Directed by Raoul Walsh from a screenplay by Niven Busch, Pursued perfectly expresses film noir fatalism in a western. It is an overtly Freudian tale of a gunman (Robert Mitchum) who is haunted by a repressed childhood trauma so that he continually finds his surroundings bewildering and oppressive. "Historically classified as the first 'psychological' western, Pursued...is really a horror story of the great outdoors, an extraordinary tale of family rivalry, atavism, and grotesque vengeance, with excellent performances from Mitchum and Teresa Wright, as well as Judith Anderson as the ambiguous matriarchal figure. Busch's thriller framework, complete with mysterious flashbacks, is excellently complemented by the menacing angles and shadows of James Wong Howe's photography" (Edinburgh Film Festival '80).