The Last Sunset

1961 "When giants clash, a woman trembles!"
6.7| 1h52m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 08 June 1961 Released
Producted By: Universal International Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Brendan O'Malley arrives at the Mexican home of old flame Belle Breckenridge to find her married to a drunkard getting ready for a cattle drive to Texas. Hot on O'Malley's heels is lawman Dana Stribling who has a personal reason for getting him back into his jurisdiction. Both men join Breckenridge and his wife on the drive. As they near Texas tensions mount, not least because Stribling is starting to court Belle, and O'Malley is increasingly drawn by her daughter Missy.

Genre

Drama, Western

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Director

Robert Aldrich

Production Companies

Universal International Pictures

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The Last Sunset Audience Reviews

Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious
Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good
Rexanne It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
weezeralfalfa How can you go wrong with a starring cast of Kirk Douglas, Rock Hudson, and the beautiful blonds Dorothy Malone(37), playing a few years younger, and Carol Lynley(19), playing16? Amazingly, Dorothy died just this year, at 93, and Kirk is still around as a centenarian!........The relationships between these principle characters is suitably complex and interesting. Douglas, as Bren O'Malley, is wanted for the murder of the brother-in-law of Sheriff Dana Stribling(Rock Hudson),and has fled from Texas to Mexico. There is the additional complication that, as a result, Stribling's sister committed suicide. Thus Stribling has a good personal reason to see O'Malley brought to justice. Thus, he has tried to follow O'Malley into Mexico, even though he has no jurisdictional authority there. .......O'Malley runs into an old flame in Dorothy Malone, who is now Mrs. Breckenridge: wife of the drunken American rancher John(Joseph Cotton), and mother to 16y.o.Melissa(Carol Lynley),, who looks much like her. Belle tells O'Malley that she is no longer romantically interested in him. However, O'Malley still signs on to be trail boss, for the upcoming cattle drive to Texas, perhaps in hopes that Belle will change her mind along the trail. O'Malley's steep terms are: 1/5 of the cattle, and his wife: the latter apparently in jest, but not in O'Malley's mind....... Luckily, Stribling happens across O'Malley on the Breckenridge ranch, and signs on as a co-trail boss, to keep an eye on O'Malley: a pretty strange situation! After Belle's husband is shot dead in a saloon argument over a Civil War battle, Stribling and Belle gradually warm up to each other, incurring O'Malley's jealousy.......Thwarted by Belle, O'Malley is lucky to receive attention from Melissa. He's flattered, but, at first, tries to tone down her ardor, pointing out that he's well old enough to be her father. But, she says she doesn't care. At the fiesta, at the end of the trail in Mexico, the two wander off alone, and apparently make love. The next day, O'Malley talks to Belle about his relationship with Melissa. She shocks him by the claim that he is Melissa's fatheer, something he should have inquired about before. O'Malley soon develops a plan, where he wont tell her the truth, and wont discourage her from being romantic toward him that day, but will very soon disappear from her life.(See the movie to find out how)........Now, I have some questions: Why didn't Belle tell O'Malley about his fatherhood of Melissa when she saw them seeing a lot of each other, instead of waiting until they got to Texas? Also, why did O'Malley decide to cross into Texas, where Stribling or others could arrest him, instead of quitting the drive at the border. Melissa said she would remain with him in Mexico, if that's what he wanted. ............ Along the trail, they were besieged by a large party of Indians. Strangely, they were headed by Stribling, hence were not fired upon. I think Stribling had negotiated with them for 1/5(apparently, O'Malley's 1/5) of the herd, they would leave the drivers alone........Before this, 3 badmen had appeared and signed on as drivers. Latter, they would try to mess with the women, while O'Malley was trying to pull Stribling out of quicksand, and were dispatched....... Shot in various locations in Sonora and Durango provinces....... In all, a western that keeps you interested, but is marred by a few critical questionable decisions by the characters.
Benedito Dias Rodrigues A tired man dressed black finds your old lover to redeem for left her in the past,this man is Bren o'Malley played by Kirk Douglas and the woman is Belle played by Dorothy Malone who already married and has a young girl named Missy and now lives in somewhere in Mexico with a drunk husband,now O'Malley is chased by Dana Stribling who seeks for revenge and he planned to bring back to be tried in Texas....a long journey back showing to O'Malley that Belle is another person and no longer loves him,so has something between Missy and him which he cann't explain,maybe for she looks like a young girl in yellow dress which he left behind...all this under the Santelmo's fire....Forggoten classic from Robert Aldrich!!!Resume: First watch: 2007 / How many: 2 / Source: Cable TV-DVD / Rating: 8
ksf-2 Director Aldrich must have known what he was doing... he produced AND directed Bette Davis in two pictures after making The Last Sunset! Kirk Douglas, Joseph Cotton, and Rock Hudson were all seasoned actors by the time this film was made. To a certain extent, this is a typical western, with the usual cattle drive, the fist-fights and gunfights, run-ins with the Indians, even Mariachi music, which was quite good. Through-out the film, you can feel the tension between Stribling (Hudson) and O'Malley (Douglas). Also along are a woman and her daughter (Dorothy Malone, Carol Lynley), adding more excitement to the mix. When three more suspicious characters join up to help on the drive, there is even more tension and mystery. We are told right off that Stribling has a warrant to bring in O'Malley, so we know to expect a showdown at some point. and when it DOES come, there are some surprises. I think its the strong talent that sets this western above the many others. This is part of the 2006 Rock Hudson DVD Collection from Universal, which also contains Has Anybody Seen my Gal, A Very Special Favor, Golden Blade, Spiral Road.
ma-cortes A weird Western by the maestro Robert Aldrich , it deals with Brendan O'Malley,(Kirk Douglas) a previous gunslinger, arrives in Mexico to meet her old lover Belle Breckenridge ( Dorothy Malone) ,married to alcoholic rancher, John Breckenridge (Joseph Cotten), as he is hired and prepares to lead a flock to Texas. In the footsteps of O'Malley goes Dana Stribling,(Rod Hudson), a vindictive sheriff who seeks revenge because O'Malley killed his brother-in-law. Both of them are joined on a cattle drive to Breckenridge , his wife Belle and daughter Missy. The tension will enhance when Stribling starts to woo Belle and O'Malley his daughter Missy (Carol Linley).This is a typical but amazing Western with romantic touches, it's well written by the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo and led by Aldrich with an impressive agility , harmony and strength . This interesting film keeps afloat by the skills of their all star cast , but driven along by powerful direction which compels and sustains interest by careful concentration of the interpretations themselves. The relationship between Kirk Douglas and the adolescent girl marvelously played by Carol Linley is wonderful , with some moments that result to be deeply sensible and the chemical between Hudson and Douglas is also evident, and Kirk Douglas comes out in its action. Douglas makes the best interpretation of the film , laughing, dancing and singing Mexican songs , but his role is really impulsive and tragic. Rock Hudson as Stribling also makes a nice character , he plays an exciting cat-and mouse game with O'Malley. Both females , Dorothy Malone and his daughter Carol Lynley show an amazing beauty, they play pretty well their characters. And of course, phenomenal Joseph Cotten who steals the show as a veteran confederate drunk. Filmed in colorful cinematography by Ernest Laszlo , perfectly remasterized, it is shot on locations in Aguascalients and Mexico City Distrito Federal. It contains an atmospheric and appropriate musical score by Ernest Gold .The motion picture is well directed by Robert Aldrich , an expert on violent Western such as he proved in ¨ Veracruz ¨, ¨Apache¨and ¨Ulzana's raid ¨, but also on humorous Western as ¨Four for Texas¨ and ¨the Frisko kid¨ . The talent for vigorous Western/tragedy that Aldrich shows was never as evident again. Rating : very good, better than average and wholesome watching.