David Miller takes a terrific script by Dalton Trumbo and brings it to life instantly with a shot of airplanes flying over Jack as he rests in the desert. The imagery immediately tells us that this cowboy is fighting against a new world, one that he does not fit in to. This theme is carried out throughout the picture until the final scene. It isn't the law that gets Jack, it's the fast moving pace of the world being built up around him, represented by the tractor trailer that's been slicing through the story.
Miller also makes use of framing to create comedy. For instance, after Jack is told he doesn't have to go into a cell he punches a cop to get inside. Instead of staying on Jack, Miller keeps the camera on the Officer preparing the paperwork which creates a very funny moment as he is so calm and a few feet away there is a brawl.
The director uses what's available in order to frame characters. For example, we see Jack climbing the ridge with his horse and we see him through the doorframe of a home that has crumbled away. The composition makes us understand the feeling of Jack being closed down upon. We get a great deal of suspense from the horse climbing the ridge as there is a moment we are certain it is going to topple down the mountain, whether by accident or not it makes us feel like a terrible moment is coming, which becomes the m.o. of the final act as Jack and his horse head for freedom in a world that will soon claim their lives.
