The Ride Back (1957) User Reviews

Well...

[adverts · 7/10 · 27 February 2003]

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.

Developing Trust

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 20 April 2014]

Toward the middle and latter end of the 50s the B western shifted to television but many were still done for the big screen as well. Cowboy heroes were strictly relegated to the small screen and the ones done now were adult fare. The Ride Back was typical of these kinds used as second features for double bills.

What makes this unusual though is the presence of a name actor, one who had just won his second Oscar the year before. Anthony Quinn's salary must have been three quarters of the budget or he was paying off a debt by appearing in The Ride Back. Quinn plays a fugitive here returning to Mexico to escape a murder charge. Whom he's taking The Ride Back with is Sheriff William Conrad.

Conrad is no heroic sheriff, in fact he confesses to being a failure at most things he's tried is determined to succeed here. As for Quinn he swears it was self defense and doesn't think he'll get a fair trial as a Mexican. The whole film is about developing trust.

When the Indians attack the two have to trust each other, but it's slow developing. A mute little girl they rescue as a survivor of an Indian attack serves as the catalyst for this purpose.

Quinn and Conrad are an interesting pair of protagonists, no heroes or villains here, just people in a foul circumstance. No frills in this black and white film, but an interesting character study.

A Hidden Western Gem

[Wuchakk · 8/10 · 26 December 2011]

"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. Yet 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 American Indians. The Native 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 west 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 a good Western song. Hey, it's better than similar theme songs from the era, like the horrible "North to Alaska" (excellent film but dubious theme song).

FINAL WORD: I was braced for an artificial 50's Western but got a potent character study instead. 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."

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

GRADE: B+ or A-

No Travel Lodge in These Parts

[dougdoepke · 22 July 2009]

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.)

"Now what General? You got us stuck."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 7 February 2013]

Strictly as a matter of timing, I was struck by the very opening sequence in which a young boy runs across a dusty Western street with a gun going 'bang, bang' at an imaginary outlaw. As I write this, the nation is undergoing a raucous debate over proposed new and stricter gun control laws following the Newtown, Connecticut massacre, and the media is filled with numerous stories of kids as young as five years old getting reprimanded or suspended from school for doing the same thing, sometimes for just pointing a finger to simulate a pistol. If the kid in the picture did that today, he'd probably be arrested for sure.

You know, teaming William Conrad and Anthony Quinn was an interesting casting choice. It looks like they should have been in each other's role, such is their influence on supporting characters. The charismatic and good looking Kallen (Quinn) is supposed to be the bad guy, and the sweaty, bloated Hamish is the lawman. That dynamic is neatly explored in the second half of the story as the duo comes under Apache attack and rescue a young girl who lost her parents to the savages. Hamish confesses his insecurities and failures in life to Kallen, and even though Kallen has ample opportunity to make his getaway a number of times, he's developed an understanding and trust in the sheriff to get a fair trial for a murder back in the States.

The film runs a compact seventy nine minutes and makes use of crisp black and white photography that's made even more cinematic whenever Lita Milan hits the screen as Kallen's Mexican firebrand fiancée. I would swear that Ellen Hope Monroe looks like she might have grown up to become some famous movie star (resemblance to Lee Meriwether?), but in checking the credits, she only made one other picture, and that one, "The Black Orchid", had Anthony Quinn in the lead role as well. She really didn't have that much to do here except look vulnerable, but as far as that goes, she made it work.

Better than 1957's 3:10 to Yuma

[HotToastyRag · 6/10 · 25 May 2018]

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.

Worth a try

[pmtelefon · 6/10 · 20 November 2018]

"The Ride Back" isn't a bad movie. It's just not as good as it should have been. The small budget is the biggest problem with this movie. I comes off like a TV-movie. The story is an outdoors adventure but never feels that way. Anthony Quinn and William Conrad are both good in this movie. It also contains more non-subtitled Spanish language dialogue than any other English speaking movie that I can think of. That was kind of neat and definitely fit the story well. Those scenes were realistic but visually most of the movie is not.

Just shoot the guy!!!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 15 October 2013]

"The Ride Back" is a very unusual movie. While William Conrad did appear in various films in the 1940s and 50s, he almost exclusively played bit parts--and mostly heavies (not joke intended). However, here in this film he plays the lead (although Anthony Quinn got top billing). This is because although Conrad was NOT a handsome leading man sort, his voice was golden---and he played Marshall Dillon on the radio version of "Gunsmoke". And, "The Ride Back" is one of the episodes of the radio series brought to the screen and Conrad produced this film.

The movie begins with Eddie Albert (yes, THAT Eddie Albert) singing the title song. It isn't really very good, but it is Albert! Sheriff Chris Hamish (Conrad) has entered Mexico with an extradition order for Bob Kallen (Quinn). Quinn is a wanted man and he's not about to come along quietly and repeatedly tries to escape. To make things worse (and a bit silly), Hamish knows almost no Spanish--a major problem in completing his task. Another problem is that Hamish isn't exactly as pragmatic as I'd be in this situation. If I was in Mexico and alone back in the days of the old west, I'd just shoot the prisoner (either to kill or maim) and bring him back that way. Oddly, he isn't that sort of guy--and that does effect the realism of the film. If you want to know what ultimately happens, see the movie.

I would say that "The Ride Back" is a mixed bag. The plot makes little sense (just shoot the guy!!) but the acting is quite nice. Quinn and Conrad both were quite good here--and made a mediocre plot better than it should have been.

Surprising Character Development

[aromatic-2 · 10/10 · 1 April 2000]

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.

Whose shoes would you rather be in?

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 26 July 2013]

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

Perilous Journey.

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 12 September 2013]

There's a sequence towards the end of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" in which Tim Holt must keep his eye and his gun on the paranoid Humphrey Bogart, who has threatened to jump him whenever he has a chance in order to steal the treasure. It's a tense journey. Holt must be forever on his guard.

This inexpensive black-and-white Western is a little like that sequence, stretched out to feature length, with a bit of "3:10 to Yuma" thrown in. William Conrad is the American deputy who captures accused murderer Quinn in a small Mexican village and must take his prisoner through Indian country and back to Scottsville for trial.

Everyone seems attracted to Quinn's character, for reasons that escape me. He's not an evil guy but neither is he charismatic. Yet his live-in Mexican girl friend is willing to die to save him, a little girl picked up during the journey loves him, and even Conrad begins to weep as he bitterly admits that everybody likes Quinn while nobody loves Conrad.

It's a routine story, with some irrelevant plot points. Quinn's charisma has nothing to do with the outcome of the story. And some discontinuity. Quinn, a known fast gun who has killed at least one man and treats his girl friend casually, suddenly turns to jello when he befriends the orphaned young girl. That girl, Ellen Hope Monroe, seemed very familiar, as if she'd grown into a well-known adult actress, but that appears not to have been the case.

The photography and make up are careless. After Quinn shoots a couple of evil drunken Apaches, the shadow of the camera is noticeable several times in the shots. The actors sweat, except that in the desert no one sweats. The air is so dry that sweat evaporates immediately. I drove through Death Valley with someone who drank beer after beer and never needed to urinate. The clothing, which should look dusty, looks greasy, as if the actors had just crawled out from beneath a truck. I can't think of many black-and-white Westerns that have managed to suggest clothing or flesh that's dusty instead of simply filthy with accumulated black grease.

There is one element that's unusual. Quinn and three other characters speak Spanish, just as they would have. Of course Quinn was born in Chihuahua but came to the states at an early age, and it was a surprise to hear how comfortable he was with the language. He'd never used it in any of his other "ethnic" roles. Oh, I just thought of another surprise. As the credits role and a dull song is played, the lyrics are belted out by a robust, earnest, and strenuous tenor belonging to Eddie Albert. I winced.

Well-done psychological study

[txakura · 10/10 · 18 November 2000]

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.

nice try, but boring, slow, tedious, inexpensive little Western

[chipe · 6/10 · 27 March 2013]

Extremely BORING (and I mean it) and slow Western, redeemed in the last 10 minutes by a serviceable, nice enough ending. Even the humdrum song sung by the noted actor Eddie Albert delivered a nice touch at the ending. Boring even though the famous Robert Aldrich is one of the producers, as is William Conrad, who also co-stars in it with Anthony Quinn. I can't repeat enough how BORING it is, save for the last 10 minutes. Very inexpensive black and white Western. Conrad is the lowly lawman who travels to Mexico to bring Quinn back for trial. After a lot of useless talk in Spanish and no action, Conrad takes his prisoner on the trek back. They encounter some Indians and a young orphan girl. It's just the two of them filling the screen most of the time. Did I say it was so BORING? Don't be fooled by the unanimous laudatory other reviews here. I know what the producers were aiming at. That was laudatory, but the execution was tedious IMHO.

The heart is a lonely hunter.

[dbdumonteil · 2 February 2017]

More a psychological drama than a western ;fans of action-packed stories will not get something out of it.

The enemy remains in the wings ,and anyway Chris's worst enemy is neither the Indians nor unlucky outlaw Bob .It's his own self.This ride back is actually an initiatory journey .

This sheriff is a complete washout and the capture of Bob could be his only claim-to-fame .All along the way ,he learns that the "villain" is (and has) anything he longs for: the scenes in the Mexican village may seem filler,but they are crucial:we are told that a woman is attached to this bandit ,but that he has also found a place where he is loved :that's what the priest tries to explain to Chris but it's too soon :he is not ready to accept his own reality : he has never been able to love anybody ,and to be loved ,he has lost his will to live .When they discover the dead bodies ,he is not even able to show some compassion and it's the outlaw who urges him to bury them.It's only when they meet the survivor that the marshal realizes that your life is not wretched when you help your fellow man, with nothing in return.

Anthony Quinn's Bob's moral fiber is constantly growing ,as long as the movie progresses.Both him and William Conrad give restrained performances which go straight to the heart.

Strong Psychological Western

[boblipton · 7/10 · 2 March 2023]

William Conrad is a sheriff. He rides into Mexico to bring Anthony Quinn back to stand trial for murder. Capturing him is easy, but getting him back is hard.

It's based on a 1952 script for the Gunsmoke radio series, but you'd never know it from the handling. Conrad and Quinn are both excellent, and cinematographer Joseph Biroc shoots on location tellingly, both in Mexico and the Janss Conejo Ranch. As the movie nears its end, character is finally revealed amidst the perils they both face.

I don't think Quinn ever gave a bad performance; and while he starts out big here, the small man inside is finally revealed. It's not a big-budget western, certainly, but on its own scale, it's telling.

Not ENOUGH character development in time allotted.

[etorch · 6/10 · 29 May 2017]

This movie seems to excite interest and admiration for what is supposedly a very offbeat and anti-hero '50's western. As much as I hate to say it, I'm not sure Conrad could carry his part of this movie, although he has some very emotive moments. For his part, Quinn does what he can with what he has in dialogue, but the revelation about the character or his wife / girlfriend is simply a one act pony. BTW--the ending isn't THAT original. You can see the plot denouement a long way before it occurs.

The Ride Back - Small Budget Bigger Themes

[krocheav · 7/10 · 2 August 2021]

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.

Unconventional

[LeonLouisRicci · 8/10 · 10 February 2013]

In the Budd Boetticher, Anthony Mann tradition this is one of those Westerns from the 1950's that can be cited as apart from the rest. A welcome change from the usual and the tired, endless stream of the eras most popular genre, both at the Movies and on the small screen.

You know you are in for something unconventional when there is an impressionistic scene using a surreal backdrop and baroque angles at the beginning. The composition shots throughout are not as striking, but still impressive, as things settle in on characters and psychological themes.

It is a dialog driven diversion from standard outdoor stuff and all of the major characters seem real and flawed (even the horse gets a limp). The use of realism is unsettling and adds tension and tightness to the story. Witness the Mexican speech without subtitles and the pursuing Indians who are never shown in close-up. These techniques are used to be unnerving and it works well.

