A story unfolds about a group making their way across the country from Independence, Missouri, to Willamette Valley, Oregon, in 1843. Kirk Douglas portrays the controlling leader, Robert Mitchum embodies a detached scout, Richard Widmark takes on the role of an impassioned farmer, Lola Albright is his wife and Jack Elam appears as a hidden Preacher. "The Way West," released in 1967, draws from A. B. Guthrie, Jr.’s book about wagon trains. It shares qualities with earlier films like "Bend of the River" (1952) and “How the West was Won” (1962), as well as later ones such as "Meek’s Cutoff" (2011). While generally grounded in reality, some viewers find fault with occasional humorous characters that feel out of place, like Widmark's Lije, Elam’s preacher and Sally Field’s young woman. I personally didn't have a problem with these moments; I simply accepted them as they were. I did take issue with the decision to film in southern Arizona—specifically Yuma & Tucson—as stand-ins for locations along the Oregon Trail. It felt like an inaccurate representation of geography, though thankfully much of the movie was filmed in Oregon itself, including Crooked River Gorge featured at the end. Sally Field, who was 19 years old during filming, is charming, and Katherine Justice shines as a newly married woman with red hair. Despite its shortcomings, "The Way West" proves to be an enjoyable Western from the mid-60s, largely because of the talented cast and impressive scenery, along with the authentic portrayal of life on a wagon train. It simply doesn't reach the level of the genre’s best films. The movie has a running time of 2 hours and 2 minutes. GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB