After honing his writing skills on small, independent documentaries, and getting experience as an assistant director on major box-office hits such as The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) and Bullitt (1968), Walter Hill became a real force in Hollywood with the screenplays for Sam Peckinpah’s The Getaway (1972) and The Drowning Pool (1975). By the 1970’s, his success s a screenwriter had led to a career as a director.
Hill has said in an interview, “Every film I’ve done has been a Western.” He elaborated in another, “The Western is ultimately a stripped down moral universe that is, whatever the dramatic problems are, beyond the normal avenues of social control and social alleviation of the problem, and I like to do that even within contemporary stories.”
1980 saw Walter Hill direct his first proper western, The Long Riders. Set in post-Civil War Missouri, the story centers on the Younger’s headed by Cole (David Carradine), Jim (Keith Carradine), and Bob (Robert Carradine), brothers Jesse (James Keach) and Frank (Stacy Keach) James, and Clell (Randy Quaid) and Ed (Dennis Quaid) Miller begin with robbing banks. It’s not long before Ed Miller’s itchy trigger finger results in some dead bodies. “You’re through Ed, you ain’t gonna ride with me no more,” says Jesse, suffering from his own bullet wound. Jesse may be a criminal, but he doesn’t want innocent people killed. With Ed dismissed from the group, the gang begins robbing stagecoaches and trains. After the killings, and a stagecoach and train robbery, several impassioned Pinkerton agents are assigned to catch Jesse James and his gang. When the agents kill to innocent members of the James-Younger family, Jesse takes revenge, forcing the group to disband in order to avoid arrest. In the end, the gang reunites for one more ill-fated robbery. The lead detective Mr. Rixley (James Whitmore Jr.), hires the Ford brothers, Charlie (Christopher Guest), and Bob (Nicholas Guest)—tough guy wannabe’s that were denied entry into James’ gang—to kill their one time idol.
Written by four screenwriters, the best aspect of the script is the fact that each character is given their own arc in the story—however small—and Hill works hard to make them seem like real people, rather than caricatures from history books. They are portrayed as loyal men who ask questions, and value family and friends. There’s no question that James and his men are very violent, but they also have a unique kind of moral compass.
The novelty casting of several sets of real-life brothers does and doesn’t work. Yes, the family resemblance makes it easy to buy these guys as brothers, but some of them just aren’t right for their roles. James Keach, dead-eyed and stoic just isn’t charismatic enough as Jesse James. Sadly, Christopher Guest, of Spinal Tap fame, is relegated to playing Charlie Ford, while his brother Nicholas, who’s primarily a voice actor, is cast as the cowardly Robert. The only perfect casting decision is David Carradine as Cole Younger. With unkempt hair and a soul patch, David is exceptional as the self-indulgent gunslinger, who has a hot and cold relationship with a feisty prostitute named Belle Starr (Pamela Reed).
Hill worked with Sam Peckinpah on several occasions, and like the famed director, Hill does not shy away from the violence and destruction that James’ gang wrought. Hill’s commitment to realism makes The Long Riders an impressive and interesting contribution to the western genre.
Framed in the theatrical ratio of 1.85:1 and presented in 1080P, the picture looks quite good. While the title sequence is on the soft side, colors are bright and vibrant without appearing oversaturated. Flesh tones appear natural. Black levels are very good with effective shadow detail. Dust particles pop up on a few occasions, but it’s nothing that interferes with the overall viewing experience.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono sound mix is very typical of its era with the well recorded. The dialogue shares the track with plenty of ambient sounds, and Ry Cooder’s twangy, effective score. Despite the mono encode, the soundtrack has impressive heft and no age-related artifacts such as hisses, or hums to distract from the overall presentation.
The only special feature on this disc is the film’s theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:25).
