Ride in the Whirlwind

"Ride with the Easy Rider into an action whirlwind."

1966 1h 22m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 110

WesternThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three cowboys, mistaken for members of an outlaw gang, are relentlessly pursued by a posse.

“Ride with the Easy Rider into an action whirlwind.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Cameron Mitchell
Vern
Jack Nicholson
Wes
Millie Perkins
Abigail
Katherine Squire
Catherine
George Mitchell
Evan
Rupert Crosse
Indian Joe
Harry Dean Stanton
Blind Dick
Tom Filer
Otis

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Monte Hellman
Writers: Jack Nicholson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

82 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

60 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Monte Hellman, shot by Gregory Sandor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Robert Drasnin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Monte Hellman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Cameron Mitchell and Jack Nicholson and Millie Perkins carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Monte Hellman directs. Gregory Sandor behind the camera. Robert Drasnin scores. Monte Hellman cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

182 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
360 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Monte Hellman, shot by Gregory Sandor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Robert Drasnin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Monte Hellman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Cameron Mitchell and Jack Nicholson and Millie Perkins carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Ride with the Easy Rider into an action whirlwind.".
10IMDB entry: tt0059653 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "robbery", "outlaw", "vigilante", "false accusations".

The technical file

Cinematography: Gregory Sandor
Original score: Robert Drasnin
Editing: Monte Hellman
Runtime: 82 min · 1h 22m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $75,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Ride in the Whirlwind (1966)

Also by

Monte Hellman

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-03-09
★ 6/10
“Vern” (Cameron Mitchell), “Wes” (Jack Nicholson) and “Otis” (Tom Filer) are regular cowpokes who happen upon the dangling corpse of a man recently lynched as they head towards a remote cabin for a night’s rest. What they don’t know is that the folks already in the cabin - “Blind Dick” (Harry Dean Stanton) and his gang, are also wanted by the same self-appointed posse and so it’s naturally assumed that they are all in it together. A brief siege ensues and in the mêlée “Wes” and “Vern” manage to escape - but have they really just jumped out of the frying pan and landed in a nest of angry rattlesnakes? Well first things first, they have to get hold of some mounts and so stopping by the farmhouse of the friendly “Evan” (George Mitchell) and daughter “Abigail” (Millie Perkins) might buy them some time, some food and maybe even some horses when their tenacious pursuers descend upon them. Now it is a straight chase, so what chance the two men can make a clean getaway? There is plenty of action here, but there is also plenty to think on too as this quite creatively critiques the principles of vigilante rules of law. Proving guilt or innocence isn’t relevant to those pursuing and no amount of protesting is going to save their bacon should they get caught. Nicholson wrote this and he keeps the dialogue tight and focussed as their adventures look like they are becoming more and more perilous, and it is by no means certain they they will be riding off into the sunset at the end. Personally, I thought Mitchell the better actor and I could have done with a little more from Stanton too but as it is, this is still a competent western as much fodder for the mind as for the holster.

Production companies