User Reviews

This is noir with an unusual racial undercurrent. Ex-soldier Gagin (Montgomery) travels to New Mexico to avenge his combat buddy's murder by blackmailing the war-profiteer (Clark) responsible. Gagin turns out to be not a very nice man. His clipped speech suggests he's being penalized for every word he speaks. Yet, that terseness, direct manner, and unblinking stare also suggest a man who knows his own mind and will not bend easily, a crucial component of the story.

We get a first glimpse when he uses that hard manner to make fun of Mexican peasant girl Pila (Hendrix) by calling her Sitting Bull, implying he has neither much knowledge nor respect for the native New Mexico culture. Now, the really nuanced and understated subtext of the movie, apart from the crime drama aspect, is how the tables are subtly turned on him, especially in the final scene where Pila now makes fun of him to her Mexican friends. There's a subtle racial dynamic here that's easily overshadowed by the criminal phase, but is what really distinguishes this noir from others of the classic period.

Note, for example, how Gagin's arrogant attitude is subtly turned around, especially by the grubby carousel owner, Pancho. Thomas Gomez's Pancho amounts to an unforgettable character, and one who I think steals the movie amid heavy competition. Pancho is fat and unkempt in ways that Hollywood seldom allowed. But he's also good-natured with a big heart, which probably only the poor with nothing much to lose can be. Pancho will help a stranger and not ask anything in return, an attitude foreign to the grasping Gagin. At first, the easterner doesn't really know what to make of him or his open attitude. Nonetheless, the scene where Pancho shares his outdoor cot with the self-centered Gagin while killers stalk him is not only well played, but crucial to the city boy's growing respect for a different set of values.

It's the character Pila, however, that's both unusual and beautifully played. What's behind her immediate hooking onto Gagin. Is it his good looks, his expensive clothes, or maybe something touchier like the challenge of the color line. In fact, the movie plays this sensitive topic expertly. The color-line is never stated, but is implied in a number of ways. Note Gagin's easy familiarity with her right away, bespeaking an unspoken superiority; at the same time, she blurts out haltingly, in her best peasant dress, clearly unsure how to converse with this strange object of attraction.

The key scene with the color line, however, is luncheon in the fancy hotel. Note how Pila hesitates while the ever self-assured Gagin strides confidently into the dining-room. Even if she's just visiting for the fiesta, the Mexican girl knows instinctively she's crossing here into forbidden territory. But the really telling part, done so skillfully, is the quick glances between the peasant girl and the smartly dressed hostess who seats them. The eye contacts pass quickly, but speak volumes about social strata in that part of the country. Conversely, note how the gaiety of the Mexican saloon suddenly stops once the white man Gagin steps inside. But unlike Pila's shrinking violet, Montgomery's assured character uses his status to quickly dominate the bar scene. Once again, the subtext is underplayed, but to no less effect

However, it's that final scene that's stayed with me over the years. Chastened now by the help he's received from Pancho and Pila, Gagin goes to the carousel to say a final good-bye. He's not staying on in San Pablo now that his business with gangster Hugo is finished, implying also that his friendships there can be nothing more than passing ones given the contrasting backgrounds. But notice how hesitant Gagin is in talking to Pila for the last time as she stands boldly among her amigos. Clearly, Gagin's been changed by events and by people he no doubt first considered his inferiors. Now he stammers, no longer glibly self-assured; at the same time, she makes it no easier, staring icily and saying little. She's now clearly the dominant one, embarrassing him in front of the subtly amused government man (Smith).

Despite repeated viewings, I still see no hint of her regret at his departure. Instead it looks like she's exulting to her amigos in how she's played him for an apparent chump, which is completely contrary to her behavior throughout. I have no easy explanation for this apparent reversal, except that perhaps she's seeking to re-establish a standing among her peers despite well-concealed inner feelings. But whatever the explanation, this color-line aspect remains, I think, a fascinating one for a movie that refuses the conventional pat ending.

Anyway, the movie remains first-rate noir, with top-notch acting, scripting, and directing, especially the memorable touches like Hugo's earphone, the giant puppet, and the musical carousel. Montgomery was clearly a moviemaker with ideas. And here he succeeds in spades.

Ride the Pink Horse is one of the more unusual film noirs you'll ever see. It's set in the fictional rural New Mexico town of San Pablo (with Santa Fe in part, as the film's actual shooting location). A war vet named Gagin (Robert Montgomery) arrives in town seeking to blackmail war profiteer Frank Hugo (Fred Clark), in revenge for the murder of his friend Shorty. Gagin possesses a canceled $100,000 check which Hugo had used to bribe a high government official. The fiesta is about to begin in town, which contains both a large Mexican and Native American population.

The characters function more on a symbolic, stylistic level, representing certain archetypes. So when Gagin meets Retz (Art Smith), a "government" law enforcement official (presumably from the FBI), seeking to gain information about Gagin's dealings with Hugo, one wonders how he already knows so much about Gagin's machinations--and why he's there with no backup.

