It’s an extended and flawed film that manages to stay somewhat engaging due to the frequent action sequences. The story involves Confederate prisoners of war escaping from a Union camp, attempting to reach the Mexico border while being pursued by Union soldiers—a plot point made odd by the fact that the war has recently ended. Directed by Phil Karlson, with uncredited assistance from Roger Corman, the film is an unusual and intriguing, though disorganized, Western. The difficulties in production are noticeable; it feels like a series of similar scenes simply connected together. Both the escapees and their pursuers engage in arguments, infighting, and displays of masculinity. There’s plenty of violence—gunfights, bloodshed, and loud noises—and also instances of sexual aggression. However, these elements feel less organic to the story and more like a desperate attempt to maintain viewer interest as the plot lacks depth. The film hints at themes such as the meaninglessness of war and its impact on people's morality, but these ideas are lost beneath the need for action and some truly terrible acting (Max Baer Junior is particularly bad). On the positive side, the cast is impressive, including Glenn Ford, George Hamilton, Inger Stevens, Timothy Carey, Kenneth Tobey, Harry Stanton, Harrison Ford, and Todd Armstrong. This unusual combination of actors reflects the film’s overall strangeness, which is further undermined by Mundell Lowe's intrusive musical score—it's easy to see why his career as a composer was brief and unremarkable. The scenery in Utah and Arizona is beautiful, so credit should go to Kenneth Peach for his cinematography; he deserved a better project. *A Time for Killing* (also known as *The Long Ride Home*) is more of an oddity than a Western that enthusiasts would actively search for. 4/10

Source on TMDB