Bounty hunter Ben Brigade (Randolph Scott) captures outlaw Billy John (Tom Laughlin... er, James Best). Returning him to Santa Cruz, Ben encounters Sam Boone (Pernell Roberts) and Whit (James Coburn), two outlaws who hope themselves to turn in Billy John for amnesty. They also encounter Carrie Lane (Karen Steele), who lost her husband to Mescalero Apaches. The quintet escapes the Indians but Billy's brother Frank (Lee Van Cleef) on their tale. Sam and Whit suspect Ben has a score to settle with Frank, uncertain of their role.
Like its predecessors, Ride Lonesome presents a compact Western drama. Boetticher provides two big action scenes (an Indian chase reminiscent of The Searchers, the gruesome final showdown) and some striking Cinemascope photography (you'll remember the burning tree, if nothing else). Boetticher and writer Burt Kennedy again mix sharp characterization with brutal violence, making cliches like Indian attacks and revenge-seeking fresh. Again, archetypes aren't bad when they're so skillfully handled.
Ride Lonesome reconfigures Ranown dynamics slightly. Ben's still stoic ("She ain't ugly!" he drawls while ogling the voluptuous Carrie) but shows coarser edges as a bounty hunter with a grudge. Notably he forces Frank into an uneven showdown by threatening to hang Billy, a nasty scene reminiscent of Anthony Mann. Carrie makes an agreeably complex character: she's tough and self-reliant but still feminine, a good compromise between extreme polarities. Unlike Maureen O'Sullivan in The Tall T she's happy in her marriage and doesn't run into Ben's arms.
More typically, Boetticher shows greatest sympathy to the side characters. Sam genuinely wants to go straight, seeing the amnesty as the key to redemption. A tough but noble soul, Sam proves his worthiness by backing Ben when Billy John gets the drop on him. Boetticher even grants the conventionally villainous Frank humanity, begging for his brother's life. Boetticher's gunfighter ethics ("Some things a man just can't ride around," here uttered by Sam) feel as immutable as the samurai's bushido code.
Randolph Scott again provides a laconic anchor, but here he's outshone by his co-stars. Boetticher favorite Karen Steele agreeably mixes toughness and vulnerability, one of the better Western heroines. Pernell Roberts gives a layered turn while James Coburn makes a memorable debut performance. Lee Van Cleef provides his best pre-Leone performance, making the most of brief screen time.
Ride Lonesome marks another home run from Budd Boetticher. The Ranown films are marvelous in their simple beauty, and this is one of the best.
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