The Ranown Westerns
Six films directed by Budd Boetticher starring Randolph Scott effectively distill the western to its key elements.
I’d hardly call myself a western expert. The Dollars Trilogy only came into my radar since the pandemic started. Of Letterboxd’s Top 100 Westerns, I’ve only seen 21. For some reason, though, when I saw that the Ranown westerns would be coming to the Criterion Channel this month I was unusually intrigued to watch them. Perhaps it was the poster’s I vaguely recognized, or the existence of a leading man I’d never heard of before. In any case, when I went to San Diego for a week, and found myself strapped for time to fit in a movie a day, these lean 70-minute-ish westerns came to the rescue.
Decision at Sundown
Admittedly my least favorite of the bunch, if only because it features far less of the great landscapes Boetticher used so well in subsequent films. Instead, Budd opts for something more like a bottle-episode, as leading man Randolph Scott spends most of the film trapped at gunpoint in a stable after barging into town threatening to kill the soon to be married Tate Kimbrough for reasons relating to a tense past between them. What the film lacks in locations it makes up for in characterization beyond Scott and his antagonist. From Scott’s right hand man, to the sheriff, the doctor, and even Kimbrough’s mistress, no one feels like a cookie-cutter archetype, an impressive achievement given the film’s 77 minute running time.
Commanche Station
The conclusion to the Ranown cycle, this film is one of the simpler efforts, with Scott rescuing a woman from Native Americans and attempting to get her home in one piece. Along with tired vilifying of Native Americans, the bulk of the film’s runtime isn’t something you couldn’t get out of another entry. Some intrigue can be found in the film’s overall reflective atmosphere. With Scott’s conflict with the younger cowboys, the film feels as though it’s aware it’s passing the torch to the next generation of western filmmakers. All of this is capped off with a touching final shot of Scott riding into that iconic valley, music swelling as if the film knows this is the end to a larger whole.
Ride Lonesome
The first of the cycle that I watched, though towards the end chronologically so at this point Budd and Randy knew what they were doing. Much of my reverence for this entry comes from the novelty of it being my entry way, as well as the cinephile-specific pleasures it provides. Not only does it feature a young Lee Van Cleef but James Coburn makes his film debut in a supporting role. The story of a bounty hunter delivering a crook is nothing revolutionary, but you can see in this film perhaps more than any other entry the effort these guys were putting into making a quality piece of entertainment on a budget. Budd broke out the Cinemascope lenses and used the hell out of them but to compensate there’s plenty of day-for-night coverage to make a modern cinematographer groan. Lets us see more of that mythic west so I ain’t complaining.
Seven Men From Now
Revenge is a common theme throughout the Ranown westerns, this film being the best rumination of the series. Scott barrels through the valley, leaving plenty of dead bodies in his path seeking to avenge his wife’s murder. The people who join him along the way include a couple moving west (of the two Gail Russell is particularly memorable) and a couple ex-convicts including a young Lee Marvin who turns out to be the murder Scott’s been looking for all along (though almost anyone could see it coming.) Marvin absolutely chews up the scenery here like tobacco, perhaps a bit too obviously sinister, though his performance makes him the most memorable villain out of any of these films.
The Tall T
Of all the films my sister decided to join me for this was the one, and this was definitely the best for that. Westerns are known for being dude-central, and while this film is still predominately dudes, Maureen O’Sullivan as the “woman in distress” has a level of agency uncharacteristic of the genre though gladly welcome. Her and Scott’s escape plan consists of her using her sensuality to seduce their captors into a vulnerable position. Later, Scott gives her a gun and entrusts her with getting the final kill. She may not get it, but all her power gives this already strong story of a woman rescued a refreshing spin.
Buchanan Rides Alone
Not the film I was expecting to be my favorite of the bunch, but here we are. One of Scott’s more enjoyable protagonists to watch because he’s not driven by revenge or a bounty but out of a sense of morality. The titular Buchanan protects a mexican man from hanging at the hands of a corrupt cop by taking down the town’s monarchial family. With a premise ahead of its time, Budd achieves similar highs of characterization as he did with Decision at Sundown, the members of the family all distinct and corrupt in their own way. Finally, in spite of all that’s happening, there’s a good amount of humor to be found throughout, something missing in nearly all the rest of the series and the genre as a whole. A classic entertainment.
