coltras35 Reviews

Fury at Showdown (1957)

Fury at Showdown

[6/10 · 20 May 2024]

After serving a year for a killing in self-defense, gunfighter Brock Mitchell tries to help his younger brother save his ranch but a crooked lawyer has other ideas.

John Derek stars as a gunslinger just released from jail and a crooked lawyer whose brother had died in a gunfight when facing a showdown with Derek plots revenge by goading the easily riled Derek into a gunfight with his gun thug (Laramie's John Smith). Fury at showdown is a tightly-conceived stark western similar in vein to the Brass legend ( also directed by Gert Oswald) in terms of its starkness and its emphasis on character depth and tension. Not much action, but there's a killer fist fight between Derek and Smith. You got to see it to believe it.

Sometimes the tension can fluctuate and the pace is slow; overall, though, it's a decent western with good performances- but Derek steals the acting honours as the young man who is trying to restrain his anger and not turn to violence. The camera work, the town and characterisation is good. The finale was quite tense.

The Parson and the Outlaw (1957)

Odd western

[4/10 · 19 May 2024]

Billy the Kid tries to live in peace under a new name in a frontier town, but he is soon approached by a preacher who asks for his help in freeing the town from the ruthless Colonel Morgan and his gunman Jack Slade.

What if Billy the kid faked his death, thanks to Pat Garrett? What if he tries to settle down as a rancher? What if he lays off carrying a gun? Such ideas is not bad - it's a reimagining of what would happen if he tried to settle down and change his life but it wouldn't be a western if things did pan out for him. It's an odd western with odd characters and equally odd music (annoying banjo strumming, mainly off key) , but there's some interesting elements such as the religious overtones, the dialogue and an odd atmosphere. It's sort of watchable, however there's a certain sluggishness and lifelessness. It's just the oddness that keeps you oddly watching on. If you are an odd western aficionado then you would probably want to check it out.

Last of the Desperados (1955)

Last of the Desperadoes

[5/10 · 19 May 2024]

After Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett kills Billy the Kid, Billy's gang plan to get Garrett to settle the score. After two innocent men are shot down, Garrett resigns and leaves town, believing this act will save lives. He settles down in Tascosa, New Mexico, under an alias, and meets Sarita McGuire who hires him as a bartender in her saloon. She falls in love with Garrett and tells him she was once married to Billy the Kid. Garrett's former deputy, John Poe discovers Garrett working in the saloon, and they decide to go back to Lincoln and face Billy's gang.

A little lethargic and routine in places, however The Last of the Desperadoes is not a bad western which features the historical character Pat the Garrett - the film starts with Garrett shooting Billy the kid in a darkened room, which gives him a notorious reputation and puts Billy the Kid's trail pardners on his tail. It's so bad that Garrett has to move to another town, shave his moustache off, change his name, become a storekeeper, but, as we soon learn, that is not enough and the old gang of Billy the Kid are flinging lead his way. There's some fine acting, maybe a little stiff in places, but good enough and the shootouts keep things interesting. The story idea is quite good.

Apache Trail (1942)

Apache Trail

[6/10 · 19 May 2024]

A man with a shady past managing a stagecoach way station is reunited with his outlaw brother, whom he is convinced is up to no good. They are forced to put aside their differences to protect the town when a force of Apaches goes on the warpath, seeking retribution on a white man who deceived them.

A fairly dependable and enjoyable B-western about a pair of estranged brothers (William Lundigan and Lloyd Nolan) who are thrown together by an Apache uprising. Donna Reed provides the love interest, while Chill Wills supplies the philosophising, and there's an array of interesting characters - it was remade as Apache War Smoke, but Apache Trail is much better, more tighter and engaging with a sharp focus on the characters. The running time, however, is too short for more fleshing out the characters and having more tension. Lloyd Nolan takes the acting honours as a slimy criminal with an eye on the Stagecoach payroll, but his lingo and look seems to come out of a 1930's speakeasy. All he needed to do was flip a coin and say "Curtains."

