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Ride in the Whirlwind
USA 1966
produced by
Monte Hellman, Jack Nicholson, Roger Corman (executive) for Proteus Films, Santa Clara Productions
directed by Monte Hellman
starring Cameron Mitchell, Jack Nicholson, Tom Filer, Millie Perkins, Harry Dean Stanton, Katherine Squire, George Mitchell, Rupert Crosse, John Hackett, B.J. Merholz, Brandon Carroll, Peter Cannon, William A. Keller, Neil Summers, James Campbell, Walter Phelps, Charles Eastman, Gary Kent
written by Jack Nicholson, music by Robert Drasnin
review by
Mike Haberfelner
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On their way to their next cattle drive, cowhands Vern (Cameron
Mitchell), Wes (Jack Nicholson) and Otis (Tom Filer) happen upon a shed
pretty much in the middle of nowhere, occupied by Blind Dick (Harry Dean
Stanton) and his gang, a group that seems reserved and suspicious, but
they're also friendly enough to offer our cowboys food and drink and let
them feed their horses and camp nearby for the night, so things could
really be worse. Of course, what Blind Dick and associates haven't let the
newcomers come on to is that they just robbed a stagecoach and shot a
coachman and now a posse's after them. And indeed, the next morning the
posse's here, and intent to lynch all the outlaws, they are not ones for
talking and open fire rather quickly - with Vern, Wes and Otis caught in
the crossfire. Seeing surrendering is not an option, our heroes try to
make it to the ridge, and while Otis is killed trying, Vern and Wes
succeed, and soon see that making it over the ridge on foot is their only
way to safety, even if that means surrendering their horses - and they
don't get away a moment too soon, as the vigilantes soon set fire to the
shed to smoke the outlaws out, and once they're out they're quick to be
hanged. Of course, some of the vigilantes are still on Wes and Verne's
trail. They happen to lose them over night though, and actually manage to
make it over the ridge. On the other side, they find a farmhouse, run by
Evan (George Mitchell), his wife Catherine (Katherine Squire) and their
daughter Abigail (Millie Perkins) that has the great advantage to having
already been searched by the vigilantes. So Vern and Wes go there for food
and drink and maybe get some horses - but they're met with great
resistance, as the farm folks think they're indeed with the gang and
dangerous, and them asking for horses pretty much makes them horse
thieves, and nothing Vern and Wes can say or do will make them think
otherwise, so eventually Vern and Wes start playing their roles as
outlaws. And of course, things come to a head when one of the posse
returns, checking up on the farm once more ... Legend has it
that Roger Corman financed this film, along with The Shooting, as a
favour for his frequent collaborators Jack Nicholson and Monte Hellman,
but after a Cannes premiere, both films failed to make much waves, and
actually failed to find a US distributor. It wasn't until decades later
that the films were rediscovered and given their proper place in cinema
history. But that story aside, and taking Ride in the
Whirlwind by its own values, one can't but realize what a remarkable
movie it is: In its very nihilistic approach it's a total opposite to the
often operatic spaghetti westerns that were by then gaining popularity,
while in story it's very existentialist, doesn't make a distinction
between good and evil, and paints a very dirty picture of the Old West.
And frankly, the low budget really helps setting the film's tone, as
without any fancy sets or props, things remain much more focused on the
main characters' plight, as does the scarce dialogue that often leaves
things unsaid. It's really a masterpiece, but on the other hand unusual
enough to make one understand why nobody put much trust into it back when.
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