Ride in the Whirlwind

Monte Hellman directed this more straight-forward western(compared with "The Shooting", filmed at the same time) about three cowhands named Wes, Vern, & Otis(played by Jack Nicholson, Cameron Mitchell, and Tom Filer) on their way to a cattle drive who accidentally become mixed up with real outlaws who robbed a stagecoach, killing the driver and are hunted by a group of vigilantes who aren't asking questions about innocence. When one is killed, the other two hole up with a family, forcing them to provide shelter, but that doesn't last long as fate soon catches up with them... Millie Perkins plays the daughter named Abigail. Good (if a bit talky) western is morally ambiguous but has a beautifully filmed finale.

Released in 1966 and directed by Monte Hellman from Jack Nicholson's script, "Ride in the Whirlwind" is about three traveling cowhands (Nicholson, Cameron Mitchell & Tom Filer) who are wrongly targeted by vigilantes out to apprehend a gang of murdering robbers. Cutie Millie Perkins has a peripheral role. The best thing about this barebones independent Western is its mundane realism where it comes across as a docudrama. While it's slow and sometimes dull, the subtext concerning vengeance and mistaken indictment is interesting. When the three protagonists come across a body hanging from a tree at the beginning it's a grim omen of things to come. Nicholson had a great grasp on lifelike Old West discourse. "Ride in the Whirlwind" is pretty much on par with its more surrealistic sister film "The Shooting," which was shot immediately after this one and at the same general locations. The film runs 82 minutes and was shot in Kanab & Paria, Utah. GRADE: B-

Wes (Jack Nicholson), Vern (Cameron Mitchell), and Otis are three cowboys traveling to a job. They find shelter with a rough group of men led by Blind Dick (Harry Dean Stanton) who turns out to be murderous bandits. As a posse descend upon them, Wes and Vern manages to escape but they are assumed to be part of the bandit gang. Evan (George Mitchell) runs a small isolated farm with his wife and daughter Abigail (Millie Perkins). This is a small indie western with a few interesting actors. There are no heroes in particular. The posse isn't evil. They are simply mistaken and yet it is a terrible mistake. It is the fleeting sense of right and wrong that is the most interesting here. Wes and Vern do end taking hostages. The movie is a bit short. It finishes without a traditionally satisfying ending. Traditional western fans may not like this.

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.

I found this film to be both traditional and non-traditional at the same time. I originally watched this film because I am interested in anything starring Jack Nicholson, but I was drawn in by the story of horse thieves and mistaken identities. With essentially the same cast as The Shooting, which was filmed in succession with Ride in the Whirlwind with many of the same locations, this has the feel of what we now in the 90's call an "independent" movie. For all practical purposes, it is. As a result you get a good story, good acting without all the Hollywood bottom line money making stunts. A must see for Nicholson fans along with the Shooting.

Monte Hellman's "Ride in the Whirlwind," while not quite as good as his masterpiece, "The Shooting," is still an endlessly fascinating meditation on the old West. Hellman's Westerns are almost antithetical Westerns since they stress allegory and atmosphere over character and plotting. Not for every taste, this film has a lot to admire, not the least of which is Jack Nicholson's fine script and performance.

Cameron Mitchell and Jack Nicholson star in Ride In The Whirlwind as a pair of cowboys who among others like Rupert Crosse and Harry Dean Stanton get some shelter and hospitality from some outlaws. Not knowing these are outlaws fresh from a job Nicholson and Mitchell get caught up in a gun battle with a posse that's in no mood to either listen or take live captives. This is a duly constituted lynch mob. As Mitchell and Nicholson flee it turns out they're no better or worse than most of us. The sad truth is that they are forced to become outlaws, commit crimes in order to get away from the posse. So they're now outlaws any way you put it. I suspect that a lot of outlaws became outlaws precisely the way Nicholson and Mitchell did in the early days of the west. The two of them are an interesting pairing with good chemistry. And a great contrast in styles from the old studio system to a newer breed. Nicholson fans will like seeing Jack in his salad years.