The Deadly Companions

THE DEADLY COMPANIONS is a slow and long-winded low budget western chiefly of interest for being Sam Peckinpah's first movie. His presence is felt in the anti-hero qualities of the main characters; the hero of the piece begins the movie by shooting a kid in an accident and struggles to make amends for his misdeeds thereafter. Holding the whole thing together is old-timer Maureen O'Hara, who brings a wealth of cinematic experience to the production with her. The story follows her character as she leads her son's body through the desert in order to give him a decent burial. There are some double-crossings and macho heroism stuff en route, but the film's sense of weariness is heightened in the viewer himself, making this something of a slog at times.

A film who seems have no story. in strange way, that is not a problem. first, for the well made characters. second - for the performances. and for silences. for small gestures and for inspired exploration of past. not the last, for the fine equilibrium between the pieces of drama. a man. a woman. a coffen and a film who could be defined as western. not an ordinary one. but one of the most useful. as a story. about the angles of solitude.

Peckinpah is getting to what he later mastered in movies such as Wild Bunch and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid; outlaws with deep emotional scars who live in the past and wander around like the Flying Dutchman. The scar is made physical as Yellowleg is unable to raise his arm when shooting, which leads to a tragic accident. In Deadly Companions we also see similar character as Bob Dylan played in Pat Garrett; the little boy playing his harmonica. Deadly Companions is a bit clumsy a movie, sometimes it is difficult to see what is actually going on, but the story is good and the characters are real. It's a must see for Peckinpah fans.

Early Sam Peckinpah western is a ragtag second-feature with Maureen O'Hara improbably cast as a dance hall hostess in 1860s Arizona. Her young son has been accidentally shot and killed by Yankee cowboy Brian Keith, who has come out west seeking revenge; after the lady takes off for a neighboring town to bury her boy, the cowboy (with a bad shooting arm!) trails behind her to keep her safe from Apaches. Scrappy, unabsorbing outdoor yarn with mediocre cinematography and scoring, also a disappointing performance by O'Hara (stubborn as usual, yet exasperatingly so). Screenwriter A.S. Fleischman (who later novelized his script, which was published prior to filming) certainly takes his time ironing out the relationships in this story. By the time he and director Peckinpah have finished, it seems a wasted effort. ** from ****