Ride the Man Down (1952) User Reviews (8)

Boundaries are not fixed things

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 20 April 2017]

For a B western Ride The Man Down packs a lot of plot in its 90+ minute running time. It's a range war western, but it's complicated by the fact that several of the characters are really working their own agendas. It opens with the death during a blizzard of the death of a man who owned a large cattle spread.

He must have been a most strong and charismatic man holding his range together where boundaries apparently are not fixed things. His daughter and heir Ella Raines has lost a lot of her hands and relies now on foreman Rod Cameron to protect her interests. Cameron himself has ridden roughshod in the past over a lot of people to keep that land for his late employer.

Cameron's chief antagonist is Brian Donlevy, but Cameron has a lot of other enemies that only now are coming out because they think the local Ponderosa can't defend its interests any longer.

Besides those mentioned Ride The Man Down as an impressive cast list of familiar players like Forrest Tucker, Barbara Britton, Chill Wills, Taylor Holmes, Paul Fix, Roy Barcroft, Jim Davis, J. Carrol Naish, and Douglas Kennedy. All perform with the usual professional polish you would expect from this group. They all look western comfortable in their parts. Most have been in lots of westerns before others can adapt anywhere.

Ride The Man Down is a most adult western for a studio that churned out horse operas by the dozens every week for its Saturday afternoon kids. They watched their cowboys on television now and Republic now did its westerns for their parents. This one pretty good.

Commendable film with many well-known Western actors

[Marlburian · 7/10 · 11 March 2018]

Several offerings of this film are available on YouTube, and I'm surprised that so far there are only two reviews here on IMDB - and these sum up RTMD very well indeed.

The cast includes many well-known and not so-well-known actors from 1950s Westerns, all of whom acquit themselves well.

As has been suggested, there was a lot of plot crammed into 90 minutes, and the number of characters' names was such that I had to concentrate to work out who was who. And there were quite a few localities named.

The fight between Rod Cameron and Forrest Tucker was one of the most impressive I've seen in films of this period, and Ella Raines as Celia Evarts acquitted herself very well against the roughs who invaded her home.

The final shoot-out in the dark seemed short, almost to the point of being anticlimactic.

But overall a good Western.

fast paced Republic western by Jo Kane

[happytrigger-64-390517 · 7/10 · 18 June 2020]

"Ride the man down" is a pleasant fast paced western about a ranch war with lot of characters played by a great casting (Jim Davis, Brian Donlevy, Forrest Tucker, ... and the punchy Ella Raines) with tough Rod Cameron as the defender of the purchased ranch. Always great photography by Jack Marta, especially at night. And Ella Raines character, as tough as a man, is the best (but I love her in every of her movies), don't miss her fight.

A power void....and someone is sure to try to fill it.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 3 June 2019]

This western from Republic has a very good cast. While few A-list names, a lot of familiar and accomplished actors appear in it, including Brian Donlevy, Rod Cameron, Forrest Tucker, Ella Raines, Paul Fix, Chill Wills, and J. Carrol Naish. Sadly, however, the print I found on YouTube was severely yellowed and the color is less than stellar.

When the story begins, the tough boss of the Hatchet Ranch has died unexpectedly. Now there's a new boss, a lady, and the future of the place is in doubt...especially since Bide Marriner (Donlevy) vows to take what he wants! Can the ranchhands of Hatchet Ranch manage to hold onto what they've worked for all these years? Or, is it time for everyone to tear the ranch apart and take the cattle?

This was a difficult movie to watch only because so many people seemed to have their own agenda and figuring out who were the good guys wasn't too easy! Still, with so many good B-list actors (far more than you'd usually expect in a film), you can't go wrong with this one.

Competant Republic Western With Large Cast of Familiar Faces!

[bsmith5552 · 7/10 · 18 March 2018]

"Ride the Man Down" was one of Republic Pictures "A" prestige westerns of the period in Trucolor of course. It has a larger than normal cast of familiar faces.

Big time cattle rancher Phil Evarts (Stanley Andrews) perishes in a winter snow storm leaving his ranch, Hatchet to his brother John (James Bell) and his daughter Celia (Ella Raines). Foreman Will Ballard (Rod Cameron) tries to keep the ranch together. You see, the ranch is composed of several pockets of free grazing land that neighboring ranchers covet .

Rival ranchers Bide Marriner (Brian Donlevy), Sam Danfelser (Forrest Tucker), Harv Garrison (Douglas Kennedy), Ray Cavanaugh (Paul Fix) and Kennedy (Jack LaRue) plan to move onto Hatchet land with their cattle. Danfelser is engaged to Celia Everts while Ballard is romancing Lottie Priest (Barbara Britton) daughter of storekeeper Lowell Priest (Taylor Holmes). Sheriff Joe Keen (J. Carroll Naish appears to be sitting on the fence between the two sides. John Evarts is murdered and the ranch falls to Celia. Sam Danfelser hopes that now he will be able to control Hatchet.

