As perversely fascinating a Freudian western as "Johnny Guitar" or "Duel in the Sun," Robert Aldrich's "The Last Sunset" deserves to be a lot better known than it is. Special mention to James Westmoreland (an actor I was completely unfamiliar with) as The Julesburg Kid. He's terrific (and crazy hot!). Puzzled as to why he didn't become a star--or at least enjoy steady employment in movies or television during the 1960's and beyond. Was amused thinking of Rock Hudson and Dorothy Malone discussing their experiences working with Douglas Sirk during their lunch breaks.

The Last Sunset (1961)Wow, what a cast for a Robert Aldrich movie--Joseph Cotten, Rock Hudson, and Kirk Douglas. And the themes in this big Western are big ones, from Civil War loyalty years after the fact to love and cattle ranching. There are shootouts and rivalries, there is a good guy and a bad guy and a confusing between the two, and there is the endless feeling of having to move on, on and on, like the cattle themselves.This is pretty late for a Western, which is to say it's late for an original Western. And so the themes here are either well worn or worn out. What keeps it going is some good acting, some pretty scenery (like the night stuff, especially), and maybe a elegiac sense, nothing poetic but relaxed and appreciative. But there is filler, some sentimental stuff, some girl stuff where the guys ogle the girls, some Mexican stereotypes, and a gratuitous fistfight or two (Rock Hudson and Kirk Douglas really rolling around and duking it out). So as much as there are characters you sympathize with, and a lifestyle out on the open desert, it's sometimes slow going. But then, if it's not slow, it's filled with action, though sometimes mindless action.The title? Maybe a nod to the end of an era. The next big Westerns in the 1960s were the great Italian ones, like "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," where the archetypes become references, something to exaggerate and make more important than the plot. In "The Last Sunset" there is no self-awareness, no acknowledgement that the themes here are clichés, right down to the last duel past the tracks. It might have been daring in 1938, but for 1961 it's just well made familiarity.

The gunman Brendan O'Malley (Kirk Douglas) crosses the border riding to Mexico and arrives at the ranch of Belle Breckenridge (Dorothy Malone). He asks to spend the night in the place and meets her daughter Melissa (Carol Lynley). Belle was his sweetheart and now is married with the drunkard and coward John Breckenridge (Joseph Cotton), but O'Malley still has a crush on her. John hires O'Malley to lead his herd to Texas; however, Sheriff Dana Stribling (Rock Hudson) is hunting O'Malley to serve a warrant for the death of his brother-in-law and also arrives in the farm, where he does not have jurisdiction to arrest O'Malley. Stribling also accepts to work for John, bringing the cattle to Texas, and promises to deliver O'Malley to the law in the arrival. Along their journey, John dies and the travelers face Indians and outlaws; Stribling woos and is flirted by Belle, increasing the tension between the two men. Nevertheless, Missy falls in love for O'Malley and seduces him, but Belle discloses a secret that leads O'Malley to an ultimate decision in the last sunset in the borderland."The Last Sunset" is an unforgettable western with a mature romance and a plot point with a subtle incestuous relationship that leads to a tragic conclusion. The cinematography and the camera work are impressive with amazing sequences in the desert with actors, actresses and stunts riding horses and conducting cattle in the sandy soil. Kirk Douglas, Rock Hudson, Dorothy Malone and Carol Lynley have remarkable performances, and the beauty of Carol Lynley is something awesome with her doll face. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "O Último Pôr-do-Sol" ("The Last Sunset")

Last Sunset, The (1961) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Extremely bizarre melodrama hidden under the Western genre features a great cast but not much else. A Sheriff (Rock Hudson) is pursuing the man (Kirk Douglas) who killed his brother in law but Douglas ends up in a cattle drive for a man (Joseph Cotten) who is now married to Douglas' old love (Dorothy Malone). The Sheriff eventually enters the cattle drive the keep his eye on Douglas but soon he too falls for the woman. This is the type of film that should be shown on a woman's channel because it's really nothing more than a soap opera taking place in a western setting. The film really doesn't have too much going for it outside some very strange moments and its wonderful cast. Hudson sleepwalks through his role but even this remains somewhat entertaining. Douglas is good but nothing great while Malone is good in her role. Cotten steals the show as the drunk who fought in the Civil War. This film tries to throw just about everything into the mix and that includes drunken Mexicans, crazy Civil War vets, savage Indians and some good old fashioned incest. Half way through the film Douglas starts pimping on a new woman and it turns out to be his daughter! This leads to a pretty big laugh but the majority of the film is simply by the numbers and it runs way too long since we know where it's headed.