The Worst Film Ever

Great Film overall

As Good As It Gets

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

. . . of how to Make America Safe Again. RIDING SHOTGUN shows that towns in which everybody is willing and able to take pot shots at everyone else can really reduce their crime rates, even when plagued by felonious gangs. If firearms had been outlawed in the town of "Deepwater" before "Dan Marady's" gang of gun-slinging outlaws showed up, only Dan's outlaws would have had access to firearms after they had tricked the local lawmen into leaving town. Fortunately for the "Bank Club" casino--Dan's armed robbery target--Deepwater is an "open carry" settlement, in which everyone is armed to the teeth. (The good guys even keep "in practice" by shooting at EACH OTHER while waiting for the bad guys to show up! Fortunately, "Laconic Larry" is skilled at shooting guns out of the opposing duelists' hands when other good guys are firing at HIM!) RIDING SHOTGUN proves that Guardian Angels mostly keep good guys from getting shot in the USA, as long as they're allowed to be on a "level playing field" where everyone old enough to walk is packing a firearm. Certainly RIDING SHOTGUN can serve as a timely reminder to show your support Today for your local chapter of BANGS (Broke Americans Need Gun Stamps).

Riding Shotgun is directed by Andre De Toth and adapted to screenplay by Thomas W. Blackburn fro the story "Riding Solo" written by Kenneth Perkins. It stars Randolph Scott, Wayne Morris, Joan Weldon, Joe Sawyer, James Millican, Charles Bronson and James Bell. Music is by David Buttolph and Warnercolor cinematography is by Bert Glennon.Before he would make the Western movies with Budd Boetticher that would define him as a Western movie legend, Randolph Scott worked tirelessly in the genre. He would make 6 films with Ray Enright and 6 with Andre De Toth, all of these are good value for the Western fan. They vary in thematic quality, but production value was always decent and there was always Randy at war with some gruff or poncey bloke, nice location photography and of course some gorgeous ladies as well. That's enough for genre fans who happily take these movies on their required terms.Anyone else got anything to say?Riding Shotgun has Scott as Larry Delong, a man who spends his time "riding shotgun" as a stagecoach guard. He has an ulterior motive, though, he's constantly on the look out for a known outlaw, Dan Marady (Millican), and he wants him dead. Sure enough Malady is about the place and Larry falls into a trap and finds things spiralling so out of control, that by the time he manages to get back into town, practically everyone hates him and thinks he's part of Marady's murderous gang.Hate makes a man careless.Cue a scenario where Delong, who has been wonderfully providing us with a film noir like narration throughout (love the wry David and Goliath observation), literally has to make a one man stand against the dimwit townsfolk and also Marady and his henchmen who are fronted by twitchy gun Pinto! (Bronson). It clocks in at under 75 minutes, it's brisk, it has Scott kicking ass big time and it looks lovely (unsurprising with Glennon photographing).Is it flawless? God no! There's some distinctly below average acting around Scott (Morris/Millican), while Fritz Feld as the Cantina owner (erm, called Fritz) where Delong holes up, is annoying in the extreme. While as radiant and perky as Joan Weldon is, she's no actress capable of grabbing a scene and shooting electricity through it. But this type of Scott Oater is comfort food to genre fans who once in a while like to down pistols and relax away from the more serious genre fare. 7/10

Recognized in its day as two or three cuts above your standard western entertainment, Riding Shotgun has lost little of its original appeal. True, the characters are one-dimensional – and Randolph Scott is no longer the hero he once seemed to be – but the story – obviously influenced by High Noon – gains tautness by its likewise insistence in observing the Greek unities of time, place and plot. It's also very capably acted by some familiar figures like Joe Sawyer and Fritz Feld and some not so familiar at the time like Charles Bronson (in a small role as the memorable Pinto). Both director Andre de Toth and photographer Bert Glennon make good use of tracking shots, overhead angles and tight compositions which reinforce the nervy small-town atmosphere. Music (David Buttolph) and art direction (Edward Carrere) also well serve the director's ends in creating a mood of high tension, power and suspense.

I like the way this Western talked about human nature--a sign of an excellent film in this genre. For example, HIGH NOON and THE OXBOW INCIDENT are two of the very best Westerns of all time and they, too, investigate the mob mentality. Individually, people might be decent folk--put them in a group, and they all become instant idiots! I like this cynical aspect of the film and it makes this a standout film.Randolph Scott plays a man who is seeking a gang of killers who rob stage coaches. He's been searching for years and now is working for the stage riding shotgun--the most likely way to meet up with these men. However, in a boneheaded move, he is lured away from the stage in search of the gang--and they soon catch HIM. He is left for dead and the gang then robs the stage. Scott soon manages to escape but when he finds his way into the nearest town, they assume Scott is part of the gang--after all, he wasn't on the stagecoach when it was attacked (while Scott was bound and waiting to die). The town seems to be inhabited by morons, because when he tries to warn the folks that the gang is planning on returning (since he heard their plans), they ignore him and even try to kill him. No matter that what they think isn't logical or that they've made some big assumptions, the town is determined to kill Scott. So, much of the film he's hiding out--trying to keep from killing the idiots in self-defense as well as avoiding their bullets. In the end, when the real gang shows up, it's of course up to good-guy Scott to save the day....even though the town really isn't worth saving.While some of the film is a bit predictable and clichéd (such as Scott's unerring ability to hit the townspeople in the hand when they try to shoot him), it's much less than the usual film of this genre and watching Randolph Scott do his usual seemingly effortless performance make this film an exception to the usual Western fare. Plus, it's view of human nature makes this a transcendent film--one well worth seeking.By the way, Charles Buchinsky is in the film in a supporting role. This is Charles Bronson, for those of you who didn't know his original name and he's quite young here.