User reviews

Horizons West casts Robert Ryan and Rock Hudson as the Hammond brothers, Confederate veterans of the Civil War who take different lessons from losing the conflict. Rock just wants to go back and settle down with their parents John McIntire and Frances Bavier and make their cattle ranch pay. Robert Ryan does not like being on the losing side and wants to be rich and powerful.

Only problem is that Yankee carpetbaggers like Raymond Burr are grabbing everything in the South that's of any value. After a humiliating poker defeat from Burr, Ryan vows to get even and get Julie Adams who is Burr's wife and whom he takes a fancy to.

Budd Boetticher directed this and while Boetticher is more famous for some of the features he did with Randolph Scott, this one has a lot to recommend it. Ryan gives a powerful performance as a man twisted by both revenge and defeat. He does defeat Burr, but in the process loses his humanity and his family though he gains Adams for what good that does him in the end.

This western is also has a dubious distinction of boasting performances by James Arness and Dennis Weaver before they co-starred in Gunsmoke. Arness plays a Confederate veteran friend of both Hammond brothers who gravitates to Hudson. Weaver is another Confederate veteran who becomes Ryan's second in command in the rustling gang he first organizes in his quest for power.

Horizons West still holds up well for today's audiences. Recommended highly for western fans, Budd Boetticher fans, and Robert Ryan fans.

Horizons West is directed by Budd Boetticher with a story written by Louis Stevens. It stars Robert Ryan, Rock Hudson, Julia Adams, John McIntire, Raymond Burr & Dennis Weaver. It's a Technicolor production with Charles P. Boyle on photography.

It's the end of the Civil War and the Hammond brothers Neal (Hudson) and Dan (Ryan) return to the family ranch in Texas. Neal is happy to graft away on the ranch but Dan wants considerably more. But Dan's plans are altered after an encounter with Cord Hardin (Burr), an encounter that sees Dan switch to the wrong side of the law. A switch that drives a wedge thru the Hammond family, particularly since Neal has decided to don a badge and become a Marshal of Austin.

Interesting and watchable early Western effort from Budd Boetticher. It has some psychological aspects that mark it out as being above average. Themes of greed and family strife are of course nothing new in the grand scheme of the Western movie, but Boetticher and his cast knit them together here with some conviction, notably Ryan who was in the middle of a great run of movies that included On Dangerous Ground, Beware, My Lovely and The Naked Spur. There's no real complexities to the characters, but they are well formed, and the finale has the courage of its convictions. There's also some very neat period costuming from Rosemary Odell, with the quite ravishing Adams benefiting greatly there. The main problematic issues outside of some narrative familiarity come with being asked to believe that Ryan and Hudson (whose limp) are brothers, and that McIntire is Ryan's father (there's only two years between them in reality). Whilst there's sadly a lack of impacting outdoor photography; even if that's off set a touch by the easy on the eye set designs for the town by Russell A. Gausman & Joseph Kish.

A more than adequate time filler for the discerning Western fan. 6/10

After the American Civil War, the brothers Dan (Robert Ryan) and Neil Hammond (Rock Hudson) returns to their father's ranch H Circle in Austin, Texas with their friend Tiny (James Arness). The greedy Dan does not adapt to ranching again and has the intention of raising a fortune of his own. He borrows one thousand dollars from a friend and play cards with the wealthy Cord Hardin (Raymond Bur). However he loses five thousand dollars and Hardin humiliates Dan. He recruits dangerous deserters and other scum to form a gang, and together they steal the cattle of Cord and other ranchers. Dan raises a large amount and returns to Austin, telling that he made a fortune in New Orleans. When Cord kidnaps Neil to interrogate about the business of his brother, Cord's wife Lorna (Julia Adams) goes to the hotel and tells to Dan what is happening in the ranch. Dan goes to Cord's ranch and kills him in self- defense. He is judged innocent and sooner he marries Lorna. But his ambition is not satisfied and Dan uses the force to raise an empire. However, his father and Neil decide to bring Dan to the court with tragic consequences.

