Review of The Last Sunset (1961) by Adam D — 05 Jul 2014
Leonard Maltin's review of this film started with "Strange on the range" and he wasn't too far off. Director Robert Aldrich had a penchant for making offbeat films in familiar genres, from "Kiss Me Deadly" to "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.
" In this western, outlaw Kirk Douglas and lawman Rock Hudson play a game of cat and mouse, with Hudson determined to bring in Douglas. That part of the story isn't that strange, but when you throw in elements of incest, Douglas' philosophizing and other dark elements, especially the ending, you get something rather unique and that stands out from the pack.
It's not exactly an art-house western, but it's certainly offbeat and a non-typical western. The film was scripted by Dalton Trumbo who'd only recently been able to get off the Hollywood Blacklist for refusing to name names during the communist witch hunts of the 50s.
It was Douglas who broke the Hollywood Blacklist by giving Trumbo on screen credit for his production of "Spartacus". With Dorothy Malone, Joseph Cotten and Jack Elam in supporting roles, this is a western certainly worth checking out for fans of the genre.
This review of The Last Sunset (1961) was written by Adam D on 05 Jul 2014.
The Last Sunset has generally received positive reviews.
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