---
title: "Ride Lonesome"
year: 1959
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/ride-lonesome"
fi1m_id: "ride-lonesome"
imdb_id: "tt0053220"
tmdb_id: 27644
wikidata_id: "Q759459"
fi1m_score: 83
critics_score: 76
critics_reviews: 4
published: "2026-09-25T08:48:34.219129+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-25T08:48:54.522830+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Ride Lonesome (1959)

Directed by Budd Boetticher · 1h 13m · Western

## Identity

Ride Lonesome

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/ride-lonesome
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** ride-lonesome
- **IMDb ID:** tt0053220
- **TMDB ID:** 27644
- **Wikidata ID:** Q759459
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053220/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/27644, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q759459

**Fi1m score: 83** · Critics 76 (early) from 4 reviews

*In a sentence:* Randolph Scott looks as though explaining himself would make matters worse

> Budd Boetticher’s spare Western is tense, quietly moving and well worth an evening. Randolph Scott anchors the lean storytelling, although a few brief scenes push harder than the otherwise measured performances need.

## Synopsis

Ben Brigade (Randolph Scott) is the central figure in this Western chase story. The other principal characters are Mrs. Carrie Lane (Karen Steele), Sam Boone (Pernell Roberts) and Billy John (James Best), alongside Frank (Lee Van Cleef) and Whitt (James Coburn). Directed by Budd Boetticher from a screenplay by Burt Kennedy, *Ride Lonesome* is a 1959 film running for 73 minutes. Charles Lawton Jr. handles the cinematography, with Jerome Thoms editing and music by Heinz Eric Roemheld.

## Review

*Ride Lonesome* is a spare, affecting Western, and we recommend it with one reservation: its occasional overplayed moments are less convincing than its quieter acting. Budd Boetticher keeps the chase moving without neglecting the people involved. At 73 minutes, there is little room for anything that does not earn its place. The film still gives Randolph Scott, as Ben Brigade, time to interest us without explaining every feeling.

Burt Kennedy’s screenplay is the first reason this works. The dialogue is sharp without constantly asking to be admired, and its economy leaves the actors room to suggest something beyond the immediate business of the chase. There is pleasure in hearing a line land and being allowed to move on. For the most part, Budd Boetticher understands that this writing needs clear delivery and a little patience, without further help from the director.

We were moved by how little Randolph Scott gives away as Ben Brigade. His restraint makes us watch more closely, and what might have seemed an unresponsive performance becomes the reason to care. It helps that he does not appear to be competing with the story for our attention. We sense the effort of keeping feelings under control, without needing the actor to advertise that effort at every opportunity.

James Best, as Billy John, and Pernell Roberts, as Sam Boone, provide welcome changes of mood. Both performances make an impression without requiring the screenplay to stop and introduce a separate drama around them. Their presence also means that Randolph Scott need not supply every variation in tone. The cast can carry a brisk story and still leave us curious about the people in it, which is harder than simply making each character recognisable.

Charles Lawton Jr. makes good use of CinemaScope, giving the eye more to do than wait for the next speaker. The width encourages us to look across the picture, an important pleasure in a Western this short and spare. Jerome Thoms keeps the cutting economical without making the film feel impatient with its actors. We have enough time to register a performance, rather than merely collect the information needed to understand the next scene.

The music by Heinz Eric Roemheld is less central to the film’s appeal than its confidence in faces and dialogue. Our reservation concerns the brief scenes that press too hard: the drama becomes less persuasive when the emphasis grows conspicuous. Budd Boetticher is so measured elsewhere that these moments feel out of place. They interrupt the mood, but they do not undo the care with which the rest is handled.

The bleakness is worth stressing, because the brisk running time might suggest an easier evening than this offers. By the standards of the compact Western, it is unusually attentive to the feelings its leading performance keeps in check. We would not ask for a longer film, though we would welcome the same restraint in every scene. Watch it for the actors, and give Randolph Scott the attention he declines to demand.

*Fi1m score 83, published 25 September 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is Ride Lonesome worth watching?**

*Ride Lonesome* is well worth watching for its tense, spare storytelling and Randolph Scott’s quietly affecting performance, and we score it 83 out of 100. Its 73 minutes suit anyone after a compact Western with sharp dialogue and feeling held in check, though the mood is bleak and a few overplayed moments disturb the otherwise measured acting.

**How long is Ride Lonesome, and what is it rated?**

*Ride Lonesome* runs 1h 13m. It is a western film.

**Where can I watch Ride Lonesome in the US?**

*Ride Lonesome* is streaming on Tubi, The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

### Reviews we read (4)

- **Time Out**, TM (85/100, inferred): The review calls it one of the best Boetticher/Scott Westerns. It praises the film’s bleak, autumnal mood, comparing it to Ride the High Country. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/ride-lonesome)
- **Radio Times**, Tony Sloman (4/5): Sloman considers it one of the finest westerns in Boetticher and Scott’s cycle. He praises the efficient screenplay, taut dialogue and exemplary use of CinemaScope. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-mqvrs6/ride-lonesome/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Carson Lund (70/100, inferred): Lund treats Ride Lonesome as a suggestive, emotionally rich entry in Boetticher’s Ranown Westerns. He especially praises Randolph Scott’s restrained performance and the film’s haunting image of pyrrhic victory. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-ranown-westerns-five-films-directed-by-budd-boetticher-review/)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (70/100, inferred): The review finds the chase melodrama engaging, though some brief scenes overreach. It singles out James Best and Pernell Roberts for standout performances. [Read](https://variety.com/1958/film/reviews/ride-lonesome-1200419339/)

## Details

- **Director:** Budd Boetticher
- **Director:** Budd Boetticher
- **Writer:** Burt Kennedy
- **Cinematography:** Charles Lawton Jr.
- **Editor:** Jerome Thoms
- **Music:** Heinz Eric Roemheld
- **Producer:** Randolph Scott, Budd Boetticher
- **Cast:** Randolph Scott as Ben Brigade; Karen Steele as Mrs. Carrie Lane; Pernell Roberts as Sam Boone; James Best as Billy John; Lee Van Cleef as Frank; James Coburn as Whitt; Bennie Dobbins as Outlaw (uncredited); Roy Jenson as Outlaw (uncredited)
- **Runtime:** 1h 13m
- **Release (the US):** 11 February 1959
- **Genres:** Western

## Where to watch in the US

- Tubi: free, hd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-25.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, EC, FR, GB, IN, MX, NZ, PA, PE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Gunfighter* (1950): Another restrained Western about the difficulty of escaping a reputation for violence.
- *The Tall T* (1957): Another lean Western where conversation reveals how dangerous the company has become.
- *The Shooting* (1966): A small travelling party makes the open country feel increasingly difficult to escape.
- *The Great Silence* (1968): Snow replaces dust in a Western with an even bleaker view of justice.
- *The Proposition* (2005): A harsher Australian Western that makes family loyalty an ugly practical problem.

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/ride-lonesome