"Horizons West" is a western about greedy in the Post-Civil War dividing a family of ranchers. Robert Ryan is excellent, as usual, in the role of a man that loses his values in the war and returns cruel and ambitious. Julia Adams is very beautiful, wearing wonderful costumes. There are excellent lines in the dialogs and in the end this is an entertaining film. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Império do Pavor" ("Empire of Fear")

One of a number of interesting psychological westerns from the fifties though this isn't in the same class as the later Budd Boetticher/Randolph Scott westerns, (it's let down by a poor script and poor acting). Robert Ryan and Rock Hudson play brothers returning from the Civil War to the vanquished Confederate side. Ryan goes to the bad while the mealy-mouthed Hudson stays on the side of law and order and that's basically it. But Boetticher sets up a number of interesting scenarios that make the Ryan character far from a cut-and-dried villain, (late in the film there is even a little speech as to what turned him the way he is), and the familial relationships are nicely drawn.

Home from the Civil War, young Neal Hammond : Rock Hudson and his older brother : Robert Ryan are glad to return to Austin Texas ranching. However , brother Dan wants more and he takes over properties . As 2 brothers go their separate ways after Civil War , one leads a peaceful life as a rancher , but the other corrupted by the war engages in a violent campaign to build his own empire ,and carrying out terrorisation . His attempt to enter business is thwarted by carpetbagger Cord Hardin : Raymond Burr . But among the growing opposition to his band is the new sheriff , to become his his nemesis , his brother Neal, along with an old friend : James Arness .

It begins as a sluggish , slow-moving Western but follows to surprise us with complex characters , thrills , breathtaking patches and decent plot about two differen brothers ; as both of them end up on opposite sides of the law . The simple tale is almost rudimentary though full of clichés, as the monotonous script lines too often settle for crude routine . Suspense and tension builds over the time in which the outlaws and the starring await to take the farmer's lands . The action is decently made , as when the nasties shoot without remission and rustling cattle . The highlights of the film are the facing off between Robert Ryan and his enemies and the climatic showdown on the ending . Robert Ryan gives a nice performance as the ex-officer who forms a rustling gang and parlays his ill-gotten gains into a land empire . Rock Hudson provides a slighly laborious acting as new Marshal of Austin , but his interpretation is really eclipsed by the great Robert Ryan . His acting as the mobster-tycoon reverberates all the movie in a manner that sometimes anticapates ¨The rise and fall of Leg Diamond¨ considered to be Boetticher's the best . Support cast is pretty good , such as : Burr as as the nasty owner who beats and humiliates Ryan in a poker game , John McIntire as the honest father though he was only 2 years older than Ryan , James Arness , Dennis Weaver , Mae Clarke , Tom Powers , Douglas Fowley , among others.

It displays an atmospheric score by Herman Stein and Henry Mancini , both of whom uncredited . Colorful cinematography in Universal style by Charles Boyle . The motion picture was professionally directed by Budd Boetticher in ordinary and traditional wake.Still apprentice work , so don't expect anything quite so stylishly spare as the Randolph Scott/Boetticher cycle , but Burt Kennedy's intelligent scripting was probably the decisive factor in those later films . Boetticher formed a production company called ¨Ranown¨ along with Harry Joe Brown and Randolph Scott and as usual writer Burt Kennedy. The first Harrry Brown-Boetticher-Scott movie was 1956's " Seven men from now" , following ¨Decision at sundown(57)¨, ¨Buchanan rides alone(58)¨,¨Westbound(59)¨ ,¨Ride lonesome(59) ,in the decades since, they have produced and directed one Western ¨Comanche Station(60)¨ . Boetticher was a great expert on Western genre and also on the bullfighting world as ¨Bullfighter and the lady¨, ¨The magnificent matador¨ and ¨Arruza¨ . Rating : 6/10 . Well worth watching .

