Ride Lonesome

"I’ve been plowing through the series of 7 westerns that Randolph Scott and Budd Boetticher collaborated on in the late 1950s (aka The Ranown Westerns). They have been cited as influences by directors including Leone, Eastwood, Tarantino and Scorsese. The films are all short (<80m), sparse and tightly scripted with Scott in the lead and a plethora of young actors in support, many of who would later achieve stardom. Ride Lonesome is probably my favorite of the bunch, so far. It follows a bounty hunter (Scott), who captures a muderer but he seems to have ulterior motive for his capture other than just bringing him to justice. Scott later is forced into an alliance with two bandits and widow who all have their own plans for the bounty. James Coburn (in his first film), Lee Van Cleef and James Best all appear in supporting roles. The characters are memorable and well constructed and, as with an all of these movies, the script is lean and propulsive. If you like westerns at all, you should give these a shot. 4 out of 5 stars"