The Ride Back (1957) - Region Free PAL, plays in English without subtitles

A curious little independent effort from William Conrad, it is surprising that this one has not had any DVD release that I know of, especially given that it contains so much Spanish dialogue and knowing how fond the Spanish are of the genre Having said that I do not buy into this film as a neglected classic! It is not helped by Eddie Albert’s awful opening theme song where ear muffs should be a legal requirement. Conrad is the lawman trying to bring Quinn back from Mexico to stand trial for murder. The film centres on the relationship the two men build on the journey.One can’t help but compare it with Budd Boetticher’s magisterial “Ride Lonesome”, and it comes off a very poor second best. The script is downright silly at times, often descending into a sea of Philippine Trench depth sentimentality. Poor old Conrad is no good at anything……well he can act a bit…..and this is the only thing he is any good for, bringing Quinn back for trial. Given Quinn’s nuisance value any sane person would have shot him accidentally whilst trying to escape! Of course that would have meant an unusually abrupt ending! The two actors do their very best but are inevitably overwhelmed with the pretentious material. By the end I felt quite sorry for William Conrad who seemed in need of some professional counselling to build up his low self-esteem! It was poorly reviewed on its initial release but has since gained an appreciative following of sorts. I am with the original reviewers!

From MGM Home Entertainment. A word of caution. This is not your conventional "Shoot-em-Up" western. It is a dialogue/character driven film beautifully directed by Allen Miner, and written with a fine eye for speech (I think that makes sense) by Antony Ellis, the film stars Anthony Quinn, very good as Kallen, wanted for murder, tho he claims self defence, and William Conrad as Hamish the deputy with very real fears and failings hired to bring him in across rugged Apache filled territory. Conrad also has to worry about Quinn's girl, played, I must say, with a great deal of feistiness and sex appeal by the gorgeous Lita Milan (such a shame she made so few films). There is little "western" action but what there is is well filmed and real. With 2 such strong actors as Quinn and Conrad who cares? A lovely B/W transfer (is it just a bit wider than 4.3??) clear picture and sound, a trailer which is all action, and SUBTITLES. Western fans should make every effort to see this and decide for themselves if they like it. I did.

Film Review Only.The Ride Back is directed by Allen H. Miner and written by Antony Ellis. It stars Anthony Quinn, William Conrad and Lita Milan. Music is by Frank De Vol and cinematography by Joseph Biroc.Sheriff Chris Hamish (Conrad) tries to extradite popular gunfighter Bob Kallen (Quinn) from Mexico to stand trial for murder in Scottsville, Texas.A good and meaty psychological Western that is more interested in exploring the two main characters than merely portraying a good versus bad parable. The sheriff and the gunfighter must travel through dangerous Apache territory and quickly find themselves up against the odds. As the two men continue onwards they naturally bicker and Kallen obviously wants to escape, but surely they must work together to survive? As they learn about each other and come across a dreadful scene that finds them in the company of an orphan girl, the film plays its hand as the characterisations switch in tone.It's a very understated picture, sombre in mood in spite of the beautiful outdoor locales. Dialogue is sparse so there's no pointless filler, while the Apache threat is not forced, we only get glimpses of them and they become more threatening by just being ghosts out in the terrain. Conrad and Quinn make for a good polar opposites pairing, the black and white photography of Biroc (Run of the Arrow/Forty Guns) is crisp and tight to the mood of the narrative and Miner (being overseen by Robert Aldrich) directs in an unfussy manner. Actor Eddie Albert warbles the title song.As a formula it has been done better elsewhere, as with 3:10 to Yuma released the same year, but this is a better than average entry into the psychological Western pantheon and it deserves to be better known. 7/10