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The heavy-handed script of ALONG THE GREAT DIVIDE puts every possible obstacle in the way of a saintly sheriff (KIRK DOUGLAS) intent on bringing a suspected murderer to justice and away from the men who want to lynch him for killing a rancher's son.

The plot gets off to a good start with a lynching interrupted by good guy Douglas, who saves the neck of WALTER BRENNAN from the hangman's noose. But the plot gets a bit too thick by the time we encounter Brennan's fiery daughter (VIRGINIA MAYO) and the bad men who want to stop Douglas and his party from reaching a town where a jury can decide Brennan's fate.

Despite the gorgeous outoor scenery filmed in crisp B&W, there's a low-budget look to the night scenes filmed on indoor stage bound sets. Director Raoul Walsh keeps things moving, but the plot is so full of tiresome obstacles and shifting loyalties that the thirsty desert scenes seem to drag as the film nears its conclusion once the party has reached civilization.

JOHN AGAR is decent enough as Douglas' ill-fated sidekick but it's JAMES ANDERSON as the no good son (brother of the man Brennan is supposed to have killed), who manages to steal scenes with his shifty manner as the villain of the piece. Too bad his career was cut short by his premature death at 48.

VIRGINIA MAYO is improbably cast and her romance with Douglas is strictly full of clichés as they fight incessantly over his intent on bringing her father to justice. The story is pretty routine and even though the running time is brief, the film runs out of steam before the party reaches its destination in a nearby village so that the finale seems anticlimactic.

It remains an average western despite the good cast.

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

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.

Walter Brennen, three time Academy Award winner, and one of the greatest character actors of all time, is combined with Kirk Douglas for 88 minutes of action and drama. This is what a great Western is supposed to be! Gunfire, fistfights, and Walter Brennen almost getting his neck stretched, twice! One of my video guides says: "the pace is slow, but the scenery is grand". Most of the film was shot in the Alabama Hills, just west of Lone Pine, California. Over 300 movies have been filmed at the base of Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48 states. "Joe Kidd", "The Tall T" and hundreds more were made in those rocks that are so famous. Almost as famous as any actor. "Along The Great Divide" is a great ride, and lots of fun.