Ride in the Whirlwind/The Shooting

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This DVD includes 2 movies, 2 cartoons and some old-fashioned TV commercials, all for one low price. Ride in the Whirlwind-a western opus starring and written by Jack Nicholson. When a group of cowboys stumble upon a band of desperadoes hiding from the law, they're not sure if they should shoot it out or just get on their horses and move on. The Shooting-Produced by and starring Jack Nicholson, an offbeat low budget Western offering up superior performances from an all star cast.

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Tough, laconic Western
SEE THIS WITH "THE SHOOTING"
ride the whirlwind
Existential - Whatever That Means

Ride in the Whirlwind
Starring: Cameron Mitchell , Millie Perkins , Jack Nicholson , Katherine Squire , and George Mitchell (II)
Director: Monte Hellman
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004W5VD
Release Date: 2000-10-31

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Three cowhands, between jobs, have the bad dumb luck to pitch night camp in the same valley as a cabin full of guys who just robbed a stagecoach and killed the guard. Come morning, a posse arrives, forms up along the ridge, and takes for granted that everyone down below is guilty--fit for either shooting to bits or hanging from a tree, whichever comes first. Precisely half of Ride in the Whirlwind's 82 minutes is devoted to tapping the matter-of-fact, absurdist horror of that situation. In the remaining half, the two surviving cowpokes (Jack Nicholson and Cameron Mitchell) seek shelter at a farmhouse where they reluctantly threaten the farmer, accept breakfast from his wife, flirt with his daughter (Millie Perkins), play some checkers, and hope to remain undetected till nightfall.

Somehow, when people speak of the two existentialist Westerns that Monte Hellman made on a single trek into the desert in 1966, Ride in the Whirlwind never gets as much attention as The Shooting. All right, so it doesn't star Warren Oates (though it does have Harry Dean Stanton, Oates's clear successor as sainted American character actor), and Jack Nicholson's screenplay isn't as infatuated with arty enigma or coffeehouse-quaint dialogue as Adrien Joyce's Shooting script. But of the two, Ride arguably cuts deeper as a meditation on things Western, and it's surely the one that would bring nods of recognition from a Parnassian review board comprised of William S. Hart, Harry Carey, and the various casts of The Virginian.

Unforgettable, unbelievable, yet of course entirely believable Zen moment: H.D. Stanton, mere seconds before holding up the stagecoach, steps behind a rock to take a leak. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews:

Tough, laconic Western.......2002-04-01

Jack Nicholson wrote the screenplay for this little gem, and in the dialogue he captures the flavor of life at that time perfectly. While too much time is spent on the shootout in the first half of the film, the second half more than makes up for that, as Jack and Cameron Mitchell--two cowpokes unlucky enough to be too close to an outlaw gang--hole up in a sodbuster's cabin.

The sodbuster, an old guy, lives with his wife and daughter, played by Millie Perkins, and as Jack says about her, "You don't talk much." True. In fact, nobody does in this film, but that's just fine. Because it's the atmosphere that counts here, and Monte Hellman, the director, gets that just right. I found Hellman's The Shooting somewhat pretentious and the ending was just plain weird. But Ride in the Whirlwind is the kind of Western that resonates a lot more--it FEELS like you're there; it feels like you can talk to these people. They won't say much, but what they will say counts for a lot.

Nicholson is fine as Wes and Cameron Mitchell equally strong as his partner Vern. As Blind Dick, leader of the small outlaw gang, Harry Dean Stanton puts in another of his strong, straight-ahead performances. The shootout is between the outlaw gang and a vigilante posse that's out to get the gang after the latter have held up a stagecoach.

One thing that makes this Western so strong is the small, dusty, lonesome life that all the main characters lead. The sodbuster and his family live in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. The cowpokes ride together, but they're removed from anyone else. The outlaw gang similarly hangs out in an isolated shack, and the vigilate posse, all men, ride wherever they think there's outlaws; one of them, seeing Abigail for the first time (Millie Perkins) mentions to his partner that she's a "cute piece" and that he'll be coming back to have a meal.

This lonesomeness is what pervades Ride in the Whirlwind and what makes it so compelling. It's a short (82 minutes) film, but well worth watching, if not owning.

SEE THIS WITH "THE SHOOTING".......2002-01-03

In the spring of 1965, Roger Corman, the king of profitable, low budget movies, helped produce (without credit) two amazing films that have achieved legendary cult status. Now, thanks to VCI Home Video, Monte Hellman's "THE SHOOTING" and "RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND" are available on DVD in pristine, widescreen transfers. The films should be seen together. They are subtly connected in many ways. Perhaps even insubtext and theme.

