Director Aldrich must have known what he was doing... he produced AND directed Bette Davis in two pictures after making The Last Sunset! Kirk Douglas, Joseph Cotton, and Rock Hudson were all seasoned actors by the time this film was made. To a certain extent, this is a typical western, with the usual cattle drive, the fist-fights and gunfights, run-ins with the Indians, even Mariachi music, which was quite good. Through-out the film, you can feel the tension between Stribling (Hudson) and O'Malley (Douglas). Also along are a woman and her daughter (Dorothy Malone, Carol Lynley), adding more excitement to the mix. When three more suspicious characters join up to help on the drive, there is even more tension and mystery. We are told right off that Stribling has a warrant to bring in O'Malley, so we know to expect a showdown at some point. and when it DOES come, there are some surprises. I think its the strong talent that sets this western above the many others. This is part of the 2006 Rock Hudson DVD Collection from Universal, which also contains Has Anybody Seen my Gal, A Very Special Favor, Golden Blade, Spiral Road.
Review of The Last Sunset
