Ride the Man Down

10/10/2024

**_A complicated story, but this Western finds its footing and touches greatness_** In 1892, a foreman of a huge ranch in southern Utah (Rod Cameron) tries to stave off land grabbers (Brian Donlevy) and rustlers (Jim Davis) after the death of the patriarch. Curiously, the fiancé (Forrest Tucker) of the heir of the ranch (Ella Raines) seems to oppose the foreman’s efforts. Based on the Luke Short novel, “Ride the Man Down” (1952) starts out convoluted with a dozen key characters introduced in the first act. They tend to speak in that rat-a-tat-tat way which was in vogue back then. The flick needed another 30 more minutes of runtime to breath. If you pay attention, however, you’ll eventually figure out who’s who and the details thereof. More than that, you’ll discover a great little