Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- eerie
- oppressive
- classic western night
- dark cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly admire the film's striking snowbound cinematography and ambitious, eerie atmosphere while finding its psychological melodrama uneven and overextended.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
William H. Clothier's cinematography bleaches the primary colors, giving the snowbound landscape the appearance and emotional severity of black and white.
The Bridges family is trapped on an isolated mountain ranch as the first major snowstorm closes in around them.
The panther killing cattle is presented with seemingly mythical qualities and carries symbolic weight beyond its literal danger.
Curt, Ma, Pa, Arthur, and Harold enact a severe domestic struggle involving domination, defeat, alcoholism, and generational resentment.
Films like Track of the Cat, and why
The Ox-Bow Incident
psychological western drama, moral conflict, and stark frontier violence
Ordet
claustrophobic family melodrama, ritualized behavior, and severe moral atmosphere
The Hateful Eight
bleak snowbound western setting, mythic violence, and existential tension
The Night of the Hunter
literary western form, family dysfunction, and dark psychological intensity
Movie Details
- Director
- William A. Wellman
- Release Date
- 1954-11-19
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (49)
Cast
- Robert Mitchum
- Diana Lynn
- Tab Hunter
- Teresa Wright
- Beulah Bondi
- Philip Tonge
- William Hopper
- Carl Switzer
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- FlixFling
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Track of the Cat about?
- A haunted snowbound western turns a panther hunt into a savage reckoning with a family’s buried resentments.
- What is Track of the Cat like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Track of the Cat as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Track of the Cat violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Track of the Cat as moderate.
- What did critics think of Track of the Cat?
- Critics broadly admire the film's striking snowbound cinematography and ambitious, eerie atmosphere while finding its psychological melodrama uneven and overextended.
- Which films are like Track of the Cat?
- Films with a similar feel include The Ox-Bow Incident, Ordet, The Hateful Eight, and The Night of the Hunter.
- How long is Track of the Cat?
- Track of the Cat runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch Track of the Cat?
- In United States, Track of the Cat streams on FlixFling.
