charleseodell Exceptional film noir - if not one of the ten best of this great genre, then certainly one of the 20 best. Fabulous directing by Sturgis. Great script. Splendid acting, especially by Scott (of course), Raines, and Buchanan. No score, but fine music provided by one of the treasure hunters, played by veteran bluesman Josh White. The group contains a black and an Indian. Both are treated with respect at a time when race hate was the norm. Just a wonderful effort by all concerned.

Spikeopath The Walking Hills is directed by John Sturges and written by Alan LeMay. It stars Randolph Scott, Ella Raines, Arthur Kennedy, Edgar Buchanan, John Ireland, William Bishop, Josh White and Jerome Courtland. Music is by Arthur Morton and cinematography by Charles Lawton Jr.Upon hearing a chance statement about lost gold, a disparate group of people head out in search of it to the desert plains of The Walking Hills...Whipping up a sandstorm.A sort of contemporary Western film noir fusion, The Walking Hills is a darn fine drama that is acted accordingly. Though blessed with action, tension and passion, it's as a character study where the picture excels. True enough to say it's not overly complex stuff, the greed is bad motif a standard narrative strand, as is the tricky love triangle that resides within the sandy tale, but with the wily Sturges and the shrewd LeMay pulling the strings this plays out always as compelling. With the great Lawton Jr. adding his considerable skills as a photographer - ensuring the Alabama Hills and Death Valley locations are key characters themselves - the production shines.Often mentioned in reference to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, it of course is not as good as that superb picture. That it earns its right to be considered a baby brother to it, though, is testament to its worth in itself. 7/10

wayjl-91327 Anything with Ella Raines is always worth watching. Totally captivating, beautiful and so talented. The ideal American girl. When you die, if you wake up in Heaven, Ella will be who you will see first. She just blows away all the other actresses of her generation, not to mention present day. I think she smokes in every picture she made. No wonder throat cancer got her in the end.

Michael O'Keefe A nice little western drama from the early part of director John Sturges' career. Simple and straight to the point screenplay from Alan Le May. Randolph Scott leads a group of treasure hunters into the whispering, shifting sands of Death Valley's "walking hills". There's a wagon load of gold waiting to be found in the desert. Top notch camera work and a very good cast that also features: Edgar Buchanan, Arthur Kennedy, John Ireland and Ella Raines. Scott as usual is stoic and commanding. Seventy-eight minute escape.