Watch Ride the Pink Horse Robert Montgomery

'Ride the Pink Horse' is a 1947 film noir directed by Robert Montgomery. The film stars Montgomery himself in the lead role of Gagin, alongside Thomas Gomez as Pancho. The movie follows Gagin, a former GI, who comes to a sleepy New Mexico town called San Pablo to meet with Frank Hugo, a powerful local gangster. Gagin is on a mission to blackmail Hugo for some stolen money and after a tense encounter, he tells Hugo that he will give him the money if he doesn't go to the police.

Once he has delivered the money to Hugo, Gagin decides to stay in San Pablo a few more days to see the annual Fiesta San Pablo, which is being held in honor of the town's patron saint, and is a major tourist attraction. However, things soon take a sinister turn when Gagin discovers that his friend Pila, whom he has enlisted to keep an eye on Hugo, has been murdered.

As a result of the murder, Gagin becomes more deeply embroiled in the town's underbelly of crime and corruption, and he starts to suspect that he is being followed. Suspicions that are confirmed when he is attacked by some of Hugo's henchmen. He manages to fend them off, but not before sustaining some serious injuries.

The film is notable for its unconventional narrative structure, which uses a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards to tell the story, and for its colourful visual style. The opening sequence features a long tracking shot of a carnival, which is set to an eerie, atmospheric score. Throughout the film, the camera lingers on details of the landscape and characters, creating a sense of place that is both unique and haunting.

At its core, 'Ride the Pink Horse' is a tense, atmospheric thriller, but it also has moments of humour and tenderness. The character of Pancho, a local Indian man who befriends Gagin, provides some light relief from the grimness of the film's central narrative, and the scenes between the two men are some of the movie's most memorable.

Overall, 'Ride the Pink Horse' is a stylish and engaging film noir that deserves to be better known. It features strong performances from Montgomery and Gomez, and is directed with flair and confidence by Montgomery. Despite its age, it remains a fascinating and complex exploration of the darker side of human nature.