The Wild West, 19th century. Mark (9), a little kid living in an outpost, is picked up by his father, Matthew, who was just recently released from prison for shooting a man in his back, defending another man. Mark says goodbye to Kay, a Saloon girl who took care of him. Matthew and Mark live in an isolated farm, on the countryside, but stumble upon Kay again when she arrives with her boyfriend, gambler Harry, on a raft via the river. Harry wants to go to Council City, where he won a piece of land with gold on it in a gamble. Matthew does not want to lend Harry a rifle, fearing the farm might be defenceless against an Indian attack. Harry takes the rifle and a horse by force, but Kay stays behind to nurse the wounded Matthew. The Indians attack, and Matthew, Mark and Kay have to flee on a raft down the river, encountering many dangers. In Council City, Kay encounters Harry again and tries to persuade him to apologize to Matthew. Harry instead draws his gun at Matthew, but Mark uses the rifle to shoot Harry behind his back to save Matthew.
One of Otto Preminger's standard films, "River of no Return" is one of those westerns that were a dime a dozen in the 50s and 60s: while undoubtedly a good film, it has little to offer to stand out from so many other movies of the said genre. Setting the story as an "Anabasis" road movie of sorts, where the three protagonists (a man, a woman and a kid) try to evacuate themselves through the dangerous wilderness on a raft through the river, eventually forming a proto-family features, Preminger took a too conventional approach, presenting the story just at face value, instead of also going into some more creative or multi-layered levels. It all feels too much like a "contract job", and not a true labor of love for the director, with too many banal, routine dialogues, though it has its moments: the sequences where Indians on a cliff are throwing rocks down at the trio, trying to make holes in their raft and sink them in the river, or the attack of a puma, are expressionistic and have spark, whereas the plot point of Matthew having to justify his shooting of a man behind his back in order to defend another man comes full circle in the ending involving the little kid. Despite some plot holes and illogical moments (Matthew wrestling with an outlaw, while the other outlaw just continues eating meat, with no interest at helping his companion), the actors give the story a sense of dedication, with Robert Mitchum and the underrated Marilyn Monroe delivering fine performances.
Grade:++
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