the best thing about this western is its title. the next best thing is its glorious technicolor imagery. the 'look' of this film makes it a classic western - fully lit western skies, iconographic star close ups of confederate soldiers and texas belles - richly textured in luscious technicolor. the title - horizons west - and the beauty of the images sum up the idea of manifold destiny and western expansion. curiously the narrative itself contradicts the look as elder brother robert ryan abandons the simple homestead lifestyle for the corruptly sophisticated attractions of town life. as younger brother (rock hudson)is pitted against older brother (ryan), there are suggestions of biblical undertones. hudson, now a deputy marshal, eventually hunts down ryan for murder thereby restoring the idea of honesty and integrity as part of western expansion.

Young Rock Hudson, seasoned Robert Ryan. Also a team up in later years on Gunsmoke James Arness and Dennis Weaver

"Horizons West" is the kind of unpretentious, fast-paced Technicolor western that Universal-International churned out in the 1950s. The pared-down narrative combined with tight cutting ensures that the movie proceeds briskly even though "Horizons West" was directed without any dramatic intensity. The basic narrative material could have been stretched out to 120 minutes or more, but director Budd Boetticher and editor Ted Kent brought the film in at less than 85 minutes.

Dan Hammond (Robert Ryan), his brother Neil (Rock Hudson) and their ranch colleague Tiny (James Arness) return to Texas from the Civil War. Neil and Tiny are content to return to their previous way of life, but Dan has much bigger ideas. He recruits a gang of army deserters and rustles cattle in a big way. He is very successful and expands into land grabbing and claim jumping. Soon money and success go to his head, and hubris clouds his judgement. Eventually his loyal and loving family turn against him and take it upon themselves to bring him down.

Robert Ryan was always a good, unshowy actor, and he brings out the many sides of Dan Hammond very well. John McIntire, another reliable actor, is also very good as the simple, unambitious father. Julia Adams for once is not given a peaches and cream part, and she too is successful at showing the different aspects of her character. Rock Hudson and Dennis Weaver are still at the beginnings of their careers, and their inexperience and lack of screen presence shows. As was so often the case in those days, Raymond Burr plays an unpleasant character and really makes the audience dislike him.

"Horizons West" is a very minor film and is unlikely to make it onto DVD, but if it appears on television, it is well worth watching.

UPDATE: A Region 2 DVD of this movie will be issued in France in November, 2008. It will have the original English language soundtrack with French subtitles.

I am not a thick skinned Western Film lover ( I like more softer edges ) and because of this - dare I say? - sensitivity I deplore the consistent man on man violence in this short and bitter tale of returning Confederates to Texas. It starts off gently enough with three men considering what ' defeat ' means to them, and two are brothers played well by Robert Ryan and Rock Hudson. Hudson wants to return to being a Rancher and Ryan, who basically hates himself and others, wants to be rich and literally stinking rich and pay back at life for making him bitter. Violent scene after violent scene shows how he goes about it, combating equally violent men as himself. No spoilers but the film falls into concentrating on him and his attempt to ' get there. ' Julia Adams is his love interest and she is also as money seeking as him. A fine actor she has few scenes and Rock Hudson falls into the side lines. A brutal film for those who like brutality, and my only recommendation is that it is all well directed, has fine Technicolour and there is not one bad frame in the film. But is this enough ? For some it will be.

Another typical Hudson vehicle carried by stars and future stars. Hudson uses(tried) his looks to star in a western. Post civil war as usual he plays a past southern gentleman who turns to crime to try and get back at the north for lost life.

As usual the movie survives on true acting talents from Robert Ryan, Dennis Weaver and James Atnrds. Also veterans Julie Adams and Francis Bevier. If you can get past Hudson's ridged, terrible acting, it's a great story.

