Cowboys aren’t exactly known for their intelligence; they're typically broke and often drunk. The Last Sunset comes from director Robert Aldrich and features a screenplay by Dalton Trumbo, adapted from Howard Rigsby’s novel Sundown at Crazy Horse. The film includes Rock Hudson, Kirk Douglas, Dorothy Malone, Joseph Cotton, and Carol Lynley in the leading roles, with supporting performances by Jack Elam, Neville Brand, and James Westmoreland. Ernest Gold composed the music score, with additional contributions from Dimitri Tiomkin & Tomás Méndez, while Ernest Laszlo served as cinematographer. Filming took place in Eastman Color at Pathe, utilizing locations in Aguascalientes & Distrito Federal, Mexico. Brendan O'Malley (Douglas) is fleeing and winds up in Mexico, arriving at the home of an old flame, Belle Breckenridge (Malone). She lives with her husband John (Cotton), who’s a drunkard, and their daughter Melissa, as they prepare for a cattle drive to Texas. Lawman Dana Stribling (Hudson) pursues O'Malley, driven by a personal need to see justice served. An uneasy agreement is reached, and both men join the Breckenridge family on the drive. As they approach Texas, tensions increase, especially since Stribling begins pursuing Belle’s attention and O'Malley finds himself drawn to Missy. You wouldn’t normally connect words like lyrical, contemplative, or evocative with a director known for films such as Ulzana's Raid, The Longest Yard, and The Dirty Dozen. However, these terms are surprisingly apt descriptions of this lesser-known Robert Aldrich film. While it contains familiar elements found in many 1950s American Westerns, the screenplay by Trumbo provides a foundation for something truly intriguing. The narrative is packed with sexual anxieties, desires, regret, hatred, revenge, and forbidden love. If that sounds like a “Greek Tragedy,” then you’re probably on the right track, as is the comparison to a Western directed in the style of Douglas Sirk. It's melodramatic, but there are moments of lightness and energetic action sequences as well. The film feels complete, featuring well-developed characters brought to life by a mostly strong cast, all set against stunning landscapes that Aldrich and Laszlo manage to portray as poetic observers of the unfolding drama. There are some oddities, and the movie isn’t without its flaws (Cotten is weak, Elam & Brand aren't utilized enough), but these minor issues are easily overlooked when considering the film overall. Lyrical, contemplative, evocative: it certainly is. 8/10

Source on TMDB