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The Ride Back

1957 1h 19m Western List
Tomatometer 1 Reviews 42% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Determined to redeem his life as a failure, Sheriff Chris Hamish (William Conrad) crosses the Mexican border to find outlaw named Kallen (Anthony Quinn) and extradite him to Texas for a fair trial. Hamish arrests Kallen, who doubts the sheriff's ability to bring him to justice and makes several attempts to escape. But when they run into a group of murderous Apaches, Hamish and Kallen must fight together to survive, and they form an unlikely friendship.

Critics Reviews

View All (1) Critics Reviews
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Unusual psychological "B" Western. Rated: C+ Jan 29, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (5) audience reviews
Gary D Interesting story, even though predictable. I would recommend this to all western fans. Good cast, Quinn is always worth watching. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/17/24 Full Review Ken R This interesting little western, written by English-born writer/producer Alan Ellis (sadly lost to us too soon) tackled some broader than normal themes. It also benefited from a strong visual style via the collaboration of veteran cinematographer Joseph Biroc (who started out with James Wong Howe) and all-rounder TV director Allen H. Miner. With the use of several powerful low-angle B/W shots, together they create an introspective examination of a lawman coming to terms with his many failures in life. He wants to perform an act that might offer some redemption, by bringing to trial, a Mexican accused of killing two men north of the border. Once across the border, the fact Conrad does not understand the language, leaves him floundering to communicate with supporters of the fugitive. We the audience are also left not being certain what is actually being said – this adds another interesting dimension. Anthony Quinn is excellent as the charismatic bandit, while William Conrad proves he was more than just a tough guy (Conrad also Produced) Lita Milan (AKF: Never Love A Stranger) scores as Quinn's fiery, dedicated girlfriend - with Ellen Hope Monroe as a young traumatized, orphaned girl they encounter on the trail. Photographic locations in Thousand Oaks, Wildwood Regional Park add interesting backgrounds - but a music score by Frank De Vol (My Three Sons) only works spasmodically. The curious Main Title Ballad (I've heard worse) is sung by (of all people) Eddie Albert with a surprisingly strong voice. Makes one wonder how recording decisions like this are made. The MGM/UA remastered DVD looks and sounds superb and it's a great pity this wasn't released earlier, so more folk from this era could have bought and enjoyed this long-lost B movie classic. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/02/21 Full Review Audience Member As good as any of John Wayne's B-westerns. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Enjoyable B-western but worst theme song ever....sung by Eddie Albert of all people Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Decent little western with Anthony Quinn as an outlaw being taken back across the border to stand trial by lawman William Conrad. It's nothing brilliant, but Quinn is fine and the gradual trust and relationship between Quinn and Conrad makes it worth watching. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Ride Back

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Determined to redeem his life as a failure, Sheriff Chris Hamish (William Conrad) crosses the Mexican border to find outlaw named Kallen (Anthony Quinn) and extradite him to Texas for a fair trial. Hamish arrests Kallen, who doubts the sheriff's ability to bring him to justice and makes several attempts to escape. But when they run into a group of murderous Apaches, Hamish and Kallen must fight together to survive, and they form an unlikely friendship.
Director
Allen H. Miner
Producer
William Conrad
Screenwriter
Anthony Ellis
Production Co
The Associates & Aldrich Company Inc.
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
May 20, 2003
Runtime
1h 19m