Along the Great Divide

This was Kirk Douglas's first western and the first time I have seen it. The plot concerns a federal marshal (Douglas) who saves an accused cattle rustler (Walter Brennan) from a lynching as he is also suspected of murder by the victim's father. Brennan swears he is innocent of the killing. Douglas takes the man in to stand trial. However he meets some opposition from the man's feisty daughter (Virginia Mayo).

The title would make you think this may be a routine western adventure, but it is actually a tense, dark little psychological drama. This came out the same year as two other iconic Douglas performances, as the bitter cop in Detective Story and the heartless reporter in Ace In The Hole. Here he is a no nonsense but fair minded lawman and another fine addition to the list of great performances he has.

Other notable things about it is the direction of Raoul Walsh, who keeps it tight and suspenseful. He is reunited with Virginia Mayo who appeared in one of his best remembered films White Heat just two years ago, she shows a lot of spunk and toughness in this part. Walter Brennan plays another one of his wily old coots, but since we don't know for sure if he is guilty or not, there is some danger to his performance as well.

Tough, up-right, and by-the-book Marshal Len Merrick (Kirk Douglas) is forced to transport a murder suspect (Walter Brennen) across an unforgiving desert with a lynch mob in pursuit. Whatever tension the film builds is wasted as Merrick repeatedly does foolish things (spending a night in the accused's house, allowing the potential killer's daughter to tag along (after she's pulled a gun on him), taking the pistol but not the cartridges from a potential threat etc.) but the biggest weakness is the blatantly obvious 'real killer', which makes the ending painfully predictable and unrewarding. Raoul Walsh was a great director but this oater, while beautifully filmed, suffers from a cliched script, unbelievable characters, and a lack of attention to detail. I'm not a huge fan of Douglas's clenched-tooth style of toughness but he's OK (as is Walter Brennen) but John Agar (who later would dominate the goofy world of low-budget '50s sci-fi) is out of his depth and Virginia Mayo is completely unconvincing as Brennen's tough ranch-girl daughter (and half of a contrived shoe-horned-in love story). All in all, a weak start to Douglass's extensive career in westerns.

Along the Great Divide is directed by Raoul Walsh and written by Walter Doniger and Lewis Meltzer. It stars Kirk Douglas, Virginia Mayo, John Agar, Walter Brennan, Ray Teal, James Anderson and Morris Ankrum. Music is by David Buttolph and cinematography by Sidney Hickox.

U.S. Marshall Len Merrick (Douglas) and two deputies rescue suspected murderer Tim Keith (Brennan) from a lynch mob led by a local cattle baron who is convinced that Keith killed his son. The lawmen embark on a hazardous journey across the rugged terrains, determined to get Keith to Santa Loma for a fair trial...

Kirk Douglas' first Western is something of an undervalued treat. It was a film he didn't enjoy making, where working out in the desert with Raoul Walsh proved something of a cross to bear. Yet the director got a very good turn out of Douglas, allowing the actor to put down a marker in the genre that would serve him well throughout his career.

It sits very much in the psychological Western realm, a fact that some critics of the time failed to grasp - since complaints about not being a standard Oater were floated about! It really shouldn't have surprised anyone given that Douglas had already made a handful of superb film noir pictures, he was surely cast for this pic on the strength of his noir characters.

There's big father issues abound in the whole film, the various strands keeping the narrative edgy. Merrick is a damaged man, and his companions that make up the group will all test his metal to the max. Not just for father issues, and a lack of water, but also via the presence of Keith's daughter, Ann (Mayo), who mercifully isn't just a token female dressage character (she's feisty with believable emotional outpourings). It's a fraught journey for many reasons and Walsh, notwithstanding cheesing Douglas off, keeps it deftly wound tight.

The surroundings offer more troublesome discord to envelope the characters. Shot in gorgeous black and white by Hickox, the Alabama Hills and Mojave Desert locales provide barren landscapes that are juxtaposed with threatening looking rock formations. This often at times feels like an Anthony Mann/James Stewart landscape, which is high praise indeed. While the cast can't be faulted as they bring the drama to life, benefiting from the fine research of writers Doniger and Meltzer.

Undeniably the film's major drawback is the lack of whodunit worth. The pic unfortunately plays its hand far too early in this respect, meaning we know who the killer is. This could have lessened the excitement at story end, damagingly so, but we are never sure if we are going to be party to an Ox-Bow Incident or otherwise. This is well worth seeking out for fans of psychological Westerns, the many Oedipal themes and the scorching landscapes ensure it's a tasty little number. 8/10

I caught this on the Grit channel a few weekends ago and while I don't really watch Westerns, I really enjoyed this movie. I didn't know Kirk Douglas was around long enough to be in Black & White movies!

It's a solid movie with undertones of "obeying the law" vs "doing what's right".

Ah yes...the classic Western which when done right lives in the hearts of every Western lover. This one has it all. Cowboys, the law, a love story, outdoors, cattle and frontier justice. What we tend to forget but are reminded thanks to Westerns like these that it was no cake walk back then and life was not given to anyone on a platter. You had to work hard and long and even then who knows what can or would happen living out-there in the wilderness and on the edge of civilization. Kirk was made for Westerns as we find out in future movies as he went on to star in some pretty nice stuff. Walter Brennan is a guaranteed good time as the man captured every role he ever played no matter where you put him. Add some horses, some other familiar faces and we are being entertained no problem. Imagine going to see this for the first time in the big theater. Its a slow-popcorn eating movie with a tasty drink all the way to the end with some chair-gripping scenes along the way complimenting the title Along The Great Divide. Mount-up on this one and lets all head back to the ranch fore supper time. Enjoy pards