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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.

This is the western Walsh made after "Colorado territory"("White heat" which is "Colorado'"s follow up is a masterpiece but not a western- and it nearly matches its brilliance.A rather short movie,it's an action-packed story which never loses momentum.Beginning with a very tense situation (a lynching) it remains suspenseful and absorbing all along the great divide.The characters are wonderfully depicted and any of them could be the subject of a movie.This is like" Colorado 's territory" or "pursued" ,an intellectual western.The hero,Merrick ,carries the weight of his father's death.Kirk Douglas gives a fine performance ,being in turn nice or unpleasant.What's really fascinating is that his tragedy is about to happen again:his prisoner may be innocent and he will have another fault on his conscience.Pop Keith (Walter Brennan) and his daughter Ann (Virginia Mayo who was at the time Walsh's favorite actress:she's in the two movies I mention above as well) are an endearing couple:the girl is a strong personality -the part was tailor-made for Mayo-while his papa is a resigned old man,whose favorite weapon is nothing but a ditty which he knows reminds Merrick of his past he cannot forget.One can go as far as saying that Merrick sees Keith as a father who returned from the grave.Another relationship father/son is also featured: Roden who demands Keith's head because he thinks that he killed his son Ed-"I buried my heart in the grave" he says- and his second son ,the ugly duckling.Roden speaks of his late offspring as a perfect boy .

Walsh's movie raises many questions .Sometimes we wonder where justice really is and who is on the right side of the law.This exciting western deserves to be upgraded

Federal marshal Len Merrick (Kirk Douglas) rescues cattle rustler Tim "Pop" Keith (Walter Brennan) from a lynching by rancher Ned Roden who believes that he killed his son. Merrick intends to take Keith to Santa Loma for a real trial. Roden and son insist on getting revenge. Keith leads the party home where they are ambushed by his daughter Ann (Virginia Mayo).

I love me some Kirk Douglas. This has some good tension although it could heighten it even more. First, it's understandable that Merrick and his men took Pop lightly at the beginning. It's unlikely after Ann starts shooting. They should be tied up much earlier on especially in Pop's own home where he could have a gun hidden anywhere. As for the tension, I like Merrick with only one deputy. Two seems too many and it lowers tension because his situation is not as precarious. Overall, this is a solid Kirk Douglas film for any of his fans.

Colorful western wonderfully photographed in black and white on location in Arizona . Beautifully filmed , though little known Raoul Walsh film . Kirk Douglas' first Western has the usual horse opera cliches supported by magnificent cinematography by cameraman Sidney Hickox and thrilling musical score by David Buttolph. A U. S. sheriff named Len Merrick (Kirk Douglas) and two deputies (John Agar , Ray Teal) rescue a cattle rustler called Tim (Walter Brennan) from a lynch mob led by a local cattle baron , Ed Roden (Morris Ankrum) , convinced that the rustler also killed his son. Then the Marshal and deputies make their way across the desert with Tim and his daughter (Virginia Mayo) . Along the way they hold storm , betrayal and pursuits against a spectacular desert backdrop . A Marshal whose hide no bullet could touch...and the girl who got under his skin!. "Who's the prisoner now, law-man?". An adventure that avalanches from the bullet-proof of the Rockies to the fiery desert floor ! .

His enjoyable film with an unusual detective element to the plot , containing noisy action , crossfire , formidable villainy , go riding , relentless chases , and gorgeous Arizona locations . A paronamic western , being spectacularly screened ; as the plot is plain and simple but little by little results more complicated and surprising , in which a sheriff must bring a falsely accused murderer to trial . This movie has a compelling combination of fine performances , intense drama , crossfire and spectacular outdoors . Director Raoul Walsh aims for psychological realism with a contemporary treatment and about an upright sheriff who has a dark past . A blending of talent actors with great leading players of whom Kirk Douglas holds the best character as the obstinate Marshal who'll stop at nothing to get his purports . Along with the alwys great Walter Brennan as a suspicious killer father , they are the key factors that lift this Warners Western above the ordinary . The hothouse plot drives mercilessly forward with action , shootouts , thrills , attacks and turns . The tale is strong one and the yarn is marvellously located against a background of Arizona and California mountains . Very good main and support cast giving hard-driving acting , standing out Virginia Mayo as the lady in distress and Morris Ankrum as the stubborn pursuer ; in addition notorious secondaries as John Agar , Ray Teal , Hugh Sanders , James Anderson, among others.

