The Walking Hills

Directed by John Sturges, The Walking Hills follows a group of strangers, including Randolph Scott’s Jim Carey and Ella Raines’ Chris, as they head out into the desert to locate a long lost cache of gold. It’s a promising setup that’s employed to erratic and, eventually, tedious effect by Sturges, as the filmmaker, working from a script by Alan Le May, delivers an almost episodic narrative that’s generally more miss than hit – with the movie’s midsection dominated by repetitive sequences detailing the characters’ predictable in-fighting. There’s little doubt, then, that The Walking Hills benefits from its smattering of compelling sequences and raft of better-than-average performances, with Scott’s commanding turn as the picture’s ostensible hero an obvious highlight within the proceedings. The somewhat watchable atmosphere persists right up until the mostly interminable sandstorm climax, after which point it becomes all but impossible to care about the fates of the various protagonists – with the end result an entirely forgettable western that could (and should) have been so much better.

** out of ****