I loved Comanche Station and this is right up there as another great Boetticher/Scott Western. It tells a complex story of interweaving individuals that packs emotional power and a great script inside a tight 75 minutes. It looks absolutely incredible, rarely has Western landscapes been as beautifully captured as here - the rocky plains, mountains and bushland essentially become characters of their own. And that ending shot, just phenomenal. Highly recommended.

Part of my Scott/McCrea project

For me, you can never go wrong in picking a Boetticher/Kennedy/Scott collaboration if you're in the mood for a western. Here Scott is joined by another Boetticher regular, the mighty fine Karen Steele, and familiar gunslingers Lee Van Cleef, James Coburn, James Best and Pernell Roberts (of Bonanza fame).
Randolph Scott plays a bounty hunter escorting a captured killer to Santa Cruz, and along the way he's joined by Roberts and Coburn, who have their own reasons for being interested in said killer, and the widowed Steele. Travelling through stunning desert country they encounter local indians, always knowing in the back of their mind that sooner or later, the killer's older brother (Van Cleef) and his men will catch up with them.

Up until the anti-climactic ending it's a pretty fun journey.

Feels somewhat thin at 75 minutes, but there's little fat to be found. The structure dictates that Scott be even more of a cypher than most Western heroes, but the payoff is effective. It'd earn 3.5 stars alone on the merit of shooting Karen Steele nearly exclusively in profile... sweet Jesus.

75 minutes of pure fucking western sandwiched between one of the best opening shots and one of the best closing shots I've seen. Terse, raw, and pushing the limits of the code, it's a great bridge between The Searchers and A Fistful of Dollars.

I loved Comanche Station and this is right up there as another great Boetticher/Scott Western. It tells a complex story of interweaving individuals that packs emotional power and a great script inside a tight 75 minutes. It looks absolutely incredible, rarely has Western landscapes been as beautifully captured as here - the rocky plains, mountains and bushland essentially become characters of their own. And that ending shot, just phenomenal. Highly recommended.

Ride Lonesome's great strength is its economic visual sensibility. This is announced from the very first shot, as the credits role over a stunning wide shot of a rock-laden landscape. Not only does Boetticher continue that very shot to begin the action, he ends up tracking downward into a pass that adds a menacing quality to this early sequence. The story is largely by-the-numbers, but the performances are compelling enough and the pace brisk enough for an enjoyable ride.

Part of my Scott/McCrea project

For me, you can never go wrong in picking a Boetticher/Kennedy/Scott collaboration if you're in the mood for a western. Here Scott is joined by another Boetticher regular, the mighty fine Karen Steele, and familiar gunslingers Lee Van Cleef, James Coburn, James Best and Pernell Roberts (of Bonanza fame).
Randolph Scott plays a bounty hunter escorting a captured killer to Santa Cruz, and along the way he's joined by Roberts and Coburn, who have their own reasons for being interested in said killer, and the widowed Steele. Travelling through stunning desert country they encounter local indians, always knowing in the back of their mind that sooner or later, the killer's older brother (Van Cleef) and his men will catch up with them.

Up until the anti-climactic ending it's a pretty fun journey.

Boetticher film with another superb Burt Kennedy script that features a great, unexpected ending. A stellar cast that Pernell Roberts somehow manages to out-charisma. Beautiful Sierra landscapes and skylines provide the aesthetic.

Feels somewhat thin at 75 minutes, but there's little fat to be found. The structure dictates that Scott be even more of a cypher than most Western heroes, but the payoff is effective. It'd earn 3.5 stars alone on the merit of shooting Karen Steele nearly exclusively in profile... sweet Jesus.

75 minutes of pure fucking western sandwiched between one of the best opening shots and one of the best closing shots I've seen. Terse, raw, and pushing the limits of the code, it's a great bridge between The Searchers and A Fistful of Dollars.

Lean, mean Western that exits the gate with incredible speed and maintains a great pace for the duration. Unfortunately, it's this same quality that makes what is ostensibly the climax come off more as a whimpering pop than a bang. Also, the female role leaves a lot to be desired, even by the standards of a Western.

Randolph Scott owns the name Ben Brigade.

What we have here is a decent Western that may not be up there with the greats of the genre but is definitely a cut above the rest.

Using a Revenge Western setup it encompasses one prolonged chase sequence, eschewing the grand spectacle of location it focuses on character study of the five principles involved. This is a taut no-frills affair full of terse dialogue that is both dry and sharp.

Randolph Scott plays a bounty hunter who goes after a young killer (Billy) to flush out his older brother Lee Van Cleef. The task is hindered by marauding indians, protecting a fine figured woman whose husband is missing and two gunslingers (James Coburn making a good film debut) along for the ride who also need Billy to gain amnesty for past crimes.

This is a fully satisfying Western where the motivations of all involved are murky, leading to a tension filled climax.