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6.8/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Ridin' Gents remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
So, Ridin' Gents. Is it worth tracking down today? Well, that depends a whole lot on *you*. If you're someone who loves old, dusty Westerns from way back, the kind that used to play on Saturday afternoons, then yeah, there's a certain charm here. You'll probably dig into the familiar tropes and the straightforward storytelling.
But if you're expecting some modern, gritty take on the West, or even something with a deep, twisting plot, you're going to be bored stiff. This one's for the purists, the folks who don't mind a slower pace and just want to see a good guy on a horse doing good guy things.
The setup is simple enough: a good-hearted rancher, played by Tex Palmer, trying to protect his spread from some kinda shady characters. You know the drill. There’s trouble brewing with water rights, maybe a land grab.
Edmund Cobb is reliably *grim* as one of the bad guys, looking like he’s got a perpetual sour taste in his mouth. His henchmen, especially Slim Whitaker, have this odd knack for just *loitering* menacingly. Not doing much, just… standing there. It's almost an art form.
Tex Palmer, as our hero, has this _earnest_ look about him that sells the whole 'good guy' thing, even when the situations get a bit silly. You really buy into his struggle, even if the stakes never feel *super* high. He’s not a flashy hero, just a decent sort trying to do right.
And the way they handle the villain, played by Edmund Cobb? He’s not some mustache-twirling caricature, not really. More like a guy who’s just *had enough* of everyone else’s nonsense and decided to be ruthless. His motivations aren't deeply explored, but you get the gist. He wants what he wants.
One thing I kept noticing was how much screen time Starlight the Horse gets. And honestly? Starlight pulls off some of the best reaction shots in the whole film. There’s this one moment where Tex is talking to Doris Hill, and Starlight just flicks an ear, almost like it’s listening in on their conversation. A small detail, but it really stuck with me. 🐴 Kinda makes you wonder what horses think.
The action scenes are, well, *measured*. The big showdown near the end feels like everyone waited for their cue, almost too polite. You see guys tumble off horses and it’s pretty clear they landed on something soft. The gunshots? Sometimes they sound like cap guns, other times they're surprisingly loud. And then there’s a moment where a henchman gets hit, and he just kinda *looks surprised* before falling over. No real dramatic flair, just a 'welp, guess I'm done' kinda vibe. *Hilarious*, almost.
Betty Burbridge’s script keeps things moving, mostly. But there are spots where the dialogue feels like it’s just filling time. Lafe McKee, as the wise old timer, delivers his lines with such a slow, measured cadence, you could probably take a sip of your drink between his sentences. Bless his heart, he sells it, but *man* is it deliberate.
And the love story element? It’s there, it’s sweet enough, but it doesn't exactly light up the screen. More of a polite nod than a passionate embrace.
I did find myself smiling during a scene where Tex Palmer has to sneak into the bad guy’s hideout. He's supposed to be stealthy, right? But his spurs are clinking so loudly you wonder how anyone *doesn’t* hear him coming. It’s a small, almost accidental comedic beat that brightens things up.
There's this one scene where Tex and his sidekick, maybe Jack Perrin, are riding through a canyon. The light hits just right, and for a second, it’s genuinely _beautiful_. Then they start talking about something mundane, and the magic kind of fades. It's those fleeting moments, though, that stick with you.
The film doesn't waste time on long, drawn-out backstories. Everyone just *is* who they are. You learn enough to know who to root for and who to hiss at. Which, honestly, is sometimes all you need in a movie like this. No need for complicated family trees or dark pasts. Just get to the horse riding.
And the final resolution feels a little bit too neat, like everything just snaps into place a little *too* easy. Almost like they ran out of film and just said 'cut!'
Honestly, what stuck with me most wasn't the plot or any grand performances, but those wide shots of the landscape. They really capture that old Western feeling, even if the print quality is a bit rough these days. You can almost feel the dust, can practically taste it. And the sun just _blazing_ down. It’s quite something to just take in.
And the climax, it's a bit of a scramble. There’s a lot of running around, some rocks get pushed over, and then it’s all tied up. It feels a bit like they had a checklist of 'Western climax tropes' and just went down it. _Boom_, done. The final shot is pretty iconic though, with Tex riding off into the sunset. You almost expect a 'The End' title card to linger a bit longer.
Is it a classic? Nah. Is it a *bad* way to spend an hour if you're into this kind of thing? Also nah. It just *is*. A solid, no-frills entry into the genre that delivers pretty much what you’d expect. No huge surprises, no deep emotional resonance, but a pleasant enough ride if you’re in the mood for some old
IMDb —
1917
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