Watch Ride in the Whirlwind For Free

To me, this movie is perfection.

People are voting emotionally.

A lot of fun.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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.

Just seen this early Nicholson's work. I have to say that visually, this is a very nice B movie, but its' story is absolutely killing it.I found this film to be both traditional and non-traditional at the same time. I watched this film because I am interested in Jack Nicholson's early works, but I was interested by the story of horse thieves and mistaken identities. I fear it is too simple story even for 82 minutes. 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 in this movie, just ordinary men struggling against the elements for survival. No one has an easy life, neither homesteader nor outlaw.

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

Ride in the Whirlwind (1967)** (out of 4)Low-budget Western was co-written by Jack Nicholson but I think overall it proves that we're very thankfully he didn't give up acting to concentrate solely on writing. In the film, three men (Cameron Mitchell, Nicholson, Tom Filer) end up spending the night with an outlaw gang and briefly considering riding with them but instead decide to go their separate ways. This doesn't pay off when an angry posse think they're involved with the gang and begin to hunt them down. This film was shot at the same time as Hellman's THE SHOOTING and both films seem to have gained a huge cult following over the years but I can't honestly say I'm one of the fans. There's a lot to admire in both films but in the end I think both fail to live up to their reputations. I think the biggest problem with this film is its screenplay that never really seems to know what it wants to be. The first half of the movie comes off as your typical Western of three men being mistaken for someone they're not. Fair enough. The second half of the film dives a bit deeper and tries to be more psychological but I think this is where things start to get watered down even though an interesting third party (played by Millie Perkins) enters the picture. I think the film tries way too hard to be deep and mysterious and this is where the thing starts to fall apart. I found a lot of the dialogue, which was meant to be deep and serious, to wonder on and never really go anywhere. Thankfully the movie never gets too dull as Mitchell and Nicholson make for an interesting duo and their personalities alone keep the film moving. Perkins is pretty good in her role and we have an early appearance by Harry Dean Stanton as a one-eyed member of the bad gang.