Diagonaldi Very well executed

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

jazerbini Among the westerns that Budd Boetticher directed com Randolph Scott, I rank as the top three: Ride Lonesome, Comanche Station and The Tall T, in that order. In fact there are three big films with a curiosity: in all three Boetticher put a beautiful woman between criminals creating for the characters of Scott - in each of the films - a situation of permanent stress, in that there was the need to maintain control over the activities of bandits while needed to protect the woman. And the stories have a certain similarity in the sense that women seek approaching Scott settling since the beginning of the relationship a strong sense of confidence in his character. All three are arguably tasteful films, both in photography, as in the development of action with actors properly scaled. And the filming location: Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, California has a powerful effect on the outcome of each of the films. Among the three I have greater sympathy for "Ride Lonesome", perhaps by the presence of Karen Steele, perhaps for the great interpretation of Pernell Roberts, perhaps the wonderful final scene of the burning tree ... And not enough these three monumental westerns leased in Lone Pine, Boetticher also performed "Seven Men from Now" also with Scott. And in it we Gail Russell, a story a little different from the three mentioned films, but also a great spectacle. Many consider it the best film of the double Boetticher- Scott. Really Boetticher was a master. And these are his three masterpieces.

calvinnme This is taut Western, filled with good phrasing and a good story, with a slight twist at the end. Ben Brigade (Randolph Scott) captures Billy John (James Best) for the bounty on his head. The twist is concerning Billy John's brother Frank (Lee Van Cleef) which I won't give away. Brigade meets up with Sam Boone (Pernell Roberts) and Whit (James Coburn) at a stage line swing station that belongs to Mr. & Mrs Lane. Mr. Lane is absent, killed by Indians, and the story basically is of Brigade taking Billy John to justice and Mrs Lane (Karen Steele) to safety, while a war party is after them and Frank and company are out to free Billy John.It's once again a simple old school Western, this one not being quite as good as "The Tall T". Katherine Steele is just a little too much eye candy that seems a bit out of place for the time period. As is customary for many western heroines of the 50's she's got a hairdo that could only be possible in a hair salon with the equipment they had in the 50's. James Best plays a part he was born for, that of the young smart-aleck killer, Pernell Roberts gives a standout performance, and Coburn plays Robert's thin as a rail sidekick Whit, in probably his first film role. Roberts and Whit play minor outlaws that are caught up in the events.Lee Van Cleef is not as effective as he could have been, but in this, as in other of his pre-Leone speaking roles, he comes off as either a hot head or a two bit outlaw. His speech and his body movements are way way too fast, but that's direction, and it seems that that was the way he was typecast for most of the fifties. Zinnerman saw his look in High Noon and kept him silent and menacing. In this film he does something so despicable that there should have been way way more buildup to to the climax, but that is of course looking at the Western with Leone colored glasses. Now this despicable act that you never actually see really doesn't work since it's thrown out way too far towards the climax. This would work better if the scenario of events was shown leading up to the act via flashbacks, giving the audience some shockers. Too late to make a long story short, the film should have been emphasizing Van Cleef as much as Scott, but that's just not Boetticher's style. To summarize, this is a great cheapie budget Western, and although the outdoor locations alone are a major part of the film, the only structures you see are the stage swing station and corrals and some abandoned ruins. More money was probably spent on stock and wranglers than art design. Again we get cowboy lore on the treatment of horses, and good Western slang. Scott is good as the man looking for revenge, and the irony involving the male characters is excellent. Scott is a good man doing a bad thing; Roberts and Coburn have done some bad things and are looking to go "good"/straight.

Uriah43 Randolph Scott plays a hardened bounty hunter named "Ben Brigade" who is intent on bringing his prisoner, "Billy John" (James Best) back to Santa Cruz, New Mexico for trial. Unfortunately, Billy John's brother, "Frank" (Lee Van Cleef) and his outlaw band are hot on his trail. It also doesn't help that a recently widowed woman, "Mrs. Carrie Lane" is sought after by Apaches and is slowing Ben down. Likewise, two other bounty hunters, "Sam Boone" (Pernell Roberts) and "Whit" (James Coburn) also want to take Billy John in to Santa Cruz as their prisoner. Anyway, this movie has just about everything: Outlaws, bounty hunters, rampaging Indians and a beautiful woman needing protection. And while Randolph Scott has definitely put on a few years, he still manages to give a decent performance as a man who doesn't care about anything other than his next bounty. That said, this is a surprisingly good Western which should satisfy all fans of that genre.

chuck-reilly The 1959 film "Ride Lonesome" is one more in the late career collaboration of Randolph Scott with director Budd Boetticher. Scott plays a bounty hunter who's dead-set on bringing young James Best to justice (i.e. hanging) and he doesn't seem too concerned when Pernell Roberts shows up and starts getting in his way. Scott's real enemy is Best's older brother (Lee Van Cleef) and the plot revolves around a "hanging tree" in the middle of nowhere. Van Cleef "hanged" Scott's wife and revenge is the motive of the day. "Ride Lonesome" is now chiefly remembered for bringing young and soon-to-be-famous actors into public view. Roberts was immediately cast in "Bonanza" and James Coburn (his part is mostly a minor one here) was next seen starring in "The Magnificent Seven." Van Cleef got his real break much later when Sergio Leone cast him in his Italian westerns with Clint Eastwood. Scott made one more picture with Boetticher and then concluded his career with the Sam Peckinpah movie "Ride the High Country." Needless to say, old Sam's movie is a significant step up from this one. As for this film, suffice to say that Boetticher squeezed everything he could out of a limited budget and there are no wasted scenes or extended dialog and the plot is as simple as they come. Lastly, beautiful Karen Steele is also in the cast, but she doesn't have too much to do besides listen to Scott's Code of Honor speech. One very valid criticism: Van Cleef's "villain" role in this movie doesn't really do him justice. He's far too understated and almost comes across as a gentleman. He was certainly better cast as "The Bad" for director Leone.