Kirk Douglas and his chin do some wonderful stuff. The first half is especially great with the contrasts of the frontier spirit and encroaching civilization, but when it turns into a high tension slow motion chase it starts to drag. There are still a lot of god moments in that second half, but it feels like it could have been so much more.

Based on a novel by Edward Abbey, the film projects the expected dismay over the disappearing American West, but often feels like it doesn't have enough to say leading to long stretches of leaden redundancy. The stark ending spells out the thesis too overtly, especially given the way its particulars have been baldly forecast the entire film in the presence of an otherwise inessential subplot.

The wonders of New Mexico's natural beauty are magnificently represented. Aside from that more personal adoration, it's also a pretty great movie. The old trope of "a man out of his time" is uniquely represented here; Douglas portrays a cowboy straight out of the 19th century, seemingly stunned by highways and ultimately a victim of the strange bureaucracy that has overtaken his beloved land. There are also a slew of great performances from Gena Rowlands, George Kennedy, and Walter Matthau.

Novelistic and unusually elegant for '62. Matthau and Douglas are great, Rowlands, Kennedy, and Archie Bunker round out a fine supporting cast. The opening ten seconds are as witty and touching as anything I've ever seen in a western.

starts out pretty decent, but just gets worse as time goes on and then the ending just ruins it, seriously it was a pretty stupid ending, even if it's supposed to be a metaphor.

Very fine film about the changing world, the death of the Old West and the fading of the iconoclast. Kirk Douglas pours on the charm as a selfless loner of the classic Western, a sympathetic, resourceful character, and his relationship with his horse is quite touching. The film is fatalistic yet surprisingly light with moments of humor. There's an interesting minor subplot with Carroll O'Connor as a trucker, the lone rider of the new age. Nice score and photography round out this gripping movie.

I want to like this film so bad, but it's just not there. Featuring one of the lamest running gags in cinema history