Blazing and gorgeous cinematography by Sid Hickox shot on location in Mojave desert , Yuma , Arizona , and Alabama Hills, Sierra Madre Mountains , California. The motion picture was competently directed by Raoul Walsh . Direction in the capable hands of Walsh who ensures that the pace is surprisingly nice and action scenes hit hard . From his starts in the silent cinema he achieved successful films until the 50s and forward , early 60s , when he was less dominant , but is still stayed lots of lusty adventure , stories of comradeship and friendship , and Raoul Walsh usually makes the most of plentiful action scenes . Walsh was an expert director of all kind genres but with penchant for Western such as ¨Colorado territory¨, ¨They died with their boots on¨, ¨Along the great divide¨, ¨Saskatchewan¨, ¨King and four queens¨ , ¨A distant trumpet¨ , ¨The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw¨ ; Adventure as ¨Thief of Bagdad¨, ¨Captain Horatio Hornblower¨, ¨World in his hands¨, ¨Blackbeard the pirate¨ , ¨Sea devils¨ ; Warlike as ¨Objetive Burma¨ , ¨Northern pursuit¨, ¨Marines let's go¨ ; and Noir film as ¨White heat¨, ¨High Sierra¨, ¨They drive by night¨, ¨The roaring twenties¨. And this acceptable ¨Gun Fury¨, rating : 7/10 ; fairly straightforward movie and acceptable Western adventure . This decent Western film will appeal to Raoul Walsh enthusiasts.

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.

Man accused of murder and rustling is taken on a perilous journey of several days duration. While on the trip to jail, the lawmen were plagued by a lynch mob, the rustler's willful daughter, and the dry, harsh terrain. After finally getting the man to trial, a final surprise awaited the marshal.

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

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.

The title of this film is misleading; it is a desert fable, and has nothing to do with mountains. It could have been titled Desert Justice or Law and Water. However, it is entertaining despite being extremely preachy about law and order and vigilantism. Not as dramatic as The Ox-Bow Incident or any decent desert film, it stil delivers the goods as a solid B Western because of Douglas and Brennan, who both have enough talent to make any B movie watchable. Almost the shortest appearance on film by Brennan of all time. Enjoy.

Len Merrick, a US marshal, and his two deputies rescue an elderly farmer named Timothy Keith from a lynch mob. Keith is something of a disreputable character and freely admits to being a cattle rustler, but the leader of the mob, a local rancher named Ned Roden, indignantly denies that he would seek to take a man's life for a few head of cattle. He believes that Keith is guilty of a much more serious crime, the murder of Roden's son Ed who has been found shot in the back. In view of the seriousness of the allegation against Keith, Merrick agrees to take him to Santa Loma to stand trial, but this does not satisfy Roden who wants to kill Keith with his own hands, not leave the task to the public hangman.

The rest of the film tells the story of the journey to Santa Loma and of Keith's trial. Merrick and his deputies are pursued across the desert by Roden and his gang who are determined to administer their own brand of justice and who would have no compunction about killing Merrick in order to do so. Keith himself does not make the task any easier. Although he claims that he is innocent of the murder charge, he clearly does not believe that he can expect a fair trial in Santa Loma because he is continually trying either to escape or to persuade Merrick to set him free. He clearly does not realise that it is only the presence of the three lawmen which protects him from Roden's rough justice. Further complicating factors are the fact that Merrick is forced to take Roden's other son, Dan, as a hostage and the presence on the journey of Keith's beautiful daughter Ann. Merrick and Ann fall in love, but their romance is a difficult one because she believes passionately in her father's innocence whereas Merrick believes him to be guilty.

