Reviews & Ratings for
The Way Back More at IMDbPro »The Ride Back (original title)

14 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
Well..., 27 February 2003

Author: PM from New York, NY

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.

10 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Surprising Character Development, 1 April 2000

Author: Holly (aromatic@ivillage.com) from New York, NY

The overall look of a routine "B" oater serves as a mere backdrop for what in reality is a fascinating character study. The leads alternate between playing cat-and-mouse with each other and discovering disarming truths about their own characters. The supporting cast, although unknown, provide dynamic supporting performances -- check this unknown gem out, and share your thoughts with me.

5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
No Travel Lodge in These Parts, 22 July 2009

Author: dougdoepke from Claremont, USA

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.)

6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Well-done psychological study, 18 November 2000

Author: txakura from Capitola, California

Ahead of its time story relying on psychological impact of stress on a sherrif trying to take a prisoner back for trial. Little shoot-em-up, lots more dialogue.

Bill Conrad, while still Matt Dillon on the radio, plays a thoroughly different character on the big screen.

I've liked this movie since I first saw it. It really stuck to my memory.

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Absorbing and intelligent western, 6 September 2010
Author: JoeytheBrit from www.moviemoviesite.com

This is quite a tightly plotted and executed study of two men under psychological stress that belies its truly woeful opening credits tune which hints at something altogether more formulaic. William Conrad – Cannon from the 70s TV series – plays a sheriff who travels into Mexico to arrest fugitive killer Anthony Quinn and take him back to the States to face justice. The offbeat casting of Conrad – who also produced – as the nominal hero of the film hints at the unusual (for its time) story that is to follow.

Conrad's Sheriff Hamish is not your conventional cinematic lawman in that he is riddled with self-doubt and no small degree of self-loathing, and neither is Quinn's Bob Kallen the stereotypical bad guy. Although Kallen quickly susses out Hamish's insecurities he doesn't really make that much capital out of the knowledge, and the film chooses instead to focus on slowly making it clear that Hamish actually envies his prisoner. Kallen has a beautiful woman so slavishly devoted to him that she follows them across the desert in the hopes of freeing him while Hamish's wife hates him. Kallen is tall, rugged, good-looking while Hamish is short, plain and running to fat. Kallen is popular and makes friends easily. Worst of all, Kallen quickly makes a connection with a young girl – orphaned by an Apache attack on her parents – who they encounter on their journey back, but who will have nothing to do with the sheriff.

The film's conclusion is fairly predictable, not so much because of any weakness in the story but simply because it's the only possible outcome if the finale is to remain consistent with what has gone before. Nevertheless, that doesn't detract from what is an unexpectedly absorbing and intelligent independent movie.

A Hidden Gem, 26 December 2011
Author: Wuchak from Ohio/PA border

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

"The Ride Back" is a B&W Western from 1957 starring William Conrad (aka "Cannon") as a hard-luck Texas lawman sent to Mexico to bring back a charismatic man wanted for murder, played by Anthony Quinn.

Plot-wise, the film is reminiscent of another B&W 1957 Western, "3:10 to Yuma," but "The Ride Back" was released about 4 months prior to "3:10" and was adapted from a "Gunsmoke" radio program episode. Conrad played Matt Dillon on the radio show in the 50s and early 60s but was too short and portly for the TV version that premiered in 1955 with James Arness starring as Marshal Dillon. Conrad produced "The Ride Back" in response.

Viewing "The Ride Back" for the first time, it is interesting to see William Conrad some 15 years before starring in "Cannon" and Anthony Quinn is as larger-than-life as ever, not to mention the stunningly beautiful Lita Milan as Quinn's Mexican girlfriend. However, I discovered that the true appeal of "The Ride Back" transcends these surface attractions.

The first thing that happily struck me about the movie is that the filmmakers strove for realism in the manner of notable 50s Westerns by Stewart/Mann and Scott/Boetticher. Such realism is observed in the heavy use of Spanish in the early Mexican segments and the film's depiction of Indians. The Native Americans here are elusive wraiths more than anything else, but that's the best route to go at a time when more close-up portrayals of Indians typically came off artificial and even laughable, especially as seen through modern eyes.

After the first half-hour the film morphs into a moving character study. (!SPOILER ALERT!) Hamish (Conrad) slowly realizes that Kallen (Quinn) is everything he's not: Hamish is brooding and self-loathing while Kallen exudes life and confidence; Hamish's wife hates him while Kallen's girlfriend is so devoted she chases him across the desert; Hamish is a loner while Kallen inspires love and loyalty, so much so that the Mexican villagers are willing to kill Hamish at Kallen's word; an orphaned girl withdraws from Hamish while naturally bonding with Kallen, etc. We also learn the reason for Hamish's obsessive hunt is that he wanted to finally do something right and prove himself to his wife and the people of his Texas community. As the story progresses Hamish is increasingly enlightened to the greatness of Kallen. It's a testimony to his character that this enlightenment doesn't result in hateful envy bur rather admiration and respect (END SPOILER).

The title song was sung by Eddie Albert of "Green Acres" fame; a lot of people hate it but I thought it was pretty decent. Hey, it's better than similar Western theme songs from the era, like the horrible "North to Alaska" (wonderful film but lousy theme song).

The film runs 79 minutes and was shot in California and Mexico.

FINAL WORD: I was braced for an artificial 50's Western but got a potent character study instead. Who would have thought? The only negatives I can cite are that it's in black & white and has some slow, less-than-compelling parts. Regardless, I prefer it to the original "3:10 to Yuma."

GRADE: B+ or A-

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