The Ballad of Lefty Brown

This is basically what happens when the old comic relief sidekick from Westerns - think Walter Brennan in Rio Bravo - gets to be the star.

Bill Pullman plays Lefty, who intends to track down the man who killed his longtime boss/friend, and soon-to-be Senator, Edward Johnson (Peter Fonda). No one really gives him much of a chance, as two of his and Ed's other partners get involved. Tom, now as US Marshal, starts tracking down Lefty, but reluctantly agrees to help. Jimmy Bierce (Jim Caviezel), the kid of the quartet, is the first Governor of Montana, and has promised to send out the army to find the killers. But his actions don't really add up, surprise surprise.

Pullman plays Lefty as kind of sad and comical. A well-meaning guy, but not exceptionally skilled in any way, other than persistence. Not a great shot, not incredibly brave. He's the guy who, while the sheriff marches right in through the front door, goes around back to cut off anybody who tries to flee that way. He and Tom meet a young wannabe gunslinger who loves those dime novels. Tom's in them, so is Edward. Lefty isn't.

But Lefty's the only one who sticks with it all the way to the end. Even when everyone turns against him. He's the one who saves the kid while Tom is ineffectually interrogating the killer, then falling to pieces. Throughout the film, people keep questioning why Edward kept Lefty around, why he would consider turning over the managing of his ranch to him, of all people. I don't know how he'd do running a ranch, but you can tell that if he failed, it wouldn't be for lack of effort.