When most people think of director Sam Peckinpah, they probably think of the slo-mo violence of The Wild Bunch (1969) or the depravity of Straw Dogs (1971). Before this however, he would direct one of the most elegiac American Westerns of the 1960's, the wonderful Ride the High Country (1962).
While it may not feature the bloodletting of his later Westerns, it does share a lot of the same themes such as loyalty among men and aging heroes being outdated by time. Many of these themes can be found in the likes of the previously mentioned The Wild Bunch, The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970) and Pat Garret and Billy the Kid (1973).
Joel McCrea stars as past his prime ex-Marshall Steve Judd, hired by a bank to transport a gold shipment. The mission is dangerous, so he employs the skills of his old partner Gil Westrum (Randolph Scott) and Westrum's protege Heck (Ron Starr) to help him. Unbeknownst to Judd, Westrum and Heck are secretly planning to steal the gold for themselves.
At the same time, the three wind up involved in the plight of young Elsa (Mariette Hartley), who first escapes from her bible thumping father (R.G. Armstrong), only to later have to assist in her escape from her fiance (James Drury), and his increasingly deranged brothers.
Ride the High Country was only Peckinpah's second feature length film. He had already proven he had skill behind the camera in his previous effort, Western The Deadly Companions (1961), although that pales into comparison with his work here.
As well as packing the screen with knockout performances, him and his cinematographer Lucien Ballard fill the screen with some striking imagery, betraying the relatively low budget of the production.
It was because of this low budget that M.G.M. initially treat Ride the High Country poorly, releasing it as part of a double bill alongside The Tartars (1961). It wasn't until it was released in Europe that they recognised the quality of the film they had on their hands, with it going on too win numerous prizes, with the first prize at the Belgium film festival being one of them.
And while it may not feature the ballistic action scenes that became synonymous with his later work, the final shootout is expertly done and suitably exciting.
As well as marking Peckinpah's first masterpiece, Ride the High Country is also noteworthy for being the final movie of Western legend Randolph Scott. Scott starred in over 60 Westerns of varying quality in his career, but he did manage to fit in some classics here and there, especially his work with director Budd Boetticher.
Gil is one of Scott's finest roles. The character has shades of grey to him and is different to the clear cut Western heroes Scott had played in some of his lesser films. Scott even thought so himself, with him retiring after production. He stated that he wanted to quit while he was ahead and couldn't see how he could top it.
Interestingly, he was originally cast in the Joel McCrea role before he and McCrea decided to switch roles. This was clearly the right decision, as the roles seem tailor made for them, and it is hard to imagine them being reversed.
As good as Scott is, McCrea is really the heart and soul of the film, playing the honorable lawman who knows hes nearing the end but wants to go out on his own terms.
Mcrea and Scott are excellent together, with their friendship being totally believable. In their lengthy careers, this was the only time the two ever shared the screen. The script gives the two of them some extremely memorable dialogue, such as McCrea's speech about entering his house justified.
Although credited to screenwriter N.B. Stone, the script was reportedly heavily rewritten by William S. Robert's and Peckinpah himself, which isn't altogether surprising considering the themes conveyed throughout the movie.
Robert's is probably better known as the writer of The Magnificent Seven (1960), arguably one of the most famous American Westerns of the 1960's. Even with this in mind, the script for Ride the High Country is superior, with characters having a moral complexity that don't feature in John Sturges' popular blockbuster.
In addition to Mcrea and Scott, there are memorable turns from Peckinpah regulars R.G. Armstrong, L.Q. Jones and best of all Warren Oates, as the filthy Henry Hammond, who brings some lighthearted humour to proceedings.
For her first credited performance, Mariette Hartley does well enough as the young Elsa, but like most female roles in Peckinpah films, she is given little to do.
Although some may consider it tame in comparison to other Peckinpah movies, Ride the High Country is one of his very best features and shouldn't be missed, especially Western fans.
Rating: 5/5
Review by Darren Murray
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