Similarly, Gagin has no backup either and goes right into Hugo's lair and demands to see him (he knocks out the war profiteer's secretary by promptly punching him in the gut!). Later, Hugo's friend, Marjorie Lundeen (Andrea King), the apparent femme fatale of the piece, advises Gagin to jack up his $30,000 price considerably for the check Hugo seeks. Uncharacteristic of the typical criminal, Gagin refuses to cut Marjorie in on the blackmail attempt and sticks to his guns regarding the initial $30,000 demand. All the while ignoring the fact that Hugo's thugs are closing in and Marjorie could easily go back to Hugo, double crossing him.

The other part of the narrative revolves the Mexican and Native American characters Gagin encounters and interacts with. Early on he meets the enigmatic Native American teenager Pila (Wanda Hendrix), who gives him a good luck charm to ward off death. Pila apparently is looked down upon by her companions is a bit of an oddball. She however represents intuition and we immediately note that the indigenous people in this film are depicted as morally superior to the crass Americans, all guided by materialistic concerns. Gagin, while curious about her enigmatic predictions, also contemptuously refers to her as "Sitting Bull," after he receives the good luck charm.

The stature of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in this film is further enhanced when we meet Pancho (Thomas Gomez), the kind-hearted carousel operator. Pancho is hardly put on a pedestal as he's depicted as prone to drinking and admitting that he finds women sexually unappealing, unless they're all decidedly zaftig. Nonetheless, it's Pancho who allows Gagin to sleep in his makeshift "bedroom" (right next to the carousel he operates) since all the hotels in town are full. And not only that, later he refuses to divulge Gagin's whereabouts, even while being pummeled repeatedly by Hugo's thugs.

The dark moment of the second act occurs when Marjorie lures Gagin outside the Tip Top Café, where he's promptly stabbed by one of two of Hugo's thugs who have attacked him. Gagin fights back killing one of them and wounding another. From this point on, Gagin is no longer the same man. Before, he projects an image of a man in control of everything but now he must count on Pila to save him (with her plan to take a bus back to her home town two hours away). But Gagin is so out of it (hardly in possession of his faculties at all), that he makes his way to Hugo's door back at the hotel and believes he can still effect his blackmail plan. Both Gagin and Pila are beaten by Hugo's thugs in the room after Hugo demands for Gagin to produce the check he desperately wants to get his hands on (Pila is holding the check all along).

In an unlikely scene, Retz bursts in and saves the day by holding Hugo and crew at gunpoint. Gagin then gives the check to Retz, which can be used as evidence to prosecute Hugo.

The film's scenarists avoided a sentimental denouement as Gagin is still depicted as a tough guy but obviously softened up slightly by his association with the native characters (particularly Pila). The intuitive Pila projects a haughty attitude toward Gagin, saying nothing in response to his request to say goodbye. Instead, she toots her own horn in front of her peers, proudly recounting how she saved the tough guy's life. Now instead of being an outcast and an outsider, she's gained an immense amount of confidence and restored her reputation.

Montgomery is excellent as the macho Gagin (notably Montgomery also handled the director's reins here). He easily benefitted from the extremely clever dialogue, a good deal of it penned by the former reporter turned prolific screenwriter, Ben Hecht. There are also extraordinary performances by Wanda Hendrix and Thomas Lopez, the latter having been the first Hispanic actor to receive an Academy Award nomination.

Ride the Pink Horse was based on a novel by Dorothy Hughes and produced by Hitchcock protégé, Joan Harrison. The female influence was decidedly on display here, especially in regards to the development of the Pila character within the narrative. With its non-stereotypical treatment of Mexican and Native Americans, the film deserves its place in the pantheon of progressive films of its time.

Having seen this many years ago and having been rather confused by it. I wondered if waiting years to see it again if it would come together for me. Unfortunately, it has not, becoming even more of a mystery than before. I wondered if the issues I had with it before were my issue, but ultimately, the conclusion that I came to is the fact that it strives for new wave artistry but simply ends up being pretentious. Robert Montgomery, so good on "Lady in the Lake", tried again in the film noir genre and managed to turn this into a cult classic. I am not a part of that cult.

Arriving by Greyhound in a border town during a fiesta, Montgomery finds intrigue in local corruption, finding an amigo on jolly Thomas Gomez and a pest in young Wanda Hendrix. Other corrupt characters give only moderate clues over what is going on, and it takes a lot of patience to get to the conclusion to really put it all together.

Andrea King plays one of the great femme fatales of all time, and where she is going remains an impressive mystery. A scene with villains beating up Gomez as children observe it from their seats on a twirling carousel, is one of the great visuals of the noir genre.

Perhaps the problem also lies in the setting. Rural border towns are creepy looking and dark at night and I really longed for a city setting to make this feel like a desolate area where occasional crowd scenes could bring on a flash of excitement. Montgomery is a rather cold, unemotional anti-war, with Hendrix following him around non- stop like some unwanted guardian angel.

Dry and humorless, this drags slightly and I kept longing for something to happen. Fred Clark, on his debut, makes an intriguing sleeve,leading him to a lengthy career of playing snarky WASPS. Some interesting photography gives the appropriate atmosphere, but overall, this is a highly overrated bore.