Badlands of Dakota (1941)

Badlands of Dakota

[7/10 · 18 May 2024]

Set in the Dakotas during the days of the Great Gold Boom, the story finds brothers Jim and Bob Holliday (Stack and Broderick Crawford) fighting it out over the affections of pretty Anne Grayson (Ann Rutherford). While all this is going on, Wild Bill Hickok (Richard Dix) does his best to help Jim Holliday neutralise the local criminal element.

"Badlands of Dakota" is an entertaining and engaging western, which mixes the presence of mythical figures from the Wild West, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and General Custer, with comico-dramatic situations. It's an atypical western, oscillating between humor, (burlesque comedy) and dramatization - there's a great cast, from Broderick Crawford and the excellent Richard Dix, and the set pieces and the depiction of Deadwood is great. There's a strong sense of colour and drama as well as some fine action with shootouts, chases ( the Stagecoach sequence with the horses gobe was impressive) and an energetic Sioux attack on Deadwood.

Renegades (1946)

Renegades

[7/10 · 18 May 2024]

Hannah Brockway, daughter of the leading citizen of Prairie Dog, prosperous insurance man Nathan Brockway, is engaged to be married to Dr. Sam Martin, but she meets and falls in love with Ben Dembrow, the youngest son of outlaw leader Kirk Dembrow. Ben, unwilling to lead the life of his father and two brothers, Frank and Cash, has taken a new name, and he and Hannah are married.

But the suspicions of the townspeople hound him and he is tried for a crime he did not commit. His father and brothers rescue him from the courtroom at gunpoint, and the disillusioned Ben joins his family, taking Hannah with him. Months of fleeing from the law, and the approaching birth of a child impels Hannah to send for Martin, who has never stopped loving her. Martin takes her back to her family home and the baby is born. But Ben kidnaps the child in an effort to make Hannah rejoin him, and Martin and Ben soon face a shoot-out against each other.

Renegades is a well made Western directed by the underrated George Sherman, and William Snyder's eye catching Technicolor cinematography is glorious to look at. The acting is fine; Willard Parker is sincere as the doctor, Evelyn Keyes adds some glamour, Larry Parks is ok though a more charismatic lead would've been better, but see Edgar Buchanan in a rare heel role as head of the sociopathic Dembrow family is a scene stealer. It's not a typical western in a sense that the emphasis is more on characters and drama and I liked how the last hour switched from a light-heartedness (accordions playing, dancing, the community love the town's own Dr Kildare who is engaged to a red headed beauty) to a more adult story with a few twists and turns. It's a bit of a slow burner, though, but some fine action and good characterisation keeps things interesting. It's actually a good western with a nice story.

Overland Pacific (1954)

Overland Pacific

[6/10 · 17 May 2024]

Ross Granger is an railroad agent, going undercover as a telegrapher, looking into a series of raids by the Comanches on railroad construction near the town of Oaktown. He quickly discovers that the raids are sponsored by Del Stewart, a local businessman, and his associate Broden. Their goal is to force the railroad to run through land that they own.

Overland Pacific is a decent western with some fine fisticuffs, shoot em up action featuring Comanches vs railroaders, dry quips, friendship going sour and political machinations, however I found Jock Mahoney a little too passive when it came to investigating and not too determined. His friendship with William Bishop is explored more - speaking of which, Bishop steals the scene as the charming heel whose greed makes him murderous. Adele Jergens plays the saloon gal who still loves him, despite setting his cap for Peggy Castle. Predictably Castle falls for Mahoney - especially when she learns that Bishop was involved in her father's murder. Not a bad railroad western to settle down to enjoy. The finale is a cracker with attacking Comanches and dynamite. Good action.

The Rawhide Trail (1958)

The Rawhide Trail

[5/10 · 17 May 2024]

Jess Brady and Rupe Pardee are in jail in Gunsight, Texas, blamed for leading a wagon train into a Comanche ambush, and about to be hanged. They protest their innocence and claim that the Indians want to kill them also. The Comanches attack the jail in an effort to capture the prisoners, but are driven off the soldiers of the garrison led by the Captain.

