chaswe-28402 Multiple themes unfold in this narrative. Age versus youth; innocence versus depravity; greed versus poverty; puritanism versus immorality; crime versus integrity. It is packed with incident, but seems slow. Lasts only 90 minutes but seems much longer. The acting by Scott and McCrea was OK, but not remarkable. The roles were undemanding. Mariette Hartley was excellent, and she had a very appealing and attractive presence. Ron Starr receives a lot of criticism on this site, but seemed to be doing nothing wrong. He wears a disgruntled expression, but that's part of his role. Although there are several fist-fights, as well as shoot-outs, raging drunkenness, and the girl's unlamented father is shot (off-screen), it still doesn't give the impression of a specially violent movie, at least not in comparison with some of Peckinpah's later efforts.The wedding scene was demented. The face-off with the bad guys, anticipating the ending of The Wild Bunch, at the end of the story strikes me as totally improbable and utterly unrealistic, rather like the wacky race with the camel in the opening minutes. Do camels really run faster than horses ? Much of the rest of the film seemed real. This may be due to the photography and the calm scenery. A strange mixture.

dworldeater Ride The High Country is an early film by Sam Pechinpah. Starring two old school western stars from the 30's, 40's and 50's Randolf Scott and Joel Mc Rea, who have never worked together, but have excellent chemistry here. Even though Ride The High Country was made fairly cheap, the film looks awesome. Plus performances are solid and Sam's tight direction and attention to detail bring this production well above average. There is great dialogue, shootouts and fistfights to be had. Rounding out this production is a great support cast of Pechinpah regulars that would work with Sam in the future, that includes Warren Oates, RG Armstrong and LQ Jones. Much of Sam's personal philosophy and moral code is played out here in the great open American frontier. While The Wild Bunch is Sam's masterpiece, Ride The High Country shows his unique vision and talents early on, plus Ride The High Country is solid and a great and highly enjoyable western in its own right.

grantss Good Sam Peckinpah western. Interesting plot, telling the story of honour, the benefits of age and experience and the dying of the old western ways.Builds well. Not much action to start off with, but you can always sense a shoot-out is around the corner, and, eventually, it is.Not perfect though. The morality tale of the benefits of age/experience is often laid on too thick, and the plot contrived to accommodate it. Then, at the end, when it matters most, it seems watered-down and open- ended.It being Peckinpah's second movie as director, he could be forgiven for not being more subtle when it mattered and not being more forceful at other times. He would get more subtle, and much grittier...Solid performances by Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea in the lead roles. Good support from Mariette Hartley and Ron Starr.

bobsgrock Widely considered Sam Peckinpah's first great film, Ride the High Country plays as a nostalgic Western emphasizing long-lost traits of loyalty, dignity and courage. It also features two of the best and most beloved Western heroes together for the first and final time. Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott have wonderful chemistry together as former partners reunited by chance and find they continue to have common memories but uncommon methods on how to deal with serious moral situations. The one element of the film that keeps me from giving it the highest recommendation is the entire subplot regarding the young preacher's daughter, played with great pluck by Mariette Hartley, and her attempt to wrest herself from the clutches of her iron-will father and marry a young miner. While Peckinpah ties everything together up nicely in the end, it still feels like a massive detour that leads to nowhere. What works in the beginning of the film, the tension and friendship between the two aging former lawmen, becomes lost in the background while a silly romance takes precedence. It might have suited the film better to reach deeper into the struggle between the cynical Gil and the idealistic Steve with more scenes between the two of them and their attempt to come to terms with the moral implications of their situation. In the end, Peckinpah makes what I believe is a very good but not quite great Western. Though most will disagree with this thought, I feel it is on par with his first film, The Deadly Companions, as a relatively simple story told very well and with deadly serious respect. Peckinpah would certainly continue to build on these simple building blocks toward s even greater achievements and this film is a shining example of what he learned.