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This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

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

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

We are up in the snowy mountains near Aspen, we are in the company of the brooding and feuding Bridges family. Their inner fighting is not the only thing blighting their lives, a panther is on the loose and as it kills all in its way, it becomes evident that it's also symbolising something deep and foreboding.Track Of The Cat is directed by the highly accomplished William A Wellman and adapted by A.I. Bezzerides from the novel written by Walter Van Tilburg Clark. Hauntingly eerie and dripping with a sense of unease, it's however more triumphant as a technical piece than it is a story driven one. Wellman had long wanted to make a colour film while only working from a black and white palette, he does it here and in my humble opinion the result is gorgeous. With William H. Clothier's CinemaScope cinematography brilliantly bringing the Mount Rainier location to life {the only way to watch this is in widescreen}. All they needed was snowy weather, and they got it, and then some! With an interesting point of reference to the weather being that lead man Robert Mitchum {Curt Bridges} stated it was the hardest shoot he ever worked on. Some scenes are truly magnificent, atmosphere drips across the sparse snowy ground, with dark trees seemingly waiting to attack the small framed actors, a burial sequence viewed from the POV of the dead is sumptuous, in short the picture looks gorgeous, but what of its core story and acting heart?Frankly the story is guilty of being over talky, whilst we marvel at the surrounds and buy into the sense of dread that hovers throughout, we are subjected to what can only be described as over written waffle. I actually wish I had read the novel prior to viewing it now. The extension of talk would have been easily forgivable if the pay off via the panther itself was impacting, but sadly we are robbed of a crescendo ending, something Wellman would later say was an error of judgement {he is rumoured to have disowned the film at one point}. Of the cast, Mitchum is good, moody and bully like, watch as he baits Diana Lynn {poor} as Gwen Williams, while William Hopper puts in a fine turn as Arthur Bridges. Of the rest, well they are solid enough, tho Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer as a very aged portentous Indian raises an unintentional laugh. After plodding around like a decrepit old crippled specimen throughout the picture, he suddenly turns into an Olympic 100 meters champion at the film's finale! Yes it's safe to say that Track Of The Cat is a very odd picture indeed. 6/10

The film deals with the stark realities of an isolated ranching family pitting itself against the forces of nature an early winter snowstorm, and the ravages of a wild panther… Mitchum's character, Curt Bridges is on the hunt and also struggling to survive… If we meditate the way he measures it, we see how his mind begins more and more to wander and less and less able to focus… We see him more and more aware of pain and discomfort… His hope comes and diminishes and departs and then returns… So there's an unceasing sense of doom in those sequences that simply were hunting… The brothers represent different approaches by man to nature… Curt wants to dominate nature, wishes to control it… Arthur is just the opposite… He is so gentle and understanding that he can't deal with nature… He doesn't have the hardness that Curt has… And there's Harold who was the successful one because he has enough strength to deal with harshness of nature… The Indian is the one who believes in the cat as a myth, as a mystery and as something almost sacred… Because of the legend of the cat he has Arthur carve wooden cats out every year to avert danger… Now this is a very sterile family… The old man only deal with life through drink and through remembering the past… The mother is a very unlikable woman… She is manipulative, and she simply wants to be heard… You don't see any love interests or connections except for the younger brother… Fear is very much a part of "Track of the Cat." It is the foreboding, ever-present backdrop really to the drama

Robert Mitchum (as Curt) stars as bullying, titular head of the arguing Bridges family, electing himself over both parents, and brothers Tab Hunter (as Hal) and William Hopper (as Arthur). In the dead of winter, the family is threatened by a marauding mountain lion; the animal must be destroyed before it eats the Bridges family. Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer (as "Chief" Joe Sam) is the Bridges' ranchhand; the mountain lion killed his entire family some years ago.This is an exceedingly slow-moving and pretentiously written "psychological drama". The direction (William A. Wellman ) and photography (William H. Clothier) might be its most interesting feature. The Bridges' home is decorated in blacks and whites, but shot in color; this highlights the actors' complexions, and an occasional symbolic item, like Mr. Mitchum's red jacket. Due to the "black and white in color" gimmick, or in spite of it, the film looks beautiful. But nothing can MOVE the "Track of the Cat" story, making the the film merely an interesting experiment. Beulah Bondi (as Ma) and Teresa Wright (as sister Grace) might fascinate fans. Surprisingly, Tab Hunter offers the film's leading performance; emerging as the film's focus. ***** Track of the Cat (11/27/54) William A. Wellman ~ Robert Mitchum, Tab Hunter, Teresa Wright, Beulah Bondi

A disturbingly dysfunctional family is at the heart of TRACK OF THE CAT, which tries to impose symbolic significance on the threat of the creature that is being stalked by the two oldest brothers. But the tale, filmed in monotonous B&W style with only highlights of real color allowed, is somber, tedious and talky.The performances are standard except for Mitchum who does a believable job as the loutish oldest brother. TERESA WRIGHT, DIANA LYNN and TAB HUNTER do fairly standard work, under William A. Wellman's slow-paced direction. It's a stark and brooding story of an isolated farm family living in a remote area and haunted by the symbolic "cat" of the title. Photographed in muted WarnerColor with effective background music by Roy Webb, its somber wintry atmosphere is well captured in the opening scene but becomes tedious before the story reaches a midway point because a real connection with the troubled characters is never really made.All the cast members have done better work elsewhere. It's hard to believe how matronly and severe TERESA WRIGHT became for this role, only a few years beyond her delicate work as a leading lady in many films of the '40s. WILLIAM HOPPER is effective as Mitchum's outspoken brother.All the interiors are filmed in a style that seems more like a filmed play than a film. BEULAH BONDI as the embittered mother manages to give some gravitas to the story. ROBERT MITCHUM gives his usual sturdy and colorful performance as the oldest son hellbent on tracking a killer cat. TAB HUNTER as the weakest younger brother has less to work with.A fairly interesting, harsh, character-driven tale that should have been much more effective with better dialog and family dynamics.