User Reviews

"Ride in the Whirlwind" is an interesting western for several reasons. It was written by Jack Nicholson. You just don't expect to see him in westerns but especially writing them! Additionally, the story is told in a most unusual fashion--with none of the usual cliches nor structure of a western...and it's just a very economically written film with minimal dialog and a rather simple premise.

When the story begins, Wes, Vern and Otis come upon a man who has been hung. Soon after, they come upon a small cabin where three men are inside. The men inside invite the trio to come inside and eat. And, soon after eating, a posse comes upon the cabin and begin shooting. Little did Wes, Vern and Otis know that these new 'friends' were wanted killers. Soon, Vern is shot...as are the three crooks. Wes (Jack Nicholson) and Otis (Cameron Mitchell) manage to escape...but without horses nor provisions, they know it's only a matter of time until they, too, are caught and hung...as this posse doesn't seem the type to stop and talk! What's next? See the film.

As I said above, the film is done economically. I don't mean that it has a low budget...but it was made simply, without a lot of dialog and none of the usual cliches. Because of this, it's better than the average western...and a bit like the classic "The Ox-Bow Incident". Well worth your time and the Utah/Arizona setting is quite striking.

A couple of cowboys end up with a lynch-happy posse on their tails after being mistaken for members of a murderous band of stagecoach robbers. Monte Hellman's short, spare 'vigilante justice' tale is pretty good for a low-budget oater (shot back-to-back with 'The Shooting' to save money) but is likely best known for an early starring role for Jack Nicholson (who also wrote the story). Nicholson and western regular Cameron Mitchell (Uncle Buck in the great TV ranch-saga 'The High Chaparral' (1967)) are quite good as the two drifters trying to stay alive and the rest of the cast (including the always watchable Harry Dean Stanton) are serviceable. The story is lean, simple but interesting, the desert cinematography is nice, and 'action sequences' are well done. Typical of a Roger Corman project, the film is very good considering the resources available.

I found this film to be both traditional and non-traditional at the same time. I originally watched this film because I am interested in anything starring Jack Nicholson, but I was drawn in by the story of horse thieves and mistaken identities.

With essentially the same cast as The Shooting, which was filmed in succession with Ride in the Whirlwind with many of the same locations, this has the feel of what we now in the 90's call an "independent" movie. For all practical purposes, it is. As a result you get a good story, good acting without all the Hollywood bottom line money making stunts. A must see for Nicholson fans along with the Shooting.

Monte Hellman makes art movies--as in Mr. Wim Wenders, or Mr. Robert Bresson, for that matter. How he disguised them as hot-rod movies, or trendy hippie bashes, or simple old Westerns, is beyond me, so rarefied, quiet, composed, and art-conscious are they. RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND, scripted by its star, Jack Nicholson, reduces "the Western" to abstract essentials. Guys in a shack getting smoked out by the lawmen outside. Guys on the lam from a lynch mob. Stoical lynch-mob hanging. Tense, purse-lipped conversation between outlaw and kidnapped good-girl type. Presented against a stark landscape with no extras (I'm sure Hellman'll tell you it's sheer economics), the scenes take on the quality of gallery installations based on Western plot devices. If you ever wondered where the laconic sensibility of such latter-day types as Jim Jarmusch and Michael Almereyda came from, here's a hint.

This independent and offbeat film deals with three cowboys who are mistaken for members a band , then they're wrongly pursued by a relentless posse . This outlandish Western is finely set against barren backdrop and well photographed outdoors . Slow-moving , a little boring , however being packed with exciting pursuits , strong performances and noisy gunplay . Written , starred and produced by Jack Nicholson along with an uncredited Roger Corman . Made concurrently , back to back , with ¨The shooting¨ with the same cast (Millie Perkins, Jack Nicholson) , cameraman (Gregory Sandor) and maverick director (Hellman) . Slammed by the intelligentsia when it was released , today become a minor cult movie , as well as ¨The shooting¨ .

