the audience applauded

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

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-

A very Low-Budget, Alternative Western Penned by and Starring Jack Nicholson and Directed by the Minimalist and Philosophical Monte Hellman, this is Proof Positive that Quality, Engaging Movies can be Made by Thoughtful, Talented Movie Makers with just a Dab of Dollars.Along with its Sister Shoot "The Shooting" (1966), Neither Receiving an Initial American Release (Who was in charge of these things?), both Films are Now Considered Excellent B-Movies and have gained Cult Status.This one is more Bare-Bones in its Conceit than its Existential Other, it Works just as Well as "The Shooting", Just On a Different Plane of Existence. Jack Nicholson seems to Appreciate and Understand "Western Speak" and His Script, is Filled with Scant but Succinct, Spot On Dialog. When the Characters Talk it is from Experience and a Sort of Intellectual Insight. Their Words are Few but Meaningful Learned from the School of Hard Living.Cameron Mitchell is totally Believable as Nicholson's Riding Companion, and the other well Known Character Actor Harry Dean Stanton makes His Mark in a Small Role. But the whole Cast seems to be on the Film's Wavelength and All Contribute to the Experience and None Detract.Highly Recommended for Nicholson's Fine Script, Hellman's Sure Hand Direction, and a Cast of Truly Believable Actors Playing Truly Believable Characters. Everything Clicks and the Team of Independent Filmmakers Made a Western that has Stood the Test of Time and it would Not be Hyperbole to Call this a Minor Gem.

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.

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.