The Western films directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott under the production name Ranown are considered classics. They are immaculately executed B-movies that, despite their modest production value, impressively punch above their weight.
Boetticher was a director with a talent for depicting conflict and adventure, And Scott, while too old at this point in his career to be a romantic lead for the ingenue, could still look heroic even while lying down and taking a nap. (Almost like he was the Liam Neeson of the 1950s!) But the secret ingredients were a hard-boiled script, a landscape so interesting looking that it might as well be a character in the film, and efficient, effective visual storytelling techniques.
Westbound is not one of the films bearing the offical Ranown label, but yet it is one frequently included when discussing this cycle of films due to the flavor brought by the presence of Scott and Boetticher. It seems Boetticher himself wasn't particularly fond of it, and it apparently it was made only to fulfill a contractual obligation to the studio that released it. But I'm happy to report that this film is better than its reputation.
For me, you can rate these Ranown and Ranown-adjacent films by the percentage of the film that takes place and is shot outdoors. The less time the better spent confined in a studio interior set where, as was seemingly the mandated style of the day, everything is so evenly and brightly lit that we might as well be watching a stage play.
By that standard Seven Men From Now, The Tall T, Ride Lonesome, and Comanche Station are the best of this bunch. Westbound falls into the lower half of litter. Better than Decision at Sundown and about as good or probably a little better than Buchanan Rides Alone.
One aspect of the best of the Ranown films is the presence of a dark motivation for the hero. Usually Scott is looking for revenge, redemption for a tragic failure, or simply getting out of the trouble he got into from his own extreme hubris. Scott in Westbound reluctantly accepts a mission that has an incidental link to his past, but there is nothing in the plot that ratchets up the tension as well as in some of the more memorable Ranowns.
While it sounds like I might be damning Westbound with faint praise, all of these films are worth a watch. Seeing every film in the extended Ranown cycle, including Westbound, is essential for any serious western enthusiast.
Boetticher was a director with a talent for depicting conflict and adventure, And Scott, while too old at this point in his career to be a romantic lead for the ingenue, could still look heroic even while lying down and taking a nap. (Almost like he was the Liam Neeson of the 1950s!) But the secret ingredients were a hard-boiled script, a landscape so interesting looking that it might as well be a character in the film, and efficient, effective visual storytelling techniques.
Westbound is not one of the films bearing the offical Ranown label, but yet it is one frequently included when discussing this cycle of films due to the flavor brought by the presence of Scott and Boetticher. It seems Boetticher himself wasn't particularly fond of it, and it apparently it was made only to fulfill a contractual obligation to the studio that released it. But I'm happy to report that this film is better than its reputation.
For me, you can rate these Ranown and Ranown-adjacent films by the percentage of the film that takes place and is shot outdoors. The less time the better spent confined in a studio interior set where, as was seemingly the mandated style of the day, everything is so evenly and brightly lit that we might as well be watching a stage play.
By that standard Seven Men From Now, The Tall T, Ride Lonesome, and Comanche Station are the best of this bunch. Westbound falls into the lower half of litter. Better than Decision at Sundown and about as good or probably a little better than Buchanan Rides Alone.
One aspect of the best of the Ranown films is the presence of a dark motivation for the hero. Usually Scott is looking for revenge, redemption for a tragic failure, or simply getting out of the trouble he got into from his own extreme hubris. Scott in Westbound reluctantly accepts a mission that has an incidental link to his past, but there is nothing in the plot that ratchets up the tension as well as in some of the more memorable Ranowns.
While it sounds like I might be damning Westbound with faint praise, all of these films are worth a watch. Seeing every film in the extended Ranown cycle, including Westbound, is essential for any serious western enthusiast.