Western

Ride the High Country

- Showdown in the High Sierra!

An ex-lawman is hired to transport gold from a mining community through dangerous territory. But what he doesn't realize is that his partner and old friend is plotting to double-cross him.

Release Date : 1962-06-20

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Sacramento

Cast

Character Name : Gil Westrum

Original Name : Randolph Scott

Gender : Male

Character Name : Steve Judd

Original Name : Joel McCrea

Gender : Male

Character Name : Elsa Knudsen

Original Name : Mariette Hartley

Gender : Female

Character Name : Heck Longtree

Original Name : Ron Starr

Gender : Male

Character Name : Judge Tolliver

Original Name : Edgar Buchanan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joshua Knudsen

Original Name : R.G. Armstrong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kate

Original Name : Jenie Jackson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Billy Hammond

Original Name : James Drury

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sylvus Hammond

Original Name : L.Q. Jones

Gender : Male

Character Name : Elder Hammond

Original Name : John Anderson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jimmy Hammond

Original Name : John Davis Chandler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Henry Hammond

Original Name : Warren Oates

Gender : Male

Character Name : Candy (uncredited)

Original Name : Alice Allyn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miner (uncredited)

Original Name : Oscar Blank

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miner (uncredited)

Original Name : Chet Brandenburg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Spieler (uncredited)

Original Name : Don Brodie

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rose (uncredited)

Original Name : Chris Carter

Gender : Male

Character Name : Abner Samson (uncredited)

Original Name : Byron Foulger

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miner (uncredited)

Original Name : Frank Hagney

Gender : Male

Character Name : Luther Samson (uncredited)

Original Name : Percy Helton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jake (uncredited)

Original Name : Victor Izay

Gender : Male

Character Name : Policeman on Street (uncredited)

Original Name : Don Kennedy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miner (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Kenny

Gender : Male

Character Name : Spieler (uncredited)

Original Name : Donald Kerr

Gender : Male

Character Name : Belle (uncredited)

Original Name : Mina Martinez

Gender : Female

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Charles McQuary

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hank (uncredited)

Original Name : Michael T. Mikler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pianist (uncredited)

Original Name : Spec O'Donnell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Saloon Girl (uncredited)

Original Name : Carmen Phillips

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dancehall Girl (uncredited)

Original Name : Myrna Ross

Gender : Female

Character Name : Wes (uncredited)

Original Name : Wayne Tucker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Townsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Chalky Williams

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Revisonist splendour as Peckinpah starts his thematic obsession. "All I want is to Enter My House Justified" Sam Peckinpah's second feature film is today standing up as a must see and must own for those interested in the Western genre. The film sees ageing lawman Steve Judd land a job of escorting a gold shipment safely to a bank in Hornitos. After running into old friend, and fellow aged lawman Gil Westrun, he hires both he and his young sparky sidekick Heck Longtree to hopefully see the job through to a successful conclusion. Yet Gil has other ideas, for where Steve is upstanding and adhering to the values he has lived his life by, Gil sees this as one last chance to actually get a big payday. The journey takes a further twist as the three men meet and then save Elsa Knudsen from a brutal marriage, it's an incident that puts them all on a collision course with the Hammond brothers. What we have here is Sam Peckinpah's first film dealing with men who have outlived their time. We witness some emotionally poignant stuff as the two main protagonists know that they have aged beyond their world, yet as alike as they are, they have different ideals in how to deal with the advent of time. The masterstroke here is the casting of genre legends Joel McRea & Randolph Scott as Steve & Gil respectively. It's evident from the off that both men are identifying with their characters, with both men hitting top emotional form to fully realise the thematic heart of the story. Mariette Hartley makes her film debut as Elsa, and she fits in nicely with the quality on show behind and in front of the camera. Lucien Ballard's cinematography is gorgeous as the various California locations envelope the protagonists in a sort of elegiac way, and Peckinpah directs with his heart as well as his head. Bookended by two heart-achingly super sequences, of which the finale has rightly passed into Western genre legend, this really is a strong and beautiful film, one that simultaneously shows a truly great director was at work. For here he was left alone, and the final result is a quality Western beating far more than just a cowboy heart. The supporting cast is strong, notably Edgar Buchanan, L.Q. Jones & John Anderson, while the undervalued George Bassman provides a narratively fitting tonal music score. If there is a criticism? it's that Peckinpah doesn't let the younger characters breath, but given the film's core focus on aged men in an aged passing era, well it's easily forgiven. A precursor to The Wild Bunch for sure, but while the theme is the same for both films, this one impacts in a very different way. Highly recommended, not just for the Oater crowd, but for fans of classic cinema too. 9/10