The Deadly Companions

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KarthiK P. @madkarthi Aug 19 ​It is a decent Western overall. not necessarily great. but it carries an enjoyable mood and atmosphere throughout. ​The film shines brightest in its quieter moments and character study. giving the central figures some genuine depth and room to breathe. ​On the downside. a few plot points feel confusing and make little sense. particularly the details and reveal surrounding the identity of the man Yellowleg spent all those years pursuing. ​Despite those narrative hiccups. the good far outweighs the bad. The strong character dynamics and solid vintage vibe make it a worthwhile watch for classic Western fans. See more Mike W @MikeW269 Jun 7 It was boring to the point of being difficult to finish. None of the actors meshed together well, just doing their own thing and lines. See more Nick F @RT70468548 05/27/2025 Sam Peckinpah directed many fine films including one of the all-time great Westerns, The Wild Bunch. But this film, The Deadly Companions (1962), was his first in the director's chair and it shows he was still learning his craft. The storyline is fairly simple - army veteran Brian Keith and cohorts Steve Cochran and Chill Wills are down on their luck and decide to rob a bank. During the raid, a stray bullet from Keith's gun kills a small boy, whose mother (Maureen O'Hara) is a saloon girl. She wants her son to be buried alongside his dead father in a town in Apache territory and Keith agrees to escort her, and his hench-men tag along too. What follows is a a dangerous journey with the men falling out over the wisdom of the trip. Keith is a taciturn character of few words, Cochran a leering and dangerous gunman who wants O'Hara for himself. But there tends to be too much talking, too many facial close-ups and not enough action, at least until the fairly predictable ending. This is a solid but undistinguished Western, with little evidence of the directorial greatness which Sam Peckinpah would later reveal. Reviewed by NICK FLETCHER See more Blu B @RT43513976 03/12/2025 Ummm it's ok I guess. Very forgettable. None of Sam P.'s trademarks are here besides it being a Western and the characters aren't exactly clean cut. The acting isn't bad. O'Hara is beautiful in this as always and everyone is giving effort but man Keith & O'Hara just don't really have any chemistry together and they end up being most of the runtime together. The accordion soundtrack is different but it just gets repetitive and ear draining eventually. It feels like once they go on the journey to bury the kid stuff just sort of happens. chased by Indians, seperated from the other two of the bunch, chased by more indians, and it just feels like filler. The pacing isn't that good because of it. There isn't much character in this that is worth caring about, none of Sam P.'s action is here and it's very limited action in general, and the direction is just ok. It's a Western adventure that doesn't stand out with any style, the characters despite being interesting at first glance just don't add up to much, and this just meanders throughout despite just being over 90 minutes. Nothing is that broken it just doesn't excel at anything or go anywhere. Skip This. See more Madam D @Madam1948 03/06/2025 Cast is pretty interesting, Peckinpah is the director (his 1st) & plot is a little better than some old westerns. See more 04/21/2023 Brian, Keith in Maureen O’Hara Really did a good job in this one. It’s very good Wester highly recommend it James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas April 21, 2023. See more Read all reviews

The Deadly Companions

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