This is a great movie! Ride Lonesome is also directed by Budd Boetticher; it's from 1959 and one of the stars is Pernell Roberts (Exit from Wickenburg and Twenty-One Days to Tenstrike) an outlaw trying to win an amnesty. Sound familiar?!The story is actually about a bounty hunter, played by Randolph Scott, and the journey he is on as he tries to bring another outlaw, played by James Best, in to justice. Roberts' character, along with his sidekick who is played by James Coburn, attach themselves to the bounty hunter.
There are several conversations about being on the wrong side of the law and wondering if the "governor" will give them amnesty. The details were very different from ASJ but I wondered if Glen Larson and/or William Goldman had seen this movie or if the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was based on it. A woman, played by Karen Steele, also has an important role. There's a climactic showdown at the end of the movie.
The sets are sparse and the cinematography is wonderful. There's a terrific bonus feature by a film historian who discusses movie Westerns; it's an audio commentary dubbed over the movie soundtrack and it really added to my appreciation of the genre. Ride Lonesome is well worth watching.
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