User Reviews

A marshal has to transport an accused murderer across the desert to the nearest town to face trial. A steady tension builds up along the trail, with Kirk Douglas as the marshal and Walter Brennan as the accused. Douglas's deputies, played by John Agar and Ray Teal, both add interesting dynamics to the situation, while Virginia Mayo, as Brennan's daughter uses all of her seductive powers on Douglas in order to free her father. Followed by a posse led by a wealthy rancher who wants Brennan hung, Douglas manages to capture the rancher's son played by James Anderson, and uses him as protection to get Brennan to the town. Anderson eventually wins over deputy Teal with a promised bribe, setting up the film's best dramatic element, that of a tired Douglas alone against Brennan, Mayo, Teal, and Anderson. The beautiful desert photography augments a tense storyline that is maintained up to the conclusion, which seemed a letdown in comparison to what was so well portrayed out in the desert.

Raoul Walsh does make a very solid Western here with a great cast. Kirk Douglas is very solid in one of his earlier roles. Walter Brennan is always good in a western and this one is no exception as his experience shows. One surprise is Walter is not as thin in this movie as he seems to be in other films.

Virginia Mayo is excellent as Brennan's daughter. The plot has to do with a Marshall (Douglas) trying to bring in a father (Brennan) and his Daughter (Mayo) fighting him all the way. Dad is charged with murder. I really envy Douglas getting to ride in several scenes on a horse with Mayo nearly on his lap. That had to take some acting to keep his hands off her (I'd have been finding reasons to touch myself).

There is plenty of action and a trial at the end. There is a little singing which is worked into the plot seamlessly though an aggravation to the Marshall (Douglas). I saw this on TCM for the first time and I appreciate them running a lot of Walsh's films on television as I think some of his lesser known ones like this movie deserve more recognition.

There are a scene or two which take advantage of Mayo's great figure and her thighs. Even in black and white these scenes are a sinful pleasure.

"Along the Great Divide" has the distinction of being star Kirk Douglas' first western a genre he would return to time and time again over his lengthy career. This one has a film noire look about it. It's a grim and dark story complete with femme fatale.

Timothy "Pop" Keith is about to be strung up by powerful rancher Ed Roden (Morris Ankrum) when newly named federal marshal Len Merrick (Kirk Douglas) and his two deputies Billy Shear (John Agar) and Lou Gray (Ray Teal) break up the lynching. Pop has been accused of rustling Roden's cattle and the murder of Roden's son Ed. Roden, despite the warnings from fellow rancher Frank Newcombe (Hugh Sanders) over not interfering with the law, vows to take Pop Keith back and finish the job.

Merrick, the deputies and Keith go to Keith's cabin where, as you might have guessed, waits his feisty daughter Ann (Virginia Mayo). Merrick has promised to bring Keith to trial in the town of Santa Loma across a desert. To avoid Roden and his gang Merrick, the deputies and the Keiths start out over the burning desert to stay ahead of the pursuing Roden gang.

Keith begins to taunt Merrick by singing a song that reminds the lawman of an incident in his past. Ann pleads with him to let her father go to avoid the certain lynching that awaits him. The Rodins catch up to the group and a gunfight ensues. Deputy Shear is mortally wounded but Dan Rodin (James Anderson) is captured and held prisoner.

Ann begins to play up to Merrick with the aim of getting his gun away from him. She does but he quickly disarms her losing respect for the woman. Low on water, the group plods on with Dan trying to convince Gray to overpower Merrick. Merrick is forced to stay awake to avert and overt action on the part of the others.

Finally, Merrick collapses from exhaustion and is disarmed by Keith. Merrick calls his bluff and Keith doesn't want to kill the lawman. Keith kills Gray who is trying to take over. Finally, the survivors reach Santa Loma and a trial is held. Keith is found guilty. But as the Sheriff (Lane Chandler) about to hang Keith, Merrick discovers some new evidence and................................................

Douglas immediately took to the west and would appear in several classic westerns such as "Gunfight at the OK Coral" (1957), "Last Train From Gun Hill" (1959) and "Posse" (1975). Walter Brennan got to play it straight this time and proved that he could play characters other than the toothless side kick. Mayo was at the height of her career at this time and is excellent as the "femme fatale". John Agar is wasted getting killed off early in the proceedings. Western fans will recognize veteran performers Kenneth MacDonald, Steve Clark and Zon Murray in minor roles.

Beware of the cop out Hollywood ending.

