Born in 1965, I cannot count how many westerns I watched as a child, not including TV western series' reruns ad nauseum, such as Gunsmoke and Bonanza. I stopped watching them in the '80s, except for maybe the critically acclaimed feature films that are few and far between since then. But when I saw Ms. Grahame was in the cast, it piqued my interest; and I'm glad I gave it a go.
It's your average plot. Good guy 20s-something cowboy and his teenage brother set out to deliver ten horses to a buyer. Hot on their trail are three escaped convicts bent on revenge. To spice things up, the two brothers encounter four stranded women along the way and agree to let them ride in their wagon.
You can pretty much figure the rest. If you can't, then you must be a newcomer to the genre. But what really propels this one into the much-better-than-average category is Ms. Grahame.
Usually associated with sassy, unstable dames that deliver sarcastic quips with a dangerously sharp tongue, here she's given a much more approachable, likeable character to play. And she does a great job of showing us her softer side. But don't be fooled, she can still keep up with the rest of them.
The cast is good The direction is good. The editing is good. And the music score fits very nicely, especially with a melodic yet bold opening theme that sets the tone, composed by Roy Webb, a sadly overlooked, strong contributor to film music.
As good as it is, it's still like pulling teeth to get me to watch a western. Just like war movies. Grew up on those, too.
It's your average plot. Good guy 20s-something cowboy and his teenage brother set out to deliver ten horses to a buyer. Hot on their trail are three escaped convicts bent on revenge. To spice things up, the two brothers encounter four stranded women along the way and agree to let them ride in their wagon.
You can pretty much figure the rest. If you can't, then you must be a newcomer to the genre. But what really propels this one into the much-better-than-average category is Ms. Grahame.
Usually associated with sassy, unstable dames that deliver sarcastic quips with a dangerously sharp tongue, here she's given a much more approachable, likeable character to play. And she does a great job of showing us her softer side. But don't be fooled, she can still keep up with the rest of them.
The cast is good The direction is good. The editing is good. And the music score fits very nicely, especially with a melodic yet bold opening theme that sets the tone, composed by Roy Webb, a sadly overlooked, strong contributor to film music.
As good as it is, it's still like pulling teeth to get me to watch a western. Just like war movies. Grew up on those, too.