Expecting another attack, the Captain and a small detail of men move the prisoners out of town in a wagon, but they are under constant surveillance by the Comanches. The detail arrives at a way station the same time as a stage coach carrying Marsha Collins, and her fiancée, Farley Durand, a government supply officer. All are trapped in the station which is under constant attack by the Indians. In the escape battle, it is revealed that Durand was responsible for the attack on the wagon train, and not Brady and Pardee.

You don't usually see injuns attacking a town- ghost town yes, but not a fully fledged town, but of course the town's population gets whittled down and you get the usual survivors trying to stay alive from the Comanches - there's the usual tropes and familiar characterisations, but I quite enjoyed it (probably would've enjoyed it more with a better print and audio sound) as it was quite adequate in its execution and it's not boring. Maybe a little bit too talky at times.

Rex Reason, who bears a slight resemblance to Stewart Granger and has a similar booming voice, heads a good cast and does a fine job. Nancy Gates sizzles as an uppity girl engaged to a scoundrel who is trying to make a Buck by selling guns to the Comanches. The finale is quite tense with the Comanches crawling through the rocks towards Reason and Gates and the bullet through the ammo letting off a small rock slide. A modestly enjoyable western, though probably only for the genre addicts.

Badlands of Montana (1957)

Badlands of Montana

[7/10 · 16 May 2024]

Wanting to follow in his late father's footsteps, eager reformer Steve Brewster runs for mayor of a small Montana town but is forced to flee and join a gang of notorious outlaws after he's provoked into killing two corrupt officials in self-defense. Gang leader Hammer takes Steve in, and Steve falls for his daughter, Susan, but his loyalties are divided when he's appointed marshal of his hometown.

And just when I thought that Badlands of Montana, a 1957 B-western, would be just average I got a pleasant surprise and I found it interesting, especially how the town folk of Cascade treats the hero - a candidate for Mayorship - with malice and sheer hatred ( even the whipping he gets is intense and the man who commanded the whipping takes a thrill out of it), and the plot is quite involving and there's a sense of clarity to the story. It's well-acted by all, but Emile Meyer steals the scene as a thoughtful outlaw leader. A big contrast to the hothead gang member played by Keith Larsen. As for Rex Reason, he does great as a leading man and has matinee like credentials -pity he didn't make it big. Marcia Dean is sultry as the villainess. Beverley Garland emoted well. Liked how the plot twisted away from "innocent man turns into an outlaw" story and into a "lawman" story.

The Marksman (1953)

The Marksman

[6/10 · 16 May 2024]

Mike Martin becomes a deputy United States marshal in early-day Texas because of his almost unbelievable marksmanship. (That he has a rifle with a special scope doesn't hurt anything.) He hates the thought that he has been hired as a killer instead of a lawman but his superior, Marshal Bob Scott, sets him straight. For years a master gang of rustlers has raided government grazing lands and Lieutenant-Governor Watson orders Scott to get them. Scott, disguised as a prospector, is killed when he spots the outlaws deep in the Sangre de Christo range. Head of the rustlers is rancher Champ Wylie and his gang includes his foreman Santee and a crack gunman, Kincaid. Visiting Wylie is his novelist niece Jane Warren. When Scott is not heard from, Mike, also posing as a prospector, goes to find him, and meets Jane. He eventually solves the rustling mystery but not without some lead exchange...

There's a fair amount of body count due to Wayne Morris' keen marksmanship in this western called, eh, the Marksman and, as far as being an efficiently and agreeable programmer that passes time decently, it hits the mark. I found it quite entertaining; an interesting idea of a deputy stopping bad guys with a rifle - even if the rifle is too early for the timeline here - and a brisk and adequate plot being strong factors. Plus Elena Verdugo is a cutie and I liked her inquisitive and innocent character. She plays a writer from the East visiting her uncle, Frank Ferguson, who happens to be the head of a cattle rustling outfit. For undemanding western fanatics this would do just fine.

