weezeralfalfa
How can you go wrong with a starring cast of Kirk Douglas, Rock Hudson, and the beautiful blonds Dorothy Malone(37), playing a few years younger, and Carol Lynley(19), playing16? Amazingly, Dorothy died just this year, at 93, and Kirk is still around as a centenarian!........The relationships between these principle characters is suitably complex and interesting. Douglas, as Bren O'Malley, is wanted for the murder of the brother-in-law of Sheriff Dana Stribling(Rock Hudson),and has fled from Texas to Mexico. There is the additional complication that, as a result, Stribling's sister committed suicide. Thus Stribling has a good personal reason to see O'Malley brought to justice. Thus, he has tried to follow O'Malley into Mexico, even though he has no jurisdictional authority there. .......O'Malley runs into an old flame in Dorothy Malone, who is now Mrs. Breckenridge: wife of the drunken American rancher John(Joseph Cotton), and mother to 16y.o.Melissa(Carol Lynley),, who looks much like her. Belle tells O'Malley that she is no longer romantically interested in him. However, O'Malley still signs on to be trail boss, for the upcoming cattle drive to Texas, perhaps in hopes that Belle will change her mind along the trail. O'Malley's steep terms are: 1/5 of the cattle, and his wife: the latter apparently in jest, but not in O'Malley's mind....... Luckily, Stribling happens across O'Malley on the Breckenridge ranch, and signs on as a co-trail boss, to keep an eye on O'Malley: a pretty strange situation! After Belle's husband is shot dead in a saloon argument over a Civil War battle, Stribling and Belle gradually warm up to each other, incurring O'Malley's jealousy.......Thwarted by Belle, O'Malley is lucky to receive attention from Melissa. He's flattered, but, at first, tries to tone down her ardor, pointing out that he's well old enough to be her father. But, she says she doesn't care. At the fiesta, at the end of the trail in Mexico, the two wander off alone, and apparently make love. The next day, O'Malley talks to Belle about his relationship with Melissa. She shocks him by the claim that he is Melissa's fatheer, something he should have inquired about before. O'Malley soon develops a plan, where he wont tell her the truth, and wont discourage her from being romantic toward him that day, but will very soon disappear from her life.(See the movie to find out how)........Now, I have some questions: Why didn't Belle tell O'Malley about his fatherhood of Melissa when she saw them seeing a lot of each other, instead of waiting until they got to Texas? Also, why did O'Malley decide to cross into Texas, where Stribling or others could arrest him, instead of quitting the drive at the border. Melissa said she would remain with him in Mexico, if that's what he wanted. ............ Along the trail, they were besieged by a large party of Indians. Strangely, they were headed by Stribling, hence were not fired upon. I think Stribling had negotiated with them for 1/5(apparently, O'Malley's 1/5) of the herd, they would leave the drivers alone........Before this, 3 badmen had appeared and signed on as drivers. Latter, they would try to mess with the women, while O'Malley was trying to pull Stribling out of quicksand, and were dispatched....... Shot in various locations in Sonora and Durango provinces....... In all, a western that keeps you interested, but is marred by a few critical questionable decisions by the characters.
atlasmb
Kirk Douglas travels to Mexico on horseback to locate the woman he loved years ago. But a lawman (Rock Hudson) is on his trail, vowing to bring him back to Texas for hanging. Dorothy Malone plays the woman who is central to the story. Her husband, Joseph Cotton, plans to drive his cattle to Texas for sale, but he needs some cowhands. As a result, Douglas and Hudson become unlikely trailmates.Along the perilous journey, there are revelations, demonstrations of bravery, and conflict resolution. The plot is clever and it contains some surprises. "The Last Sunset" is directed by Robert Aldrich--a talented director, for sure. But the excellent script is the product of Dalton Trumbo, adapting from a novel.Though it contains the trappings of many western, this film goes beyond the usual caricatures. It is a rich story about complex characters.
spiritof67
A great movie, and a Dalton Trumbo script to boot. Hey, how'd that happen? Famed Commie lover DT gets real screen credit? Maybe that's why nobody's seen this film. The sets, settings, cinematography and acting are first-rate. This may even be the first of Joseph Cotten's long run of disreputable former Confederate officer (or is that redundant?) roles. Starring Kirk Douglas, the best action adventure actor in the history of Hollywood, Rock Hudson, one of Hollywood's greatest actors (he made you believe he was a macho hetero man, didn't he?), Dorothy Malone, perhaps not the best built but undeniably one of its most super hot and sexiest actresses and Carol Lynley, one of Hollywoods best but terribly underrated actresses, this film is a treat. Plot twists; personality realignments; changing loyalties; unexpected (and quite adult) plot changes; and an ending you can't see coming until the end.Add this to some cinematography that is totally wasted on a TV screen and really demands a VistaVision screen, and you've got a real Western.The opening scene includes a vista shot that CAN NOT be properly appreciated on a TV screen, be warned.I don't know why this film is so sparely known - but as a Western movie enthusiast, I didn't see it until 2008 myself. It is QUITE a movie - see it!
