Ride the High Country
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Movie Reviews of Ride the High Country
Movie Review: Nuanced B Western - Peckinpah's best in my view
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not a big fan of Peckinpah, but this is by far his best film in my view. I read a review of this film somewhere else (IMBD maybe?) that stated that this was the last of the B grade Westerns. If so, this is certainly one of the best. It's ironic that one of the last films of this genre actually defines it. There is so much to love about this film. First, and most importantly, the story line is surprisingly complex for a film of this genre. This is no simple good guys versus bad guys type Western, the roles are more morally ambiguous and subtle. Second, this was the last performance for one of the actors (Scott) and the last decent performance by the other (McCrea) who largely defined the genre. Scott of course is an icon of the B Western, and McCrea had a solid career as well making this type of film. The plot is relatively straight forward. Two old friends decide to work together one last time. Their job is to ride up to a mining town, collect gold from the miners, and return it safely to the bank. One of the two decides it might be more profitable to take off with the gold themselves. Along the way they pickup a young Mariette Hartley who wants to escape from her overprotective Bible-quoting father. Things get interesting when Hartley marries a brute in the mining town and the groom and his family decide that she can't change her mind. Definitely recommended.Movie Review: Classic Western by Sam Peckinpah with wonderful performances by two old Pros
Summary: 5 Stars
This classic Western is truly one of Sam Peckinpah's best films. The acting by Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott make the movie very enjoyable. The camera work by Lucien Ballard of the 'High Country' of the title is just excellent. Also, the dialogue is a very strong point to the film and the delivery by the two old pros is sometimes very funny, other times very poignant. Also some of the villains are played by some truly excellent character actors: Warren Oates and L.Q. Jones ,in particular. Mariette Hartley is also quite good as the main female character.
The way the main characters have to deal with getting older is deftly done. The ending is one of the best in any Western film. All Western fans must see this film as it is truly toward the top of the genre. Films in 1962 or now don't get much better than 'High Country'.
The DVD has very good picture and sound plus a really wonderful Commentary done by Peckinpah historians who really add interesting info on the making of the film and the story behind it.
Highly Recommended! They really don't make movies like this anymore!
A+
Movie Review: A true classic
Summary: 5 Stars
I was recently asked by my partner to name my favorite movie; after some deliberation, I picked Ride the High Country. As he is half my age, he picked Tombstone. I explained that while Tombstone is far better technically, High Country is, in my opinion, a better story. After all, this movie is now 48 years old, so maybe you need a litle gray in your hair to 'get it'.
The theme: A couple of aging cowboys, having lived beyond their time, are merely trying to make a living. As a result, they find themselves in a situation not of their making, and deal with it according to their code. ("Do the right thing even, or especially, when no one is looking.") Sadly, this Code is a thing of the past, and to try to explain it to a young person is probably akin to teaching a pig to dance. The same theme flows through, to name only a few: Lonely are the Brave; True Grit; No Country for Old Men; Junior Bonner; The Wild Bunch; and Monte Walsh; but to my mind, High Country stands above them all.
Many thanks-
Movie Review: 15 stars...5 each for McCrea, Scott and Peckinpah!
Summary: 5 Stars
This may be the best of all Peckinpah westerns and one of the all time great westerns...heck...films of all time IMHO.
The story is not only a classic one but features the acting of two of the genres most well known stars (McCrea and Scott) playing parts that fit perfectly with their age at the time and ....well..
picture Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven era) and Duke Wayne (Rooster Cogburn era) in a Western together about aging cowpokes...on one last job....fighting their conscience and age and ...well...you unsterstand how impossible that is to film..that was a once in a lifetime opportunity and Peckinpah didn't squander a bit of it...from georgously backlit scenes in the old west to perfect dialog and believable story turns....this is a film to cherish and share with friends and loved ones....
anyone that discounts Peckinpah as a director because they think he is all slow motion bullets and blood...needs to see this and RE-think!
Movie Review: Sam Peckinpah's Magnum Opus
Summary: 5 Stars
It would be tough to find an equal in the annals of western movies, unless it was mentioned in the same context as "The Shootist". Rich in character actors and building on the strength of waning western acting legends Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott, this gem of a motion picture refused to let westerns fade away. This was made at a time when big screen westerns had begun to lose steam - "How the West Was Won" was filming and television networks were saturated with bounty hunters, marshals, loners, and other episodic pioneers of the wild west. This is a fitting tribute to McCrea and Scott who are unforgettable as former friends who team up for one last adventure. Look for Mariette Hartley, James Drury, Warren Oates, Edgar Buchanan, and R.G. Armstrong in supporting roles. This was filmed just before Sam Peckinpah discovered the shock value of explosive squibs containing Karo Syrup mixed with red food coloring.