The motion picture was professionally directed by Monte Hellman (Two-lane blacktop , Cockfighter) in his usual visual style . His stars are similarly independent-minded actors such as Jack Nicholson , Harry Dean Stanton and Cameron Mitchell . From his two known strange , outlandish Westerns in which Hellman directed in rare as well as special qualities , he has remained fiercely independent with lukewarm reception by public, but praised by critics . In his first films he teamed up Roger Corman who produced his earlier movies with a relative success , however nowadays he only makes fateful B movies and failure television movies .

Wes (Jack Nicholson), Vern (Cameron Mitchell), and Otis are three cowboys traveling to a job. They find shelter with a rough group of men led by Blind Dick (Harry Dean Stanton) who turns out to be murderous bandits. As a posse descend upon them, Wes and Vern manages to escape but they are assumed to be part of the bandit gang. Evan (George Mitchell) runs a small isolated farm with his wife and daughter Abigail (Millie Perkins).

This is a small indie western with a few interesting actors. There are no heroes in particular. The posse isn't evil. They are simply mistaken and yet it is a terrible mistake. It is the fleeting sense of right and wrong that is the most interesting here. Wes and Vern do end taking hostages. The movie is a bit short. It finishes without a traditionally satisfying ending. Traditional western fans may not like this.

Ride in the Whirlwind is directed by Monte Hellman and written by Jack Nicholson. It stars Nicholson, Cameron Mitchell, Millie Perkins and Dean Stanton. Music is by Robert Jackson Drasnin and cinematography by Gregory Sandor.

Three honest cowboys stop to rest for the night at a cabin occupied by outlaws led by Blind Dick (Stanton). Upon awakening in the morning they find themselves surrounded by a vigilante posse and forced to flee as fugitives…

Filmed back to back with The Shooting in Kanab, Utah, Ride in the Whirlwind has something big to say without actually saying that much!

It's a sombre Western piece that deals in the tragedy brought about by a miscarriage of justice. It also finds Hellman and Nicholson reaching into the belly of the Western mythos and pulling out its guts to reveal a shallow hole of boredom and dirt covered grafters. This works to a large degree by way of the portrayals of weary cowboys (nice subtle performances by Nicholson and Mitchell really help) and the mundane ranch life of a family who are coerced into harbouring the fugitives. The air of authenticity and rich period detail, as well, is highly commendable. However, the laborious pace will annoy many and some actions and scenarios played out are a little hard to swallow. It's a mixed bag but very much a film that Western fans should see though. 7/10

After their proposed film about abortion was turned down by the studio in 1965, Jack Nicholson combined with Monte Hellman as writer/director to produce two Westerns for producer Roger Corman, each shot in the space of eighteen days on a minimal budget. The two films, The Shooting and Ride in the Whirlwind, were never released in American theaters but built an audience from television and European showings. Gradually developing a cult following, they have now been restored and released on DVD in North America. Though filmed in the Western genre, Ride in the Whirlwind might justifiably be called an anti-Western since there are no heroes or villains, no one to love or hate. There are just people going about their life trying to survive as best they can, operating on a rigid code of behavior that does not allow them much flexibility.

After a stagecoach is held up by Blind Dick (Harry Dean Stanton) and his gang, the gunmen retreat to an isolated cabin to spend the night. Passing through are three cowboys Vern (Cameron Mitchell), Wes (Jack Nicholson), and Otis (Tom Filer) headed to Waco Texas after the rodeo they were to perform in is canceled. They pass a lynching victim strung up on a pole, and stop at the same cabin where the gang is holed up looking for some rest. Surprisingly, they are welcomed by Blind Dick, ostensibly the one responsible for the lynching but find that they soon have unwelcome visitors. The sheriff and his posse have surrounded the house and begin shooting at the occupants, wrongly assuming that the three travelers are also part of the gang.

Inarticulate, the cowhands are unable or unwilling to try and explain to the lawmen the fact that they are innocent. After a protracted shootout, Otis is killed and the gang members are burned out of their cabin and hanged. Vern and Wes escape on foot but are followed and tracked by the lawmen, bound by their code of unthinking frontier justice. The two innocent men stumble upon a farmhouse that had already been visited by the posse and are looked after by a farmer Evan (George Mitchell) and his daughter Abigail (Millie Perkins).