One of my favorite westerns, dominated by the complicated relationships between Kirk Douglas, in his first western, crusty old Walter Brennan, as an accused cattle rustler and murder, and Brennan's wildcat, sharpshooting, daughter Ann, played by beautiful Virginia Mayo, in her tomboy mode, with close-cropped hair. However, as with so many westerns, the title seems to make no sense in the context of the screenplay. The latter plays much like several later Randolph Scott westerns of the '50s and '60s, with a small group of men and one beautiful woman forming an ad hoc group, on a sojourn to some rather distant destination. Within this group, there are either overt(as in the present film) or covert strong antagonisms, which provide the potential for shifting alliances and murder. In addition, there is an external danger or two. In the present film, there are two. A gang headed by cattle baron Ned Roden, having been thwarted by US Marshall Merrick(Douglas) and his 2 deputies in lynching Brennan, follows this group, intent on killing Brennan, as the presumed murderer of Ned's favorite son. Merrick is just as intent in insuring that they don't kill Brennan: that he will get a fair jury trial at the distant Texan town of Santa Loma. Both Brennan and Ann are grateful that Merrick saved Brennan from a lynching, but assume that a jury will still convict him of murder, based on circumstantial evidence, since there apparently were no witnesses to the murder. Hence, throughout the journey, they try to convince Merrick that Brennan is innocent, hence should be let go, to hopefully make it to the Mexican border before Roden gets him.

The second external danger is the desert Merrick chose to cross to get to Santa Loma. Unfortunately, during a gun battle with Roden's bunch, their horse with all their water was spooked and ran off. Thus, they are banking on a small water hole that Brennan claims exists. When this is found, when all are nearly dead from heat exhaustion and dehydration, they discover it's been poisoned(salt?), judging from the taste. They blame Roden, who has ridden ahead to be at the trial. To add insult to injury, a sandstorm shows up and their remaining horses run off, presumably looking for water. This part of the film is reminiscent of the trek by Wayne and companions across a waterless desert, in the prior "3 Godfathers". In that story, their water supply was also lost due to pursuit.

Can they somehow hold out until they reach the spring at Santa Loma? Their desperate situation heightens the antagonisms within the group, which now includes Roden's surviving son, Dan, who was captured during the battle with Roden's bunch. Dan is also being taken by Merrick to Santa Loma for the murder of his deputy Billy during that gun battle. Dan tries to work out a deal with surviving deputy Gray or an alliance with Brennan, when the survival of any looks bleak. A crisis occurs when grossly sleep-deprived Merrick is temporarily knocked out when his horse falls. There's a scramble for firearms and the various members have to quickly decide who, if anyone, to shoot. Merrick's surviving deputy turns out to be the unexpected victim of this crisis.

Well, the rest of the bunch somehow survive to reach Santa Loma, and a trial for Brennan is held immediately. I will not divulge the details of the complex suspenseful finale, except to say that, for the second time, Merrick removes a hangman's noose from Brennan's neck. Also, the simmering love/hate relationship between Merrick and Ann is resolved for the better.

So, why did Brennan steal a few cows from his neighbor, instigating all this trouble? This is never explored. However, while the group is resting up at his home, before the long journey, we learn that there has been bad blood between them and the Rodens ever since they showed up, a few years ago: they being homesteaders, instead of ranchers. The Rodens burned their crops the last 2 years. Hence they are very poor and probably hungry. ..At Brennan's trial, the matter of his rustling is forgotten, in favor of the charge of murder.. Roden did say that he wasn't that concerned about loosing a few cows.

John Agar: Shirley Temple's recently divorced husband, plays Deputy Billy. Ray Teal, who plays the older Deputy Gray, is a familiar-looking character actor, as is Norris Ankrum, who plays Ed Roden.

There isn't a lot of humor. That's OK. The complicated drama and personas of the 3 leads is enough to carry the film.

Merrick's extreme sense of duty is a primer for Burt Lancaster's equally persistent and costly pursuit of murder suspects, in "Lawman", released 20 years later. Merrick's unpopular decisions on the route to take, at two points, reminds us of "Red River".

The shootout between the Rodens and Merrick bunch was shot in the unique Alabama hills, at the foot of the High Sierras: perfect terrain for a hide and seek confrontation. The desert scenes were shot in the Mojave Desert.

Brennan accidentally discovers that singing "Down in the Valley", during the trip, causes notable anxiety in Merrick. It's somehow related to the lynching death of his father, who used to be Marshall here. Brennan hopes this will induce Merrick to release him.

Shot in B&W: probably a better choice than color, given the bleak nature of the terrains.

Why would you take the killer to his house, before taking him to town, when you know a posse is coming after him? Why would you allow the killers' daughter to tag along, someone who obviously would try to help him? Why would you decide to go the long way, through killing desert, instead of making a dash for town before the posse could catch up with you? Why would you hole up in the rocks but leave your horses, and water exposed to gun fire? If the father may be innocent, wouldn't you suspect the brother sooner? It's hard to enjoy a movie, even with actors you like, when you're repeatedly saying to yourself, "That would never happen"! Not very well plotted, the script needed a serious rewrite.

