Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Majorthebys Charming and brutal

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

weezeralfalfa This low budget color western stars Joel McCrea as John Cord, recently released from 5 years in prison, and being dragged behind a horse down the main street. He's badly skinned up when the Hamiltons arrive from their ranch, and cart him off to recuperate. Ralph Hamilton, a cattle baron, is friendly toward Cord, even though he is blamed for being responsible for Hamilton being blind, when Cord's wranglers tore up the town after a cattle drive. Hamilton knows Cord is the best trail boss around and wants him to lead a drive to market at an Army post. He wants it done soon, in the dry season, and to get there ahead of a rival herd, owned by Garth. After hesitation, Cord takes the job, hiring some of the very men who dragged him behind a horse. There are several key relationships I don't understand or find fault with. The most important is the relationship between Cord and Garth. I don't understand why Cord signed on as Garth's trail boss, then went over and signed up as Hamilton's trail boss, during approximately the same time and route? He never seems to function as Garth's trail boss, but sneaks over to his camp on several nights to do some jawing. Garth's herd is several days ahead of Hamilton's. Cord suggests that Garth go via Horse thief Creek, rather than Dismal River, because the latter is more likely to be dry. Garth agrees in Cord's presence, but after he leaves, says Cord probably told them things backwards, so his herd goes via the much shorter Dismal River. Unfortunately, it lives up to its name, and is bone dry. In consequence, all Garth's cattle die of dehydration. In contrast, Cord takes Hamilton's herd via Horse thief Creek, which is well watered. Several of Cord's men previously had quit, not believing the herd would make it. One meets Garth at the destination, and he says he will hire gunslingers to steal Hamilton's herd.(Never mind that they are presumably branded with Hamilton's brand, and his own cattle probably would have gotten there first if he had taken the route recommended by Cord). This man reports back to Cord about Garth's intention. Cord takes some of the men and rides to hopefully meet Garth's bunch. They set up an ambush, which is successful(The riders fall off their horses in a convenient but amateurish way, and their horses are never hit.) Garth runs over to some rocks and Cord follows. Guess what happens.Cord's relationships with the 2 young ladies: Sandy and Janice, are awkward. Janice and Cord clearly were very close prior to Cord's imprisonment. Soon thereafter, she married Ralph Hamilton, even though he was blind. Perhaps she took pity on him, or perhaps she hoped to live comfortably with his ranch set up and his brother's help. Now that Cord is free and working for Hamilton, their old flame burns brightly at times. My expectation was that Ralph would die somehow, opening up the possibility of a Cord-Janice marriage. I think the fact that Ralph was still alive when the drive was over was the main reason why Cord turned down an offer of partnership, and decided to ride into the sunset. He didn't want Janise's continued presence to act as temptation.As for Cord's relationship with Sandy, she seems to be characterized as a late teen, in contrast to the older Janice. Through most of the film, she refers to Cord as "Uncle John". I don't know if he was her real uncle, or merely functioned as such at one time. In any case, Cord clearly was at least 2X her age, which is not unheard of. But, Cord used this as an excuse to brush off her romantic overtures. He claims she has a lot to learn before he might accept her as his wife. He also claims he will probably be back some day to claim her. Don't count on it, Sandy.This screenplay is unusual in that usually the cattle baron is one of the bad guys, lording it over the small ranchers. Available at You Tube at present.

dukeakasmudge ***Spoilers Ahead, Maybe*** I mainly watched this movie because I was flipping through the movie channels looking for something to watch & I was lucky enough to catch it right when it started.The only time anything really happens in Cattle Drive is when what really happened when John Cord & his men shot up the town is revealed & the foiled ambush/shootout at the end.Those were the most exciting things to happen in the movie.Oh yeah, and when John Cord is dragged through town at the beginning.Nothing really happens in Cattle Drive except a...... cattle drive.Cattle Drive was boring at times but it's not a bad enough movie that I'd turn it off before it ended.It's definitely not a movie I'd recommend somebody go see even if you're a Western fan like I am.There are better Westerns or even better movies out there you could be watching

Spikeopath Joel McCrea stars as a trail boss falsely imprisoned for his men's misdemeanours. Released and suffering at the hands of an unforgiving and irate town, he's hired by a blind Don Haggerty to drive his herd - but Haggerty has his own agenda's on this trip.A routine Western that is chiefly saved from the bottom rung by the presence of Joel McCrea. McCrea was a real life cowboy type who owned and worked out of a ranch in California, thus he gives this standard Oater a naturalistic core from which to tell the story. If only they could have given him some decent actors to work with, and, or, a bolder script, then this might have turned out better than it did.Directed by Charles Marquis Warren (more famed for TV work like Gunsmoke and his writing than movie directing), the piece is scripted by Daniel B. Ullman, a prolific "B" western script specialist of the 1950s. This, however, is far from being a good effort from his pen. Shot in CinemaScope with colour by DeLuxe, it thankfully at least proves to be most pleasing on the eye. Brydon Baker proving to be yet another cinematographer seemingly inspired by the Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, locations.Away from the turgid story there's a classical big Western shoot-out to enjoy, while a Mano-Mano shoot out set among the Alabama rocks towards the end is nicely handled. But the good technical aspects are bogged down by the roll call of by the numbers gruff cowboy characters, and worse still is a two-fold romantic strand that is so weak it beggars belief. All of which is acted in keeping with such an unimaginatively put together series of sub-plots masquerading as a revenge thriller. For McCrea this film is worth a watch - as it is for its beauty (the print is excellent), but in spite of the old fashioned appeal, and a couple of action high points, it remains borderline dull. McCrea and the audience deserve far better. 5/10

boblipton In its time the American B western was possessed of a form as rigid as any dramatic form in existence. There would be half a dozen plots that could be used for a western and the story was usually told in a conservative fashion, using techniques that ran back to when William S. Hart, popularizer of the Good Bad Man in the movies, was one of the leading western stars. The conservatism was a combination of practicality and art: the Bs were the stomping grounds of silent A directors who wished to continue to work.... and the fact that the story took place in the outdoors meant that the outdoors formed a good part of the story.In this one, Joel McCrea is the Good Bad Man -- a great trail boss whose men got out of control and wrecked a town. Now the town is struggling to make a comeback, and has hired McCrea to lead the drive -- and much of the town has come along on the drive The movie is beautifully shot and the plot has a revenge drama quality that makes it peculiarly interesting. Unhappily, most of the acting talent, once you get past McCrea, is less than first rate. Still, it does have its not inconsiderable charm and its easy assumption of what may seem like bizarre attitudes may give you the start of an understanding of the genre.