, the introduction of this iconic figure, is as captivating as it is enjoyable. It’s a classic Western for those who enjoy that genre. A solid 8/10.

Source on TMDB