The Ride Back

source: The Ride Back

The Ride Back

This movie seems to excite interest and admiration for what is supposedly a very offbeat and anti-hero '50's western. As much as I hate to say it, I'm not sure Conrad could carry his part of this movie, although he has some very emotive moments. For his part, Quinn does what he can with what he has in dialogue, but the revelation about the character or his wife / girlfriend is simply a one act pony. BTW--the ending isn't THAT original. You can see the plot denouement a long way before it occurs.

Straight-arrow lawman William Conrad heads south-of-the-border to capture gunfighter Anthony Quinn. Heading north with Quinn, they find themselves stalked by a murderous band of renegade Indians, complicating the ride back and Quinn's repeated escape attempts. A gritty western-noir, this strives to be a bit more artistically relevant than the average black-and-white western and despite some less than original plot elements, it largely succeeds, thanks to a deeper psychological approach to the two main characters and muscular performances by Conrad (who also produced) and Quinn, whose character hides a soft side beneath his macho exterior. It's all nicely shot as well, with some bold for it's time depictions of murder victims, lying in a pitiful, undignified manner. listen up for the film's neat theme song, sung by TV star Eddie Albert!

Ahead of its time story relying on psychological impact of stress on a sherrif trying to take a prisoner back for trial. Little shoot-em-up, lots more dialogue. Bill Conrad, while still Matt Dillon on the radio, plays a thoroughly different character on the big screen. I've liked this movie since I first saw it. It really stuck to my memory.