Ride in the Whirlwind

A couple of cowboys end up with a lynch-happy posse on their tails after being mistaken for members of a murderous band of stagecoach robbers. Monte Hellman's short, spare 'vigilante justice' tale is pretty good for a low-budget oater (shot back-to-back with 'The Shooting' to save money) but is likely best known for an early starring role for Jack Nicholson (who also wrote the story). Nicholson and western regular Cameron Mitchell (Uncle Buck in the great TV ranch-saga 'The High Chaparral' (1967)) are quite good as the two drifters trying to stay alive and the rest of the cast (including the always watchable Harry Dean Stanton) are serviceable. The story is lean, simple but interesting, the desert cinematography is nice, and 'action sequences' are well done. Typical of a Roger Corman project, the film is very good considering the resources available.

This independent and offbeat film deals with three cowboys who are mistaken for members a band , then they're wrongly pursued by a relentless posse . This outlandish Western is finely set against barren backdrop and well photographed outdoors . Slow-moving , a little boring , however being packed with exciting pursuits , strong performances and noisy gunplay . Written , starred and produced by Jack Nicholson along with an uncredited Roger Corman . Made concurrently , back to back , with ¨The shooting¨ with the same cast (Millie Perkins, Jack Nicholson) , cameraman (Gregory Sandor) and maverick director (Hellman) . Slammed by the intelligentsia when it was released , today become a minor cult movie , as well as ¨The shooting¨ .

The motion picture was professionally directed by Monte Hellman (Two-lane blacktop , Cockfighter) in his usual visual style . His stars are similarly independent-minded actors such as Jack Nicholson , Harry Dean Stanton and Cameron Mitchell . From his two known strange , outlandish Westerns in which Hellman directed in rare as well as special qualities , he has remained fiercely independent with lukewarm reception by public, but praised by critics . In his first films he teamed up Roger Corman who produced his earlier movies with a relative success , however nowadays he only makes fateful B movies and failure television movies .

If you are looking for a romantic Western with traditional good guys battling against the forces of evil, then you have come to the wrong place. There are no heroes and no villains, just ordinary men and women struggling against the elements for survival. No one has an easy life, neither homesteader nor outlaw. The drudgery of the former is shown by the farmer hacking away endlessly at the stubborn stump that refuses to give up its hold. The folly of the latter comes into focus when the vigilante posse catches up with its quarry. Knowing that a life of punching cows will get them nowhere, three cowboys, played excellently by Jack Nicholson, Cameron Mitchell and Tom Filer, briefly consider joining up with the outlaw gang they've been forced to spend the night with. Not having the outlaw nature, the cowboys reject that option and determine that they best separate themselves at first light. However, by then it is too late. The vigilantes have both the outlaws and them surrounded and open fire. If they surrender, they will be hanged, no questions asked. If they try to ride out, they will be shot down. They can only climb out of the valley up the mountains, leaving their horses behind. However, as stated by one of the cowboys, it is no country to be set afoot. Thus, their enemy becomes not only the men tracking them down but also the harsh environment into which they are thrust and must overcome. That struggle is the essence of what this marvelous film is all about.

Monte Hellman makes art movies--as in Mr. Wim Wenders, or Mr. Robert Bresson, for that matter. How he disguised them as hot-rod movies, or trendy hippie bashes, or simple old Westerns, is beyond me, so rarefied, quiet, composed, and art-conscious are they. RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND, scripted by its star, Jack Nicholson, reduces "the Western" to abstract essentials. Guys in a shack getting smoked out by the lawmen outside. Guys on the lam from a lynch mob. Stoical lynch-mob hanging. Tense, purse-lipped conversation between outlaw and kidnapped good-girl type. Presented against a stark landscape with no extras (I'm sure Hellman'll tell you it's sheer economics), the scenes take on the quality of gallery installations based on Western plot devices. If you ever wondered where the laconic sensibility of such latter-day types as Jim Jarmusch and Michael Almereyda came from, here's a hint.

Former Roger Corman collaborator Monte Hellman directed two of the most underrated American movies of the 1960s/70s 'The Shooting', a puzzling western starring Warren Oates and Jack Nicholson, and the existential road movie 'Two-Lane Blacktop'. 'Ride In The Whirlwind' was shot simultaneously with 'The Shooting', and while it isn't as impressive as that film it's still very good, and one of the most underrated Westerns of the 1960s. Jack Nicholson once again stars, and also scripted. He and Hellman made a great team, and it's just a pity that they didn't continue to collaborate. A few other actors from 'The Shooting' also appear, most notably the sultry Millie Perkins, though she has a much smaller role in this one. Nicholson is ably supported by legendary character actors Cameron Mitchell ('Hombre', 'The Klansman', 'The Toolbox Murders') and Harry Dean Stanton ('Cool Hand Luke', 'Repo Man', 'The Last Temptation Of Christ'). Watching these three guys work off each other is reason enough to see this. (Also hunt down the Bruce Dern biker obscurity 'The Rebel Rousers' which they all appear in, thought it's nowhere near as good) Hellman's westerns are minimalistic and a bit of an acquired taste, but I really like them a lot. 'Ride In The Whirlwind' is easier to get into than 'The Shooting'. It's more straightforward, but still a very subtle and interesting movie, and Nicholson and Mitchell's contrasting acting styles bounce off each other really well. Recommended.