Don't be put off by the title song over the credits that uses its lyrics to lay out the plot (in the end too). This was one of those dated, signature events that at the time no one saw as corny or as irritating and dated as they play today. There isn't anything else that feels dated in this intelligent, insightful, and off beat Movie.

Marvellous Little Western!

[bsmith5552 · 8/10 · 22 May 2014]

"The Ride Back" is a low budget black and white 79 minute western that is essentially a two character story featuring a half breed Mexican fugitive (Anthony Quinn) and the hot sweaty sheriff (William Conrad) who tries to bring him back from Mexico to the USA for trial.

Quinn and Conrad play off of each other as each tries to out smart the other. Quinn claims his innocence but certain of his actions leaves us in doubt. Conrad's sheriff is an ordinary looking down on his luck law man who nevertheless vows to bring Quinn to justice. The two play psychological games with each other with a band of renegade Apaches stalking them all the way.

Things change however, when they encounter a little girl (Ellen Hope Monroe) whose family has been massacred by the Apache. She fears the gruff grizzled sheriff while Quinn's fugitive uses her liking for him to his advantage. Then the Indians attack and.......................

Conrad who was also the producer was probably instrumental in getting Anthony Quinn to play the fugitive. Quinn had just won an Oscar for "Lust for Life" and was in big demand by others. I'm sure that he didn't do this one for the money but saw the merits of a well written story. You can almost feel the intense heat as the principals cross the territory.

Also in the cast are Lita Milan as Quinn's girl friend, Victor Millan as the village Padre and Jorge Trevino as the border guard.

Very nicely acted.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 15 April 2015]

In this quiet, appealing Western / character study, Anthony Quinn offers a typically charismatic performance. He plays Roberto "Bob" Kallen, a wanted man who is sought out by stubborn sheriff Chris Hamish (William Conrad). Chris, a rather sad man who's never had much luck or success in life, is determined that this one time he's going to succeed at something, and that's heading into Mexico to bring Bob back to America to stand trial. It's going to be an eventful trip, as Bob naturally seizes on any opportunity to try to escape, but there are also Apaches on the warpath.

Our sympathies do a bit of shifting as we watch "The Ride Back". While initially we may be rooting for the lawman to persevere, we come to see that Bob is really not such a bad guy. He claims the shooting was done in self defense. Yeah, that's what they all say, but Bob reveals at select moments to have a caring and compassionate side, and realize that he just might be telling the truth. There are also times when Chris reveals a doggedly unlikable aspect to his personality. This is how a traumatized young girl (Ellen Hope Monroe) comes to respect Bob more and want to side with him.

There are action and suspense scenes here, and good ones too, but this is mostly a two character drama. Both Conrad (who also produced the picture with an uncredited Robert Aldrich) and Quinn are excellent, and they play off each other wonderfully. Lita Milan is energetic as Bob's fiery lover Elena; for a while she makes something of a nuisance of herself, following Chris and Bob as they make their way back to Scottsville. And Victor Millan delivers another ingratiating performance as the padre who disapproves of the Bob / Elena relationship.

Originally conceived as an episode of the 'Gunsmoke' radio series with Conrad.

Eight out of 10.

Zorba And The Fat Man Go West

[FightingWesterner · 8/10 · 23 May 2014]

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!

Not bad little western

[searchanddestroy-1 · 2 January 2023]

And also produced by Robert Aldrich and under TV making influence. That's what I thought first when watching this western, the camera work announced the TV industry for which Allen H Miner will work several years later. William Conrad nearly steals the show from Anthony Quinn, however excellent too. But Conrad's role is gripping, this old timer, seemingly tired, sweaty, not convinced by his task, his job, but who still proceeds. Yes, this western is worth seeing, and it is not that easy to purchase. The production is cheap and it is so obvious on screen, but it contributes to its charm. From time to time, it is very pleasant to discover such gems.