Ride the High Country

Starring: Randolph Scott & Joel McCrea Director: Sam Peckinpah

Description by OLDIES.com:

In this brilliant, moving film directed by Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch), cowboy icons Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea find roles to match their leathery Western personas, playing aging lawmen hired to guard a gold shipment. They don't have much: a horse each and a couple of dollars. And they have everything: their independence. But the frontier is disappearing - and so is space wide open enough for independent men.

With luck, the two will find space enough for this ride and one last payday. They will also find adventure, including the dramatic rescue of a mistreated bride (Mariette Hartley), gun-blazing shootouts and a life-changing betrayal. Both an exciting Western and a heart-lifting homage to the genre, Ride the High Country is a journey into film greatness.

Product Description:

Two grizzled cowhands reminisce about their lively pasts as they travel across dangerous country with a gold shipment they were hired to protect. This is often considered to be Peckinpah's finest film, and is typical of post-classical westerns in terms of its elegiac tone. AKA: "Guns in the Afternoon."

Plot Synopsis:

Western tale about two over-the-hill buddies who have been on both sides of the law during their eventful lives. Now they're guarding a cargo of gold--which one of the men intends to steal. But along the way, the men reminisce about their exciting past, compete with each other for the affections of a comely lass, and confront a band of merciless outlaws out to get the gold for themselves.

Plot Keywords:

Drama | Friends | On-The-Road | Recommended | Theatrical Release | Western

Exerpts:

"The line, 'I want to enter my house justified' in [the film] is my father's. We talked about that just before he died, just before the film was released. He never saw it. -- SAM PECKINPAH

Production Notes:

• RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1992.
• The laserdisc edition contains the trailer for the film.
• Film marks the feature film debut of actress Mariette Hartley and the last screen appearance of Randolph Scott.
• Shot in CinemaScope. Color by Metrocolor.

Cast and Crew: