As much an art film with a Euro touch as a Western

Have seen most evaluate this as Peckinpah either falling short of his greatest work to come or sowing the seeds of that oeuvre, but it really does stand on its own if you see it for what it was in 1961. Symbolic, mythic, rich in an esthetic that is more interested in depth than genre. Some budgetary shortcomings, but this shows a Peckinpah who had a profound understanding of human dynamics and how they can play out on the western landscape... All 4 leads are fabulous which clearly shows a genius director at work...