Eating and passing the time playing checkers, they know that sooner or later the posse will come back, if only to court Abigail. When they do return, Evan's inability to see that Vern and Wes have no choice but to steal two horses is very costly. In debunking the Western myth of good guys and bad guys, Hellman has directed a film in which the ordinariness of the life overshadows the mythos of the exciting frontier. Yet while Ride in the Whirlwind may be one of the most authentic and haunting Westerns ever made, it is also one of the saddest, a film in which the operative word is not justice or camaraderie but loneliness and lost opportunity.

Little and almost unknown western in which three cowboys (Mitchel, Fiser and Nicholson) are mistaken as bandits by a posse and pursued implacably by them. The movie has simple dialogues but its full of meaning and expressive silent expression between the three poor guys involved in the injust and obnoxious persecution. The movie was written by Jack Nicholson. A story that deals with some conceptual problems as injustice, fate and the importance of freedom. In fact, a western made in 1965, exactly the same time of some social contest as the fight for the Civil Rights in North America. 'Ride in the Whirlwind', for that matter, is not just a western movie but a political and social tale. Good performance by Cameron Mitchell. A young Jack Nicholson, with a distant but correct performance,seems to be comfortable in a western adventure, a genre that he never tries today.

Wish I had a dollar for every time someone said "Obliged" in this silly film. This western is one horrible mess, with little to no attention paid to editing, lighting, dialoge or anything else. The plot itself was decent, but the directing was simply dreadful and the dialogue even worse. The acting was wooden and lifeless as could be possible be imagined. I now know where the A Team got the inspiration for all those shootouts where nobody ever got hit but everything else got shot to bits. Jack and his buddy who escaped the big boring shootout were very unconvincing as desperate fugitives, and the family they holed up with were incredible imbeciles. I don't understand why the mother asked if she could get up to prepare food when they were already sitting at the table stuffing their faces. You will be treated to a guy hitting a stump with an axe repeatedly but the way he's hitting it would never split it in years. They get entirely way too much traction out of that darn stump. The dialogue is the most horrendous part. Good food. Tasty. Riveting dining banter. You oughtn's steal our stock. It's wrong. Saying I won't be seen if I go outside but obvously if anyone is looking they will be seen. That kind of ridiculous stuff wears thin fast, and Millie Perkins once again proves she possesses the talent of a cactus. Her facial expression never changed even when her father got killed in what was probably the worst and silliest scene you'll ever witness. There's no tension in this film whatsoever it's just a slog to get through. Cameron Mitchell is as equally dull and redundant and Jack is. No, this movie offers up nothing in the way of entertainment value. Nothing unique, but well trodden plots can still be effective if they're done competently. Good thing Jack managed to overcome his silly performances early in his career, because there's no hint of the star he would become displayed in this. He's the most closely shaved guy you'll ever see that's been riding the trail and been on the run. The dialogue just goes in circles, saying the same things over and over. I can't recall ever seeing such terrible acting and choreographed "action". It makes Bonanza look like high art indeed. One should really watch this just to see the kind of nonsense that could be put out and passed off as decent in that era. The shaky camera work during a chase scene is really annoying, especially since all of a sudden it stops and we are given a steady camera. Cliches and overdone heroism add to the ridiculous finish. I really can't stress how far beyond awful this is. Yet another pointless shootout at the end with people shooting at people they can't see. One with a pistol who wouldn't have a prayer of hitting anyone. Then it just ended! I mean I was very glad it was over but some sort of an attempt at a logical conclusion or resolution would have been appreciated after investing the time to get that far into a completely pointless charade. At least the countryside it captured in it's barren vivid beauty. I honestly didn't know films this horrendous were made, so I got educated a little bit in that regard. People say The Shooting is an underrated classic western too, but after seeing this I have no disire to see it.

