Post by Brad Nelson on May 24, 2021 8:32:15 GMT -8
Ride in the Whirlwind is s small Western written by Jack Nicholson.
It’s actually decent enough, although I think some small re-writes of the story were in order. But it’s his story and it more or less works.
Three cowboys (I don’t believe we ever get much on their background) get caught up in the turmoil of a posse that is chasing Harry Dean Stanton and his gang. Nicholson and his two partners come across the gang in the desert just as the posse descends on Stanton & Gang. The posse assumes that Nicholson and his two companions are with the gang.
There are some plot problems with the story. Nicholson’s band never tries to explain to the lawmen that they are not part of the gang. There is a suggestion near the end of this that Nicholson and his riders aren’t just innocent bystanders either. That brings in an interesting element at the end that is never really pursued. (Hint: they steal two horses from a local farmer and shoot the father dead in the attempt.)
What is merely an ok passing Western could have been a lot better. But it is what it is. This is low-budget Western ($70,000 apparently) that mostly works as a sort of one-episode could-have-happened-in-the-Old-West sort of thing. It ticks off the main themes that we all know and love: Horses, Monument-Valley-scenery, gunfights, chases, dirt, and lots of filthy sweat.
For a $70,000 budget, this puts to shame movies with 20 times that amount to spend. But it does have a few plot problems. At one point is unnecessarily bogs down when they spend an inordinate amount 0f time at the farmer’s house. And although Cameron Mitchell (one of Nicholson’s cohorts) is a familiar face, the dynamics between this group is lukewarm, at best. Rotate Kirk Douglas into the group and then you really have something. But then there goes the budget.
It’s actually decent enough, although I think some small re-writes of the story were in order. But it’s his story and it more or less works.
Three cowboys (I don’t believe we ever get much on their background) get caught up in the turmoil of a posse that is chasing Harry Dean Stanton and his gang. Nicholson and his two partners come across the gang in the desert just as the posse descends on Stanton & Gang. The posse assumes that Nicholson and his two companions are with the gang.
There are some plot problems with the story. Nicholson’s band never tries to explain to the lawmen that they are not part of the gang. There is a suggestion near the end of this that Nicholson and his riders aren’t just innocent bystanders either. That brings in an interesting element at the end that is never really pursued. (Hint: they steal two horses from a local farmer and shoot the father dead in the attempt.)
What is merely an ok passing Western could have been a lot better. But it is what it is. This is low-budget Western ($70,000 apparently) that mostly works as a sort of one-episode could-have-happened-in-the-Old-West sort of thing. It ticks off the main themes that we all know and love: Horses, Monument-Valley-scenery, gunfights, chases, dirt, and lots of filthy sweat.
For a $70,000 budget, this puts to shame movies with 20 times that amount to spend. But it does have a few plot problems. At one point is unnecessarily bogs down when they spend an inordinate amount 0f time at the farmer’s house. And although Cameron Mitchell (one of Nicholson’s cohorts) is a familiar face, the dynamics between this group is lukewarm, at best. Rotate Kirk Douglas into the group and then you really have something. But then there goes the budget.