Both films star a then unknown Jack Nicholson and super starlet Millie Perkins and were shot simultaneously on location in Utah for the modest amount of $150,000. Nicholson also wrote and co-produced "Ride in the Whirlwind." It is the straightforward tale of the making of a bad man and features on target performances from Cameron Mitchell, Harry Dean Stanton, Rupert Crosse and Katherine Squire among others. After accidentally happening on a group of outlaws, and getting caught in the crossfire by a sheriff and his posse, Wes (Jack Nicholson) is mistaken for one of the gang and escapes. But, in order to defend himself during his flight, has to start killing. By the end of the film he has become a legendary and mythic figure. Quentin Tarantino, a big fan of Hellman, has called this "one of the greatest films ever made."

In the The Shooting, former bounty hunter turned miner Gashade (Warren Oates) returns to his diggings to find one of his partners, Leland, dead, his brother Coigne gone, and his third partner, Coley (Will Hutchins) holed-up in a nearby cave. Soon, a mysterious woman (Millie Perkins) materializes out of nowhere and offers Gashade a huge sum of money to guide her on a journey he soon realizes is a manhunt.

The quirky screenplay is by Adrien Joyce, the odd pen-name of the brilliant screenwriter Carole Eastman who wrote the acclaimed "Five Easy Pieces" which also stars Nicholson.

What "The Shooting" is actually about is anybody's guess. It has been called an existential western, or anti western. The super low-budget enforced a minimalist, almost surrealistic style that is terrific and timeless. The stark outdoor locations add immensely to the mood and of this this strange, enigmatic story that seems to reflect mid 60's paranoia and disillusionment.

Since their initial release, both films, though seldom seen, have become critical favorites, and have attained cult film status here and in Europe. Both discs include an entertaining and revealing commentary by director Monte Hellman and actor Millie Perkins with additional informed commentary by American Cinematheque programmer Dennis Bartok.

ride the whirlwind.......2000-08-25

wow ! i saw this movie years ago ! can't remember very well, but remember that it was one of the best performances of Cameron Mitchell ! (i am a big fan of him !) the movie is as far as i remember about friends who got fals accused for something and got hunted ! and about sacrifice ! watch it !

Existential - Whatever That Means.......2000-08-13

This western has been called existential, a term liberally used in film reviewing, and I'm not sure I know the correct usage of the word. But I like this film a lot. Made by a colourfull man named Monte Hellman who hasn't made a lot of films, this is one of his most unusual. Made in 1967, back to back with another film, The Shooting (also worth checking out), Jack Nicholson, Tom Filer & Cameron Mitchell, are being pursued by a posse who have mistaken them for thieves. Hellman's film are often about characters who are aimless, well, maybe not aimless, but they end up going nowhere, and this is no exception, as they climb a hill/mountain that goes up and up....one of the characters remarks "Shame to do all of this walking for nuthin'". Damn straight. They discover a cabin, where a grown daughter (Millie Perkins) and her mother suffer in servitude to the old man. Odd things happen. The film is wonderfully odd, minimilist (not by choice), it was made on a low budget, but the minimilism adds to the often unsettling atmosphere. Film is full of great dialogue, such as "It's peculiar to sit here playing chequers while a bunch of men want to string us up" Wes replies "Why don't you put a tune to it?". Highly recommended for fans of Existentialism!

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Ride in the Whirlwind

Manufacturer: Ace Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002HMKHC

Product Description

From back cover, "Jack Nicholson and Monte Hellman star in this timeless cult classic, written and produced by Nicolsen this western tells the tale of how an innocent man becomes an outlaw. Three cowboys are in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and are mistaken for a gang of robbers by a band of vigilantes. Two of the cowboys are killed and the last is forced to become an outlaw himself, if he is to stay alive."

The Great Western Collection: Ride in the Whirlwind Vol 2

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The Great Western Collection: Ride in the Whirlwind Vol 2
Starring: Jack Nicholson
Manufacturer: Wpoe Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001I552E
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Ride in the Whirlwind [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]

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Ride in the Whirlwind [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]
Director: Monte Hellman
Manufacturer: Reel
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000EIXPFK

Product Description

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), SYNOPSIS: Director Monte Hellman and writer-star Jack Nicholson filmed this western simultaneously with The Shooting (1967). Nicholson stars as Wes, cowpuncher pal to Vern (Cameron Mitchell) and Otis (Tom Filer), who have all been hired as hands for a cattle roundup. En route to their new jobs, the men come across the handiwork of a lynch mob. Later, they find hospitality at the home of Blind Dick (Harry Dean Stanton), who graciously provides them with food and shelter. The cowboys are unaware that Blind Dick and his men recently robbed a stagecoach and murdered the driver. A sheriff (Bradon Carroll) and his posse surround the cabin and hang the thieves. Though innocent, the terrified cowboys flee. Otis is killed, but Wes and Vern escape -- with the posse in pursuit. When they stop to rest at the ranch of Evan (George Mitchell), Wes considers taking Evan's daughter hostage. Trying to steal Evan's horse, Vern is killed by the rancher, who in turn is shot by Wes. Once a law-abiding citizen, Wes has been transformed by unjust vigilantism into a killer. Fascinated by frontier era journals that he discovered in an L.A. library, Nicholson used the documents as inspiration in writing the script.

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