The Ride Back (1957)

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The same Columbia Pictures released 3:10 Yuma, United Artists released their own very similar film The Ride Back. In both films, a reluctant lawman is recruited to escort a dangerous criminal to his doom-in 3:10 to Yuma it's the train station, and in The Ride Back it's the United States border. Chances are, if you liked one you'll like the other, so if this is your cup of tea, give it a whirl.In this one, William Conrad is a sheriff who has to travel down to Mexico to bring back a wanted criminal. The half-Mexican wanted criminal is played by-I'll give you three guesses-Anthony Quinn. Given every opportunity, Tony tries to escape, but Bill is determined to bring him to the border. Along the way, the lines of right and wrong blur as Tony shows a warm and caring heart. Will Bill go through with it? You'll have to watch to find out. Compared to the original 3:10 to Yuma-the remake is in a class by itself-I actually liked this movie better. William Conrad is a little boring and wooden, but Anthony Quinn is delectably warm and easy to root for. And as a bonus, Eddie Albert sings the title song! If you're looking for an even better movie though, try The River's Edge, an exciting western where Anthony Quinn toughs it out with a rattlesnake.

Straight-arrow lawman William Conrad heads south-of-the-border to capture gunfighter Anthony Quinn. Heading north with Quinn, they find themselves stalked by a murderous band of renegade Indians, complicating the ride back and Quinn's repeated escape attempts.A gritty western-noir, this strives to be a bit more artistically relevant than the average black-and-white western and despite some less than original plot elements, it largely succeeds, thanks to a deeper psychological approach to the two main characters and muscular performances by Conrad (who also produced) and Quinn, whose character hides a soft side beneath his macho exterior.It's all nicely shot as well, with some bold for it's time depictions of murder victims, lying in a pitiful, undignified manner.listen up for the film's neat theme song, sung by TV star Eddie Albert!

I may have missed someone, but by my count only six actors have lines in this ultra-spare Western. The production comes from respected director Robert Aldrich's independent company with William Conrad himself producing. That may account for Quinn's appearance in a cheapie so soon after his Oscar for Lust for Life (1956)—plus, the likelihood that the streamlined production could be shot in less than 2 weeks.As a Western, it's an offbeat concept— Sheriff Conrad returning fugitive Quinn from Mexico to stand trial. The narrative is basically two nervous guys riding across the great outdoors with some drunken Apaches lurking in the background. No wonder the sheriff can't relax. However, the movie comes across as more interesting than suspenseful, mainly because crucial compromises are made with Quinn's character. He's simply made too likable and respected to generate the kind of tension needed, which may have been the price of putting a headliner like Quinn in the lead. It's really Conrad's resolute sheriff that holds interest as a number of surprising self-doubts begin to unfold. His nicely shaded performance shows how much more than a great radio voice Conrad was. Anyway, it's an entertaining little programmer with a rare distinction. It's the only film I've seen with more untranslated lines outside English than in English—an unusual effect. So, unless you speak Spanish, you may have to do a lot of inferring. (In passing—it's probably a matter of taste, but to my ear the title tune may be the worst of the era, bellowed out by a decidedly untuneful Eddie Albert.)

Well written, well directed, well acted, well paced. This is a film made by people (Robert Aldrich, William Conrad) who care about the medium.Powerful performances by the leads and good support makes a simple story - of a Marshall taking a prisoner back to stand trial - an excellent one.If you like 1950s Jimmy Stewart/Anthony Mann and Randolph Scott/Budd Boetticher westerns, you'll like this one.