Friday, November 15, 2013

THE DEADLY COMPANIONS 1961 (MILL CREEK)

Excellent Sam Peckinpah western.
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Brian Keith is a man who accidentally kills a woman's son during a gun battle with outlaws and tries to make up for it by leading the funeral procession thru dangerous Indian territory. Along for the trip are his two "friends" played by Chill Wills and Steve Cochran and both do an excellent job.

The woman, Kit Tildon, is played by gorgeous Maureen O'Hara and she steals the movie as the tough yet very tender woman who comes to understand and even fall in love with Keith's rugged character. Peckinpah does well with his first feature film as director and his love of the western genre is evident here.

Cochran and Wills are perfect in their roles as totally slimy men who want nothing more than to have money and O'Hara as their own. Others in the cast include Strother Martin (a staple in many Peckinpah films), Will Wright and Billy Vaughn. I know there are better prints than the one I saw on Mill Creek and if you like Westerns I suggest you seek this one out.

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