Movie Reviews: Westerns

Director: Budd Boetticher
Cast: Randolph Scott, Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts, Lee Van Cleef, James Coburn
Plot: Bounty hunter travels with his prisoner and they meet trouble along the way
Mood: Lonesome, it is set perennially set in the wilderness
Tags: Revenge, Indians, Outlaw whose brother is out to retrieve him

Bounty hunter Ben Brigade (Scott) finds his quarry Billy John and they set off to the town of Santa Cruz for the trial. In a way station, a couple of outlaws (Roberts & Coburn) and the station master’s wife (Steele) whose husband might have been killed by Indians, tag along. In pursuit are Billy John’s big bad older brother Frank (Van Cleef) and his gang. Soon Brigade’s intentions come to light and it’s a matter of revenge. Randloph Scott and Budd Boetticher, it’s a partnership akin to John Wayne and John Ford, but their westerns were low-key by comparison, which also make them truly underrated. While you may find Ride Lonesome about as sleepy as Scott’s demeanor, it flourishes with grand vistas of deserts and wilderness that Boetticher and cinematographer Charles Lawton Jr. were able to capture on film. The movie is a study of light against dark, of shadows and composition that could rival the works of great Western directors.

The Verdict: 7/10. Back then, I did not comprehend how Randolph Scott was such a big star since I find him stiff and boring, but watching his films, especially the Westerns, I began building a certain fascination as I adjust to his character and try to see the bigger picture of what’s around him. Ride Lonesome and his other collaborations with Budd Boetticher are worth discovering. It is also worth noting that this is James Coburn's debut feature film.
7/3/20