Ride in the Whirlwind (1966)

“Vern” (Cameron Mitchell), “Wes” (Jack Nicholson) and “Otis” (Tom Filer) are regular cowpokes who happen upon the dangling corpse of a man recently lynched as they head towards a remote cabin for a night’s rest. What they don’t know is that the folks already in the cabin - “Blind Dick” (Harry Dean Stanton) and his gang, are also wanted by the same self-appointed posse and so it’s naturally assumed that they are all in it together. A brief siege ensues and in the mêlée “Wes” and “Vern” manage to escape - but have they really just jumped out of the frying pan and landed in a nest of angry rattlesnakes? Well first things first, they have to get hold of some mounts and so stopping by the farmhouse of the friendly “Evan” (George Mitchell) and daughter “Abigail” (Millie Perkins) might buy them some time, some food and maybe even some horses when their tenacious pursuers descend upon them. Now it is a straight chase, so what chance the two men can make a clean getaway? There is plenty of action here, but there is also plenty to think on too as this quite creatively critiques the principles of vigilante rules of law. Proving guilt or innocence isn’t relevant to those pursuing and no amount of protesting is going to save their bacon should they get caught. Nicholson wrote this and he keeps the dialogue tight and focussed as their adventures look like they are becoming more and more perilous, and it is by no means certain they they will be riding off into the sunset at the end. Personally, I thought Mitchell the better actor and I could have done with a little more from Stanton too but as it is, this is still a competent western as much fodder for the mind as for the holster.