If you are looking for a romantic Western with traditional good guys battling against the forces of evil, then you have come to the wrong place. There are no heroes and no villains, just ordinary men and women struggling against the elements for survival. No one has an easy life, neither homesteader nor outlaw. The drudgery of the former is shown by the farmer hacking away endlessly at the stubborn stump that refuses to give up its hold. The folly of the latter comes into focus when the vigilante posse catches up with its quarry. Knowing that a life of punching cows will get them nowhere, three cowboys, played excellently by Jack Nicholson, Cameron Mitchell and Tom Filer, briefly consider joining up with the outlaw gang they've been forced to spend the night with. Not having the outlaw nature, the cowboys reject that option and determine that they best separate themselves at first light. However, by then it is too late. The vigilantes have both the outlaws and them surrounded and open fire. If they surrender, they will be hanged, no questions asked. If they try to ride out, they will be shot down. They can only climb out of the valley up the mountains, leaving their horses behind. However, as stated by one of the cowboys, it is no country to be set afoot. Thus, their enemy becomes not only the men tracking them down but also the harsh environment into which they are thrust and must overcome. That struggle is the essence of what this marvelous film is all about.

Cameron Mitchell and Jack Nicholson star in Ride In The Whirlwind as a pair of cowboys who among others like Rupert Crosse and Harry Dean Stanton get some shelter and hospitality from some outlaws. Not knowing these are outlaws fresh from a job Nicholson and Mitchell get caught up in a gun battle with a posse that's in no mood to either listen or take live captives. This is a duly constituted lynch mob.

As Mitchell and Nicholson flee it turns out they're no better or worse than most of us. The sad truth is that they are forced to become outlaws, commit crimes in order to get away from the posse. So they're now outlaws any way you put it.

I suspect that a lot of outlaws became outlaws precisely the way Nicholson and Mitchell did in the early days of the west. The two of them are an interesting pairing with good chemistry. And a great contrast in styles from the old studio system to a newer breed.

Nicholson fans will like seeing Jack in his salad years.

This is not Jack Nicholson, the brilliant actor from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." He wrote a very boring script and just offered himself the lead role, surrounded by very weak actors, except Harry Dean Stanton. The result, a total failure, from all points of view. Of all the other reviews, only pwoods1 and jkm0119 are close to the truth, thinking like me. One star, just for the latest Jack Nicholson from his other movies. And another star of the exceptional Harry Dean Stanton.

Former Roger Corman collaborator Monte Hellman directed two of the most underrated American movies of the 1960s/70s 'The Shooting', a puzzling western starring Warren Oates and Jack Nicholson, and the existential road movie 'Two-Lane Blacktop'. 'Ride In The Whirlwind' was shot simultaneously with 'The Shooting', and while it isn't as impressive as that film it's still very good, and one of the most underrated Westerns of the 1960s. Jack Nicholson once again stars, and also scripted. He and Hellman made a great team, and it's just a pity that they didn't continue to collaborate. A few other actors from 'The Shooting' also appear, most notably the sultry Millie Perkins, though she has a much smaller role in this one. Nicholson is ably supported by legendary character actors Cameron Mitchell ('Hombre', 'The Klansman', 'The Toolbox Murders') and Harry Dean Stanton ('Cool Hand Luke', 'Repo Man', 'The Last Temptation Of Christ'). Watching these three guys work off each other is reason enough to see this. (Also hunt down the Bruce Dern biker obscurity 'The Rebel Rousers' which they all appear in, thought it's nowhere near as good) Hellman's westerns are minimalistic and a bit of an acquired taste, but I really like them a lot. 'Ride In The Whirlwind' is easier to get into than 'The Shooting'. It's more straightforward, but still a very subtle and interesting movie, and Nicholson and Mitchell's contrasting acting styles bounce off each other really well. Recommended.

Monte Hellman directed this more straight-forward western(compared with "The Shooting", filmed at the same time) about three cowhands named Wes, Vern, & Otis(played by Jack Nicholson, Cameron Mitchell, and Tom Filer) on their way to a cattle drive who accidentally become mixed up with real outlaws who robbed a stagecoach, killing the driver and are hunted by a group of vigilantes who aren't asking questions about innocence. When one is killed, the other two hole up with a family, forcing them to provide shelter, but that doesn't last long as fate soon catches up with them... Millie Perkins plays the daughter named Abigail. Good (if a bit talky) western is morally ambiguous but has a beautifully filmed finale.