Saloon owner Red Courteen (Jim Davis) also has an interest. He convinces Priest to invest in Garrison's herd. Ballard meanwhile continues his efforts to save Hatchet with only crusty old Ike Adams (Chill Wills), the ranch cook Chris (Chris Pin Martin) and two young rawhiders Mel and Jim Young (Al Caudebec, Royden Clark) to help him.

Danfelser becomes jealous of Ballard and sides with the other ranchers led by Marriner. Ballard meanwhile, has shifted his attentions from Lottie to Celia. The other ranchers pursue Ballard forcing him to hide out. Finally there is a showdown between Ballard and Danfelser and.........................................................................

Competently directed by Republic's in house director Joe Kane, the film has plenty of action and excellent performances from the principles. Donlevy is given top billing over Cameron probably because of his name value. Also in the large cast are western regulars Roy Barcroft, Harry Woods Marshall Reed, Harry Cheshire and Claire Carleton.

Woman not in fluff rolls

[Bgappl07 · 8/10 · 25 March 2020]

I am a long time fan of westerns I got it from my father when I was gosh from two years old on he loved them all the TV shows & the movies This movie totally pleasantly surprised me the plot was a typical western good plot but the roles for the women; -I was not familiar with Ella Raines she's not the most beautiful nor the most "curvaceous" but she plays the part of a woman running a ranch even the woman Lotte who is supposed to be more feminine "curvaceous" was also a strong character you just didn't see this in westerns actually in many films we still don't see it today so all in all characters plot calibre of acting layout it was a very satisfying western movie.

Complex A-quality western, with many topnoch actors.

[weezeralfalfa · 8/10 · 5 June 2018]

As the few other reviewers, at this point, have said, this Trucolor full feature-length Republic western packs a lot of complexity and drama, plus a little romance into it's 90 min.. Basically, it's a version of the common plot of a range war between a big ranch and a bunch of small late comers. But, in this case, it's the cattle baron, who's being besieged by a number of squatters, who want to take advantage of the death of the former owner of the Hatchet ranch: Phil Evart. The ranch is now being run by Evart's brother John(James Bell) , and his daughter Celia(Ella Raines), who are seen by the squatters as weaker than Phil in fighting to maintain their position. However, the foreman of the ranch, Will Ballard(Rod Cameron) is determined to keep the ranch intact. Toward attaining this goal, Will has a number of prime enemies, including Ray Cavanaugh(Paul Fix) Bide Marriner, (Brian Donlevy),Red Courteen(Jim Davis), And Sam Danfulser(Forrest Tucker).Each of these will die separately, shot by Will or one of his associates. Most were trying to kill Will or his associate at that time. Apparently, Will only has his old standby Ike(Chill Wills). the cook, and 2 new young cowpokes(Mel and Jim Young) to run his ranch. Entirely too few! There is also Sheriff Joe Keen(J. Carrol Nash) to help with either side. This situation is made more complex by the fact that the Hatchet ranch has traditionally used several stretches of public open range, as well as its deeded land to graze its cattle. It's these open range regions that the others want to fence in as their own. When Hatchet owner John rounds up the cattle of the other ranchers, Ray Cavanaugh shoots him in the back. Will's assocation with Sam is complicated by the fact that Celia is Sam's girlfriend, while Lottie Priest is Will's girlfriend. These associations will change before the end of the film.. My least favorite aspect of the film is the finale shootout between Sam and Will plus Celia. It was done in near total darkness, and you had to guess the outcome from what Will and Celia said at the end.....I note that a blizzard on the plains in 1888 is most remembered, whereas the scripted date is 1892...Brian Donlevy and Forrest Tucker are two charismatic mostly supporting actors who often played villains. Chill Wills, as Ike, was a recognizable supporting actor in many westerns, over a long timespan. He also was the voice of Francis, in the movie series "Francis the talking Mule" J. Carrol Nash, who played the Sheriff, was a 'black' Irishman. He was a longstanding supporting actor, often portraying swarthy ethnics, who were often villains. However, he sometimes added humor......Barbara Britton, who played Lottie, was in the occasional western, sometimes, as in this film and "Albuquerque", she was the 'bad' girl. But, she was most famous as 'the Revlon girl'......Ella Raines(Celia) was in a few westerns. I most remember her as the dangerous wild cat in the John Wayne western "Tall in the Saddle". The present film was about the end of her Hollywood time, as she switched to TV series......Enjoy this unduly forgotten western at YouTube.

Above average Republic western

[searchanddestroy-1 · 6 August 2023]

Rod Cameron was for Republic Pictures and Joseph Kane in particular the equivalent of Randolph Scott was for Andre De Toth, Edwin Marin or Budd Boetticher. And here, Rod Cameron has his usual and faithful pal Forrest Tucker. They often played together, with also the usual villain Jim Davis, a long time before he became famous as Ewing family patriarch in DALLAS series. So this Republic western is above many of others because it is not a cabaret western, as was for instance JUBILEE TRAIL and many other of this kind, taking place in San Francisco with many music hall, Burlesque sequences and songs, often starring Vera Ralston, Herbert J Yates' s - Republic Pictures mogul - wife. So this one belongs to the list of westerns over ninety minutes made for Republic during the fifties, in Trucolor and full of excitment.