I happened across this film whilst idly channel flipping. Although the film contains its fair share of Western clichés, it's quite a decent adventure, and Kirk Douglas turns in one of his reliable portrayals of iron-jawed integrity. The film opens with an attempted lynching, foiled by Douglas' US Marshal, and is notable for its cheering emphasis on the rule of law in the wildest of settings (compare the opening sequence of HBO's "Deadwood", pilot episode). This renders the film worthy of mention alongside rather better movies such as the original 3.10 to Yuma, and a number of John Ford Westerns. The tension between the rugged (and armed) self reliance of the frontier, and the development of civil society in (then) uncivil regions adds an interesting element to the familiar ingredients of an arduous journey, gun-play, and a predictable love story. Worth a look.

It's one of those "journey" stories in which a group with mixed motives must cross dangerous territory to reach their goal. In this case, the territory is a desert, as it was in so many other Westerns -- "They Came to Cordura," "Three Godfathers", and the rest.

Nice cast, too, with performers that are either reasonably good, like Kirk Douglas in the lead role of a US Marshall who must get his prisoner, Walter Brennan, to San Loma without his being lynched, or else merely seasoned, like Roy Teal, or at least no worse than we've come to expect of them, like Virginia Mayo and John Agar.

The script wastes little time on meanders. It's tightly drawn, even though the script lacks the folk poetry of the Westerns that Burt Kennedy wrote for Budd Boettiger. That is, the dialog is functional but nobody says anything like, "Ma'am, if you was my woman I'd have come for you even if I'd of died in the doin' of it." The location shooting is quite good. The desert is convincingly captured, even though the movie really deserves color. The director, Raoul Walsh, knows how to shoot a movie and maintain pace and complexity. What a craftsman!

In outlining the more admirable features of the film, I've thrown in a lot of qualifications, and for a reason. Overall, it resembles a story left over from some B Western of the 1930s, starring John Wayne or Wild Bill Elliot or Bob Steele. They had names like "The Star Packer" and "Melody Ranch" and "Shadows on the Sage." Everyone did his job but brought nothing extra to the production. It begins with the generic Western title: "Along the Great Divide." The great divide has nothing to do with it. The story moves along efficiently and without much soul.

Douglas is fine, Brennan is okay, and Jim Anderson, the real villain, is as abrasive on film as he was in real life. He was the redneck who spit on Gregory Peck's lawyer in "To Kill a Mockingbird." He may have enjoyed the chance because he and Peck hated each other. Virginia Mayo as Brennan's dusty daughter is surprisingly okay, despite falling deeply in love with Douglas after a two-minute chat behind the joshua trees. Douglas gets to fix the self-inflicted wound on her trim calf. Lucky Kirk.

The Marshall (Kirk Douglas) and his deputies come upon a lynching about to occur so they naturally stop it. However, the powerful rancher about to the hanging vows that the man MUST die or else. Well, despite being there being overwhelming odds against them, they vow to take the accused killer and cattle rustler to town to be tried in a court of law. Along the way, the accused (Walter Brennan) convinces the group to stop by his home overnight--a major hole in the plot, as I can't see any sane lawman willing to take such an unnecessary risk. Naturally, the guy's daughter (Virginia Mayo) tries to help him escape! Despite all this, eventually Douglas is able to get the man to town for the trial--though they barely make it. However, something doesn't feel right about the case. Brennan readily admits to the theft but there's an obvious (way too obvious if you ask me) alternate suspect in the killing.

This is a decent western but there are a few plot points that didn't seem to work well. I already mentioned the stopping off at Brennan's house portion but there also was a back story about the death of Douglas' father that seemed forced and unnecessary--as did the budding romance between Douglas and Mayo which seemed more clichéd than anything else. Not a bad movie but not one that I'd heartily recommend--mostly because the real killer is way, way too obvious.

This odd, moody western is combination of psychological thriller and a study into the dark side of justice. Kirk Douglas is at his moodiest as a lawman taking accused murderer Walter Brennan into be tried, having saved him from the hangman's noose via a lynching. With the murdered man's family stalking the group (which includes Brennan's masculine daughter, Virginia Mayo), Douglas becomes more troubled, both from the lack of sleep and Brennan's use of the knowledge of Douglas's past to further destroy him. He sings a song Douglas's father used to sing, finding out that Douglas hated his dad.

Dark and depressing, this is a part of a new wave of American western that dug into the depths of hell in the human soul to make a metaphor of the dire circumstances of being surrounded by the treacherous sun and not so noble characters. Once you discover that this isn't the lovable Brennan you're used to or the fact that Douglas ain't so nice either, you hope something will engage you, but it doesn't.

As for Mayo, she speaks with an odd accent that isn't any American dialect I've ever heard of. She's an actress whose appeal I never understood, even if she played a few interesting vixens I'm film noir and could sing and dance admirably. But Betty Grable and Doris Day she's not, and here, there's no sexual appeal to her character either. It's an admirable attempt to make something out of the darkness of the soul in an undeveloped land, but the script and story never gels, and a sudden switch in mood in the last minutes just seems bizarre.