This was Kirk Douglas's first Western. Although he was to make many films in this genre during his long career, few of the ones which I have seen really rank among his greatest, apart from the modern-day "Lonely Are the Brave" and, possibly, "Gunfight at the OK Corral". "Along the Great Divide" does not really qualify as a great film either. The plot is a complex one, and at times too much so for its own good. The whole romantic subplot between Merrick and Ann is one of the complications which could easily have been omitted, but the producers evidently wanted to see a pretty girl in what would otherwise have been an all-male film, and in the early fifties few young actresses were prettier than Virginia Mayo. Walter Brennan seemed to specialise in playing irritating old men, and here he makes Keith the sort of irritating old man that audiences would quite happily have seen hanged, if not for murder or for cattle-rustling then for being a general pain in the ass.

This may not be a great film, but Douglas himself certainly gives an excellent performance. The film is a "psychological Western", one of a type which was becoming popular in the early fifties; in the next few years James Stewart was to make some great films of this type with director Anthony Mann such as "The Naked Spur" and "The Man from Laramie". Merrick is not a straightforward hero but a difficult, conflicted individual, torn by guilt following an incident in his past. His relationship with Keith is not eased by the fact that the old man reminds him of his father, with whom he also had a difficult relationship. His determination to save Keith from the lynch mob, even though he believes him to be guilty, is only partly due to a belief that any man, even an accused murderer, deserves the due process of law. It can also be seen as an attempt to confront his feelings of guilt and to make amends for the incident which gave rise to them. Douglas's performance gives the film a greater psychological and moral complexity than it might otherwise have had and lifts the film above the level of some of his more run-of-the-mill Westerns like "The Big Trees" or "The Indian Fighter". 7/10

The 1950's brought us a lot of great Westerns - The Naked Spur, High Noon, Man of the West, 3:10 to Yuma, Shane, Vera Cruz and others. Unfortunately this is not one of them despite the hand of the Great Director Raoul Walsh. No it is not bad but overall this is a routine western - straightforward story - Old guy wrongly accused of murder (Walter Brennan), taken by Marshall (Kirk Douglas) for trial, chased by rich rancher (Morris Ankrum) whose son was killed, Marshall has hots for old guy's daughter (Virginia Mayo) despite all the tension between them. It does have its moments and a good cast despite all the western clichés and Kirk Douglas's clenched teeth. Enjoyable though and wrapped up in a tidy 88 minutes.

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

The Marshall is about the dumbest I ever saw. He makes a judgement call in the beginning to take on a crowd who wants to hang a killer. Even if they are wrong. the guy is a rustler. In the west, the mob is the law. Another plot is how fast he falls in love. The whole movie is full of a bad script.

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".

Along The Great Divide marked Kirk Douglas's western debut. Fortunately he made several more and they were a whole lot better than this one.

Douglas is a federal marshal who with his deputies John Agar and Ray Teal breaks up a lynching of Walter Brennan who is accused of rustling and killing the son of cattle baron Morris Ankrum. Douglas arrests Brennan and brings him back for trial. It's the journey back across the desert that's marked by ambush and betrayal with Brennan maintaining his innocence in the homicide. Along for the ride is Brennan's daughter, Virginia Mayo.

Kirk Douglas proved to be a natural western star and he's cast well as the determined federal marshal. Unfortunately he's hampered by an extremely improbable script as is the rest of the cast. Some of the B westerns of Tim Holt or Roy Rogers make a lot more sense than this one.

I won't give away the plot or the incidents involved, but Kirk should have died on the desert and Walter Brennan should have made it to Mexico.