Released in 1966 and directed by Monte Hellman from Jack Nicholson's script, "Ride in the Whirlwind" is about three traveling cowhands (Nicholson, Cameron Mitchell & Tom Filer) who are wrongly targeted by vigilantes out to apprehend a gang of murdering robbers. Cutie Millie Perkins has a peripheral role.

The best thing about this barebones independent Western is its mundane realism where it comes across as a docudrama. While it's slow and sometimes dull, the subtext concerning vengeance and mistaken indictment is interesting. When the three protagonists come across a body hanging from a tree at the beginning it's a grim omen of things to come. Nicholson had a great grasp on lifelike Old West discourse. "Ride in the Whirlwind" is pretty much on par with its more surrealistic sister film "The Shooting," which was shot immediately after this one and at the same general locations.

The film runs 82 minutes and was shot in Kanab & Paria, Utah.

GRADE: B-

Made in tandem with another Monte Hellman directed western called The Shooting, and Jack Nicholson heading up the script here, a short and intriguing little film was born. Nicholson's script is the reason I watched it and while it's not necessarily groundbreaking, it's nice to see Jack in a western. Set over a couple of days, the story progresses extremely well with really no padding, each scene serves the purpose of setting up further action or giving us insight into these weird characters who are caught in one of the worst situations imaginable in the old west. Definitely looking forward to seeing other movies where Nicholson is behind the script or the camera and not filling up my screen with his insanely infectious energy that makes me love him so much.

In an episode of 'The Monkees' in which Rupert Crosse featured there was a typical running gag when the camera would cut to Crosse looking into the camera and incredulously interjecting "Who writes this stuff?"

In this, the first of two westerns Monte Hellman filmed back-to-back a bearded Crosse had his question answered: none other than Jack Nicholson (also later to write for 'The Monkees').

More a home invasion film along the lines of 'The Petrified Forest' - with a conclusion that anticipates 'Reservoir Dogs' - rather than a conventional western, the only principals the two films have in common are Nicholson himself in a more conventional role than his part in 'The Shooting', while Millie Perkins says so little Nicholson at one point actually declares "You don't say much!"

If I had to explain with complete certainty why Ride in the Whirlwind is better than average it wouldn't be very easy because on the surface it seems average through and through. It was made obviously for bargain-basement prices (I think director/co-producer Hellman once said that he didn't think anyone would see the westerns he made in the 60s), yet with that, and within the simple confines, there's a freedom in other ways too. On the surface it seems like a cowboy story gone awry, as cattle herders Jack Nicholson and Cameron Mitchell, along with another partner, are on their way to Waco and come upon a cabin occupied by Harry Dean Stanton (in total 'bad-ass' mode with an eye-patch) and his gang (who previously robbed a stagecoach and killed a few of its passengers), and neither want any trouble so they settle for the night. The next day, of course, a posse has discovered Stanton's gang's whereabouts, and there's a shootout. Somehow, Nicholson and Mitchell (not the other partner) sneak out during the shoot-out, but are of course mistaken for being part of the gang, and are sought out to be strung-up.

What makes this simple premise- of cowboys falsely accused of pillaging and murder- more interesting than anything else is the consistent sense of dread and of the romantic sheen of more popular A-list westerns being stripped away. Since B-movies, not just B-westerns, concern more-so the basics of the characters, Hellman and writer Nicholson (who with this and the Trip shows that he actually isn't a bad writer with original material) dig into the fatalism tapped into both sides, of the posse and the prey. Some of the best scenes come up in the time that would usually be called the filler, when Nicholson and Mitchell hold up at a farmer's house and try and get their mind off of the situation with little distractions- Wes (Nicholson) checking out the horses, the two of them attempting a checkers game, trying to sleep- and what isn't said or the extra meaning behind the matter of fact dialog means a good deal. There's also the aspect to their not really being a sense of true justice, as the posse have taken it upon themselves to go after these men; you know just looking at these barely one-dimensional figures that all they want is a hanging done, no more no less.

