Cubussoli
Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
Humbersi
The first must-see film of the year.
Kimball
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Scott LeBrun
"Gunsight Ridge" is an adequate, likable B Western that finds its star, Joel McCrea, in fine form. For the most part, it's routine, but it does have some nice touches, especially in the way that it treats its villain, Velvet Clark (Mark Stevens). Clark is definitely the bad guy, but we are treated to scenes in which he reveals what his preferred line of work would have been, had the reality of his situation not interfered. There's a rich array of character actors, and some very beautiful ladies. Both the music (by David Raksin) and cinematography (by Ernest Laszlo) are well done. Francis D. Lyon directs quite capably, and does particularly well at staging a suspenseful "last stand" finale that plays out without any score.McCrea stars as Mike Ryan, a stranger who comes to a small town for a purpose known only to him. He impresses the local sheriff (Addison Richards) enough to get himself deputized, and he handles things such as collecting taxes from locals, while also helping out to determine the identity of the bandit who's been robbing stages. Forming a subplot are the run-ins that Mike has with the ill-behaved boys who work at the nearby Lazy Heart ranch.McCrea is quite engaging, playing a lead character who's every bit the good, honest, dependable hero. His supporting cast reads like a who's who of veteran talent. In addition to Richards, there's Robert Griffin, I. Stanford Jolley, George Chandler, Slim Pickens (who's quite amusing in his brief part), Herb Vigran, L.Q. Jones, Morgan Woodward, Dan Blocker, and Hank Patterson. Jones and Woodward are fun as two of the antagonistic Lazy Heart ruffians. McCrea's son Jody has a small part as a young man getting married. Joan Weldon, Darlene Fields, and Carolyn Craig are all quite pleasing to look at in the female roles. Best of all is Stevens, who's appropriately intense and not entirely unsympathetic."Gunsight Ridge" is not particularly memorable, but it is sufficiently entertaining for an agreeably paced 86 minutes.Seven out of 10.
whitec-3
Other posters are right to mention this film's formal qualities—strong acting, excellent b/w cinematography, and poignant touches like the villain's piano interludes and Carolyn Craig as the farm girl—along with the film's historical status as a late specimen of the B western film when television was chock-a-block with shoot-em-ups.This transitional historical moment gives Heartbreak Ridge a hybrid quality, as it combines the movie western's intensity and depth of character with the TV western's bare staging. The script itself could hardly offer less to work with, with the back-stories for the hero and villain being provided only by Joel McCrea's Irish affectations and Mark Stevens's 2 or 3 lines about having the talent to play the piano but not the money or leisure. "Gunsight Ridge" is a good title, but if like me you wait in westerns for at least some allusion to explain a title, for this one you have to wait until someone casually mentions a border obstruction that will provide the setting for the final showdown.The western in any medium is always fairly minimalist—the more I've watched, the more words seem only pauses in action, landscape, and music. Given such plain fare, skill matters more than brilliance: for instance, Joel McCrea could ride a horse, and the cinematographer knew how to capture his skill. Cameo bonus: the groom in the quirky border town marriage is the late Jody McCrea, who would play the comic Bonehead in early 60s surfing-beach movies with Annette and Frankie.
DaveSFV
Better than average western. Lots of studio lot actors that you always recognize but rarely know their names. Nice scenes with Slim Pickens (stage coach driver) and Dan Blocker (bartender). I did not recognize L Q Jones though, he was one of the four ruffian ranch hands. Story line wanders a bit but not objectionably so, and actually helps to keep your interest as it is not a plain, bad guy gets caught by good guy, that Republic Pictures turned out during that era. There was one element that is a constant in westerns of that era and that is the single daughter living with her single dad, the sheriff and his daughter. I also enjoyed the filming locations. One was very obvious as being Old Tucson and the others I suspect were in the Northern San Fernando Valley or maybe close by Santa Clarity Valley or Simi Valley. Worth watching if you enjoy old black and white westerns, better than average actors, and a more complicated story line.
alexandre michel liberman (tmwest)
There are two reasons why this western is above average: first the black and white cinematography of Ernest Laszlo. "Stalag 17", "Inherit the Wind"(where he got an Oscar), "Judgement at Nuremberg" are among his films. Second, the presence of Mark Stevens, as Velvet, a charismatic outlaw who manages to make his talent for playing the piano, the reason for all his crimes. Joel McCrea is good as always and the two women (one falls for McCrea and the other for Steven) add interest to the film, not counting the excellent Farm Girl who also falls for Stevens. In my childhood I used to love westerns where the outlaws used scarves as masks. Seeing this film makes me feel a child again, and enjoy every minute.
