Absolutely the worst movie.

Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

A trio of cowboys, Vern (Cameron Mitchell), Wes (Jack Nicholson) and Otis (Tom Filer), stop to rest for the night at the remote hideout of a gang of outlaws led by Blind Dick (Harry Dean Stanton). In the morning, they find themselves surrounded by a vigilante hanging party and are forced to become fugitives due to a case of mistaken identity.Made back to back with "The Shooting", this is the second Monte Hellman, Jack Nicholson and Roger Corman collaboration of 1966. With Nicholson writing, starring and producing, fans of his films ought to make a point of seeing this, one of his earlier creative ventures.The point of making a second western back to back was to save money. Corman, always trying to cut costs, figured it would be less money to have the same set for two films, especially if the actors and crew largely overlapped. Hellman has said this plan may not have worked as well as intended. He concedes they saved money on travel expenses, but the film cost itself hardly changed. Of course, when you're dealing with $75,000 for a movie (almost an unthinkably low sum), how much wiggle room can there be? This film expresses a rather bleak, minimalist quality that does not sentimentalize the Wild West. On the other hand, the violence is portrayed less graphically than in the films of Sam Peckinpah like "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" (1973). Was Peckinpah inspired by Hellman? Perhaps, considering that Rudy Wurlitzer had written Hellman's "Two Lane Blacktop" just prior to working with Peckinpah.

Monte Hellman directed this more straight-forward western(compared with "The Shooting", filmed at the same time) about three cowhands named Wes, Vern, & Otis(played by Jack Nicholson, Cameron Mitchell, and Tom Filer) on their way to a cattle drive who accidentally become mixed up with real outlaws who robbed a stagecoach, killing the driver and are hunted by a group of vigilantes who aren't asking questions about innocence. When one is killed, the other two hole up with a family, forcing them to provide shelter, but that doesn't last long as fate soon catches up with them... Millie Perkins plays the daughter named Abigail. Good (if a bit talky) western is morally ambiguous but has a beautifully filmed finale.

Ride in the Whirlwind is directed by Monte Hellman and written by Jack Nicholson. It stars Nicholson, Cameron Mitchell, Millie Perkins and Dean Stanton. Music is by Robert Jackson Drasnin and cinematography by Gregory Sandor.Three honest cowboys stop to rest for the night at a cabin occupied by outlaws led by Blind Dick (Stanton). Upon awakening in the morning they find themselves surrounded by a vigilante posse and forced to flee as fugitives…Filmed back to back with The Shooting in Kanab, Utah, Ride in the Whirlwind has something big to say without actually saying that much! It's a sombre Western piece that deals in the tragedy brought about by a miscarriage of justice. It also finds Hellman and Nicholson reaching into the belly of the Western mythos and pulling out its guts to reveal a shallow hole of boredom and dirt covered grafters. This works to a large degree by way of the portrayals of weary cowboys (nice subtle performances by Nicholson and Mitchell really help) and the mundane ranch life of a family who are coerced into harbouring the fugitives. The air of authenticity and rich period detail, as well, is highly commendable. However, the laborious pace will annoy many and some actions and scenarios played out are a little hard to swallow. It's a mixed bag but very much a film that Western fans should see though. 7/10

Little and almost unknown western in which three cowboys (Mitchel, Fiser and Nicholson) are mistaken as bandits by a posse and pursued implacably by them. The movie has simple dialogues but its full of meaning and expressive silent expression between the three poor guys involved in the injust and obnoxious persecution. The movie was written by Jack Nicholson. A story that deals with some conceptual problems as injustice, fate and the importance of freedom. In fact, a western made in 1965, exactly the same time of some social contest as the fight for the Civil Rights in North America. 'Ride in the Whirlwind', for that matter, is not just a western movie but a political and social tale. Good performance by Cameron Mitchell. A young Jack Nicholson, with a distant but correct performance,seems to be comfortable in a western adventure, a genre that he never tries today.