Death of a Gunfighter is a 1969 action film set in the American Wild West. The film was directed by Don Siegel and Robert Totten. Death of a Gunfighter focuses on the events surrounding Marshall Frank Patch (Richard Widmark). The marshall is known for dispensing a brand of law enforcement that is widely considered outdated by many of the people who live in his jurisdiction of Cottonwood Springs, Texas. The town's leaders decide that he has gone too far when Patch shoots and kills a drunkard in self-defense. They immediately ask for his resignation, but Marshall Patch refuses to cooperate explaining that his role as marshal was permanent. The town then becomes very concerned, as they know that he is an excellent gunfighter and knows many secrets that could be used as leverage with the community's affluent members. The townsmen decide that the only way they will ever be rid of marshal Frank Patch is by using his own brand Old-West style violence against him.moreless