Two Guns and a Badge (1954)

Two guns and a Badge

[5/10 · 14 May 2024]

Mistaken for a notorious gunslinger, Jim is appointed deputy sheriff of a wide-open cattle town called Outpost. Playing along, our hero gets down to business -- He is successful until the sheriff discovers he is not the killer and offers him a chance to leave. But he stays- Beverley Garland is an incentive to stay!- and by the time his true identity is revealed most of the bad guys end up on boot hill.

A rather serviceable western that wavers between mediocrity and interesting - the latter because of the mistaken identity storyline and some tension in regards to the truth behind the deputy's real identity might put him in danger. There's some fine shootouts, good dialogue, and it's watchable, however I felt it could've been better with more running time.

Vigilantes of Boomtown (1947)

Weak entry

[4/10 · 13 May 2024]

The ranch of Red Ryder (Allan Lane) and his aunt, The Duchess (Martha Wentworth), is being used as the training site for "Gentleman Jim" Corbett (George Turner) for his upcoming fight in Carson City, Nevada for the heavyweight championship against Bob Fitzsimmons (John Dehner). Molly McVey (Peggy Stewart), the daughter of a U. S. Senator, crusading against prize-fighting in Nevada, complicates matters somewhat when she conceives the bright idea of having Corbett kidnapped, thus causing the cancellation of the fight. The two men (George Chesebro and George Lloyd) she hires to do the kidnapping also add to the complications by kidnapping Ryder instead of Corbett. Meanwhile, a gang of crooks, led by McKean (Roy Barcroft), descend on the town intent on looting the town and also making off with the fight proceeds.

I love the Red Ryder series, but this one was confusing and not very engaging - some parts were unusual, in regards to being a mix of being a shoot em up and modern boxing film. However, the acting is fine and so is Peggy Stewart who is quite comic, though I didn't quite understand why she was against a pugilist contest. Nice shoot em up at the end, but nothing remarkable.

Oregon Trail Scouts (1947)

All over a papoose!!

[6/10 · 13 May 2024]

The recounting of how Red Ryder met Little Beaver. When Bill Hunter tries to kidnap Little Beaver to force hunting rights from Chief Running Fox, Beaver's grandfather, Little Beaver finds protection in Red Ryder. Once Red Ryder foils the outlaw's plan for good, Little Beaver is asked to make a decision whether to return to his tribe or stay as Red's sidekick. The rest is history.

An enjoyable backstory to how Little Beaver and Red Ryder (Rocky Allan Lane) meet. There's the usual villainous schemes, humour and rip-roaring action - the fight between Ryder Roy Barcroft is quite rambunctious and wild. The finale is exciting. Frank Lackteen plays an Indian again with his deadpan expression.

Desperadoes' Outpost (1952)

Good fun!!

[6/10 · 12 May 2024]

Nugget Clark has been having his stagecoaches wrecked and Federal Investigator Rocky Lane arrives to investigate. The foreman of a nearby mine is stealing part of the mercury output and selling it in Mexico. Nugget's house has a direct pipeline from the mine and they are trying to drive him into bankruptcy to obtain his ranch. Rocky is quickly aware that the Foremen is behind Nugget's holdups but they are also onto Rocky when he accidentally drops his badge during a fight.

With a Rocky Allan Lane western you know what you get: shootouts, chases and the villain one step ahead of the good guys. It's formula but a winning one. The mercury angle adds a certain interest. Roy Barcroft is the heavy again and Nuggett Clark is his usual loveable self. The finale packs a wallop with Lane falling to the ground while his guns blaze.

