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River of No Return

River of No Return

Adventure · Western · 1954

An itinerant farmer and his young son help a heart-of-gold saloon singer search for her estranged husband.

Movie details

River of No Return

“Reckless, Roaring, Adventure of the Great Northwest Gold Rush Days!”

1954 Adventure · Western 1h 31m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

An itinerant farmer and his young son help a heart-of-gold saloon singer search for her estranged husband.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over River of No Return?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Bend of the River

Bend of the River

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Two men with questionable pasts, Glyn McLyntock and his friend Cole, lead a wagon-train load of homesteaders from Missouri to the Oregon territory...

The Gold Rush

The Gold Rush

Adventure · 1925

A gold prospector in Alaska struggles to survive the elements and win the heart of a dance hall girl.

Call of the Wild

Call of the Wild

Adventure · 1935

Jack Thornton has trouble winning enough at cards for the stake he needs to get to the Alaska gold fields. His luck changes when he pays $250 for Buck, a sled dog that is part wolf to keep him from being shot by an arrogant Englishman also headed for the Yukon. En route to the Yukon with Shorty Houlihan -- who spent time in jail for opening someone else's letter with a map of where gold is to be found -- Jack rescues a woman whose husband was the addressee of that letter. Buck helps Jack win a $1,000 bet to get the supplies he needs. And when Jack and Claire Blake pet Buck one night, fingers touch.

The Way West

The Way West

Action · 1967

In the mid-19th century, Senator William J. Tadlock leads a group of settlers overland in a quest to start a new settlement in the Western US. Tadlock is a highly principled and demanding taskmaster who is as hard on himself as he is on those who have joined his wagon train. He clashes with one of the new settlers, Lije Evans, who doesn't quite appreciate Tadlock's ways. Along the way, the families must face death and heartbreak and a sampling of frontier justice when one of them accidentally kills a young Indian boy.

Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves

Adventure · 1990

Wounded Civil War soldier John Dunbar tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he's assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with the local Sioux tribe.

The Big Sky

The Big Sky

Adventure · 1952

Two tough Kentucky mountaineers join a trading expedition from St. Louis up the Missouri River to trade whisky for furs with the Blackfoot Indians. They soon discover that there is much more than the elements to contend with.

Blackthorn

Blackthorn

Adventure · 2011

In Bolivia, Butch Cassidy (now calling himself James Blackthorn) pines for one last sight of home, an adventure that aligns him with a young robber and makes the duo a target for gangs and lawmen alike.

3:10 to Yuma

3:10 to Yuma

Western · 1957

Dan Evans, a small time farmer, is hired to escort Ben Wade, a dangerous outlaw, to Yuma. As Evans and Wade wait for the 3:10 train to Yuma, Wade's gang is racing to free him.

Davy Crockett and the River Pirates

Davy Crockett and the River Pirates

Adventure · 1956

Davy Crockett and his sidekick Georgie compete against boastful Mike Fink ("King of the River") in a boat race to New Orleans. Later, Davy and Georgie, allied with Fink, battle a group of river pirates trying to pass themselves off as Native Americans.

Tall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventure

Tall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventure

Adventure · 1995

A young boy draws on the inspiration of legendary western characters to find the strength to fight an evil land baron in the old west who wants to steal his family's farm and destroy their idyllic community. When Daniel Hackett sees his father Jonas gravely wounded by the villainous Stiles, his first urge is for his family to flee the danger, and give up their life on a farm which Daniel has come to despise anyway. Going alone to a lake to try to decide what to do, he falls asleep on a boat and wakes to find himself in the wild west, in the company of such "tall tale" legends as Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, John Henry and Calamity Jane. Together, they battle the same villains Daniel is facing in his "real" world, ending with a heroic confrontation in which the boy stands up to Stiles and his henchmen, and rallies his neighbors to fight back against land grabbers who want to destroy their town.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Otto Preminger

Written by

Frank Fenton · Louis Lantz

Robert Mitchum

Robert Mitchum

Matt Calder

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe

Kay Weston

Rory Calhoun

Rory Calhoun

Harry Weston

Tommy Rettig

Tommy Rettig

Mark Calder

Murvyn Vye

Murvyn Vye

Dave Colby

Douglas Spencer

Douglas Spencer

Sam Benson

Fred Aldrich

Fred Aldrich

Prospector (uncredited)

Court is in session

Put River of No Return on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.