Tomorrow is a big day ... it all happened so fast ... how many times have you heard these words ... we are making ends meet ... i want something better ... sometimes i watch this crap and think, only idiots can be screen writers ..post civil war in texas was bleak because the carpet baggers moved in and stole everything in sight ... no other state was affected as bad as texas when johnny came marching home again ... blech

How many westerns (and others) feature two brothers ,the good and the bad,Abel and Cain?It was already in Genesis after all.It's more Ryan too old to be Hudson's brother than the other way about;sixteen years between the two leads is much and it shows.But Robert Ryan was as excellent as ever in his part of an ex-confederate soldier who does not want to work on a ranch and dreams of building an empire ,abetted by a femme fatale -a rare character in westerns.But as Springsteen sings,a king ain't satisfied till he owns everything and as Shakespeare wrote,(man)gains the world and loses his soul.On the contrary ,brother Hudson is a loyal good son,probably remembering the prodigal son parable ;Hudson would play a similar part in Sirk's modern western (the sport car replacing the horse)"written on the wind" (1956):some kind of adoptive child opposite a wealthy bad son (Robert Stack);he was also the good guy in "Giant" in which Dean became a racist tycoon.

"Horizons west" is an entertaining western,its last pictures summing up its moral in admirably succinct style.

Poor Robert Ryan: he's always the bad guy! Even when he's the lead, he's the bad guy. In Horizons West, he's the headliner seconded only by newcomer Rock Hudson, who was at the start of his Universal Studios contract and was being introduced to audience in small parts. They're Confederate soldiers coming home from the Civil War, and while Rock is perfectly happy to work with his parents at the family farm, Robert doesn't have the patience or temperament for farm living. He warns his family, and the audience, that he doesn't like losing at anything and he plans to make it big no matter what. Audience, he may be the lead, but he's the bad guy. Thankfully, there's a worse guy for Robert to fight: his crush's husband. Julia Adams is very unhappily married, so it's no strain for her to flirt around with the handsome newcomer in town, especially since he's ambitious and hates her husband.

If you're considering renting Horizons West, a warning: Louis Stevens' screenplay is so stilted and artificial, it's not even fun to laugh at. It's worse than most musical librettos when giving the lead-in to a song. The supporting cast either didn't feel like acting or didn't have the chops to begin with, and the only person who puts his heart into this lousy movie is Robert Ryan. You can catch him in other, better movies, like On Dangerous Ground, Clash by Night, or Born to be Bad, and I suggest you do so.

Nit up to par, say, The Tall T, Ride lonesome, The Cimarron Kid, Westbound, The Man from the Alamo, Comanche Station, or even Red Ball Express, but still above Decision at Sundown, Seminole, and Bronco Buster.

Having acted alongside James Stewart in 'Bend of the River' and appeared in two films with Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson was certainly on his way up the ladder in his late 20's. He's a bit like Charlton Heston in the sense that he has the maturity of someone almost twice his age whilst still in his 20's.

As in many westerns, including Richard Thorpe's VENGEANCE VALLEY, or Phil Karlson's GUNMAN'S WALK, it is question of a brothers feud story; here Robert Ryan and Rock Hudson, and in the MGM western, there were Burt Lancaster and Robert Walker. There is always a bad brother and the good brother, as in the Bible you have Cain vs Abel, a recurrent western scheme. And the Civil War element of course enhanced, emphasized, this feud between brothers matters. No surprise in the end. Here, you explore the Universal Studios Budd Boetticher period, before he came to Columbia and the awesome Burt Kennedy's stories, starring Randolph Scott, his best of the best stuff. It is very unusual to see Bob Ryan working for another studio than RKO. The rest of the cast is however typical Universal Studios"home": Rock Hudson, Julia Adams; only Piper Laurie and Tony Curtis or Jeff Chandler missed.... So, this is an efefctive, taut, Boetticher's material. Ray Burr is of course excelent as a genuine villain character.