RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY at HOLLYWOOD TEEN MOVIES

7 years before "The Wild Bunch" Sam Peckinpah made "Ride The High Country", a western gem, considered by many to be his second masterpiece. "Ride The High Country", known in Great Britain as "Guns In The Afternoon" has all the quality and character of "The Wild Bunch" and even features a number of Peckinpah's regular support players including, Warren Oates and L.Q. Jones. "Ride The High Country" stars veteran actors Joel McCrea & Randolph Scott as two-old-timers trying to make ends meet in a west that is changing faster than they are. They like to defend their old values with pride, dignity and their six-guns. The plot sees the two aging gunfighters hired by a bank to pick up a gold shipment from a nearby mining town and return it to the bank. The trail requires travelling through some dangerous high country so along for the ride comes Randolph Scott's young protégé, played by Ron Starr. Unbeknown to McCrea, Scott & Starr are planning to steal the gold for themselves. Emotions run hot and the plot thickens when they cross paths with a young woman (Mariette Hartley in his first screen role) who has runaway from her overbearing father to marry her boyfriend (James Drury of "Virginian" fame) who now works in the mining town where McCrea & Scott are to pick up the gold shipment. When Hartley marries she soon realises she has made the biggest mistake of her life. Her husband and his brothers are nothing more than dangerous booze-drinking psychopaths. It is now up to McCrea, Scott and Starr to recuse Hartley from her predicament and also complete the job they set out to do. With an engrossing character driven plot, first-rate performances from a talented cast and outstanding direction by Sam Peckinpah, "Ride The High Country" has become one of the best westerns to come out of the 1960's. When this film was made the traditional Hollywood western was going through a transitional period and making way for the new breed of Italian spaghetti western that was about to explode on the screen with Clint Eastwood's "A Fistful Of Dollars". "Ride The High Country" is a salute to the changing times of the old west and to two great western actors who with this film go out in grand style. It is interesting to note that their roles were originally reversed and both Scott and McCrea came out of retirement to make this classic film that was supposed to be only a B-western. After "Ride The High Country" Scott remained retired while McCrea went on to make a few more films including an appearance with his son Jody in "Cry, Blood Apache" (1970). If you have seen "The Wild Bunch" and liked it but have not yet seen "Ride The High Country" then you don't know what you're missing out on, this predecessor to "The Wild Bunch" is almost on an equal par.

The Wild Bunch(1969) VHS
The restored 1995 director's cut version of Sam Peckinpah's controversial sagebrush classic. In the Southwest of 1913, a gang of outlaws is coerced by a Mexican general into robbing a U.S. Army gun shipment, a move that has fatal consequences. William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oates, Edmond O'Brien and Robert Ryan star in this masterpiece, known for its bloody and balletic action scenes. Special edition includes "The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage" documentary and an introduction by Borgnine. 179 min. total.
The Wild Bunch (Letterboxed Version) VHS
Junior Bonner(1972) VHS
A departure for director Sam Peckinpah is this character study of a one-time rodeo star (Steve McQueen) who returns home to re-enter the circuit, thereby gaining self-esteem and rejuvenating his alcoholic father. McQueen and Robert Preston, as his father, are equally great. 101 min.
Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid(1973) VHS
Sam Peckinpah's violent, mystical Western saga focuses on the pursuit of outlaw Billy The Kid (Kris Kristofferson) by lawman Pat Garrett (James Coburn). Bob Dylan also stars and wrote the music. Jason Robards, Rita Coolidge. Uncut, 122-minute version.
The Ballad Of Cable Hogue(1970) VHS
Sam Peckinpah's lyric tribute to American individualism stars Jason Robards as a prospector left for dead by his scheming partners. He sets out to build his own world in the Old West, all the while dreaming of revenge. Co-stars Stella Stevens, David Warner, Strother Martin and Slim Pickens. 122 min.
The Deadly Companions(1961) VHS
Excellent Western adventure concerning an ex-soldier/gunslinger who makes amends to the family of the man he accidentally killed by guiding the funeral party through Apache country. Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Steve Cochran, Chill Wills star; Sam Peckinpah's directorial debut. 90 min.
The Wild Bunch: Original Director's Cut [DVD](1969) DVD
The Deadly Companions [DVD](1961) DVD