I'm not sure how much allegory could be drawn from the picture, though on a first viewing sometimes the stilted acting by the supporting players drew away from that (there's also a practical lack of wit from the screenplay, which is appropriate but nears being a little bland for its own good). And while it doesn't dig into the complete heels of the western genre like a later John Ford or Leone movie, or even Unforgiven, Hellman's film is a cut above many other westerns that would settle for conventions being without any challenges to the situations. The climax of the picture doesn't come as too much of a shock to those who've seen their share of genre material, but it was the best way to end the picture: it's not really a happy ending, in spite of the 'riding off into the sunset' shot. There's no hope in this world, not on any side, even if complete justice is not sought. Short and succinct, this is one of those flicks to see in the one dollar bin at the video store, if only for Nicholson and Stanton's eye-patch.

I heard for years about RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND not only because it stars a then-unknown Jack Nicholson but also because it was often overplayed on a TV channel where they air only movies and every Monday they air westerns, so I knew I had to see this one. And when I finally saw last December, it didn't went over my expectations but it was worth a watch.

It begins with Wes (Nicholson), Otis and Vern (Cameron Mitchell) that pass near an hanged man, and soon after they go in a cabin with three men. After a while a posse comes near the cabin and starts shooting... because Wes, Otis and Vern didn't knew that the three men were wanted and after Vern is shot, Wes and Otis will go separately with Wes managing to survive until the end of the movie.

The settings in Utah were great and the acting good on a whole, and there were various edge of your-seat moments up until the epic ending. Not an outstanding western but still a very watchable one.

Innocent cowboys, including Cameron Mitchell and Jack Nicholson, stop for food and rest at a cabin that unknown to them, is the hideout for a group of outlaws.

Soon they find themselves on the run from a vicious hanging party and having to take teenage Millie Perkins and her family hostage in order to buy themselves some time.

Good performances, direction by Monte Hellman, and an unbelievably tense script by Jack Nicholson help make this a thriller worth watching.

The finale is absolutely heart-wrenching!

A great independent western filmed simultaneously with The Shooting (also with Nicholson and Perkins), this is considered the lesser of the two, though not by much. Both films are fantastic.

'Ride in the Whirlwind' is second one of the existential westerns Monte Hellman directed, this one was written by Jack Nicholson who also starred in it. It was shot back to back in location of Utah with Hellman's 'The Shooting' also starring Jack Nicholson. 'Ride in the Whirlwind' is much more action packed and traditional western than 'The Shooting', but the philosophical roots are still deep.

Three cowpunchers, Vern (Cameron Mitchell), Wes (Jack Nicholson) and Otis (Tom Filer), accidentally stumble on the hideout of outlaw gang led by Blind Dick (Harry Dean Stanton). The gang had previously robbed the stagecoach and killed its driver. When the trio of unfortunate cowboys show up at their door, neither of the groups want any trouble so the outlaws allow cowboys rest a night at their land. At the morning they find themselves surrounded by vigilante hanging party and the trio of cowboys are mistaken to be part of the outlaw gang. The chase begins. At the wrong place at the wrong time till to the end.

Viewer will get the taste of hopelessness when we see innocent men fleeing from lynch mob who are after blind justice and we never get to rest from the unfairness of the situations they are thrown in. The posse is not there to discuss thing out, they want blood, their own justice. 'Ride in the Whirlwind' is not meant to sentimentalize Wild West, it just expresses the cruel bleakness of frontier. Even when hiding themselves from posse, Wes and Vern start to play checkers out of boredom. Wild West wasn't exactly blazing saddles all the time. It is a tale of loneliness, unfairness and hopelessness.

'Ride in the Whirlwind' does not pack as much tension as 'The Shooting' and it is much straightforward film although its abrupt ending leaves the taste of uncertainty behind. Still, it is very cool acid western that shouldn't disappoint the fans of the genre, Monte Hellman or Jack Nicholson. Style with substance.