The Lonesome Trail (1955)

The Lonesome Trail

[7/10 · 12 May 2024]

A veteran of the Indian wars, Johnny Rush returns to his home to find that it has been confiscated by a cattle baron taking over in the valley. Rush also finds that his girl is engaged to the baron, because the girl's fathers' ranch is in financial jeopardy. When Rush loses the use of his gun arm in a fight with the barons henchmen, he learns to use a bow and arrow for defense...with deadly consequences.

The Lonesome Trail reminds me of TERROR IN A TEXAS TOWN, and not just because the heroes toted an unconventional weapon ( John Agar uses a bow and arrow against the bad guys in this one), but because there's a similar starkness and grimness in the characters- nothing glamorous here. The town street is rutted, the close-up shots of visages are oily and the action is exciting and a little violent. One guy gets a nasty cut on his face by a bullet. Well-acted and quite tense, though the old man can rabbit on too much. This good western ends with a brilliantly tense showdown.

The Return of Jack Slade (1955)

The return of Jack Slade

[5/10 · 12 May 2024]

The son of a quick-shooting lawman, Jack Slade (John Ericson) abandons law school to follow in his late father's footsteps. At the behest of Pinkerton agent Joseph Ryan (Howard Petrie), Slade infiltrates the hideout of the notorious Wild Bunch, led by the vicious Harry Sutton (Neville Brand). As he gathers information about the gang, his mission is threatened by his friendship with alcoholic cowboy Johnny (Jon Shepodd) and his growing attraction to female outlaw Texas Rose (Mari Blanchard.

The Return of Jack Slade is an ok western with some excitement like the train robberies, the final shootout, and a few interesting characters like Neville Brand and Mari Blanchard. Jon Ericsson in the title role looks suitably rebellious as the son of Jack Slade and has a permanent teen pout, but I found him bland, dull, and he looked like he was trying to remember his lines. He lacked that charisma as a lead, I felt. To be honest, I found this western on the dull side, especially in the talking bits, and the plot dragged. Having said that, the stark black and white photography adds to the gritty depiction of the outlaws and its hide out. Some lively action is scattered here and there. But nothing too special.

The Phantom Stagecoach (1957)

Good fun!

[7/10 · 12 May 2024]

A stagecoach firm reels over the news of the third holdup attempt in two months, the last of which resulted in the murder of one of their best drivers. Glen Hayden (William Bishop), the man who prevented the most recent robbery, is hired by the firm to drive for them while investigating the murder. What he doesn't know is that a rival firm is responsible for the holdups, and that they have created an armored, driverless stagecoach to rob future deliveries and take all of the business in town for themselves.

The Phantom Stagecoach is a remake of the top notch Stage to Tucson, but it's a light remake as this 1957 programmer has its own legs and it's a nifty, fast-paced one. The action never lets up with plenty of things going, no wasted things added, and lots of chase scenes with stagecoaches rolling. Some of it is stock footage, but I enjoyed this one immensely. It was quite exciting. Love Kathleen Crowley's husky voice. William Bishop was good as the hero ( for a change), but Richard Webb is a whiny dullard who is a duplicitous character working for the bad guys on the sly. I think Ray Nazarro is an underrated western director.

Frontier Badmen (1943)

Frontier Badmen

[7/10 · 11 May 2024]

A group of cowboys ending their cattle drive in Abilene find that cattle prices are being kept artificially low, driving down the price they'll get for their beef. They set out to change the situation.

Entertaining and punchy western centred on the greedy middlemen and the benefits of a broker free market. Has some really funny one liners, beautiful women, gunsmoke, a fiery stampede, stampede raging through town, cows smashing through windows and Lon Chaney jr. As a guitar strumming henchman to Thomas Gomez' villain. There's a great cast of western character actors like Noah Beery Jr., William Farnum, Leo Carrillo, bullwhipping Andy Devine, Kermit Maynard, and Robert Paige, who bears a slight resemblance to James Stewart, does well as the hero. Frank Lackteen as the Indian makes me laugh with his dead pan delivery. "You talk too much."

Gunsmoke in Tucson (1958)

Gun smoke in Tucson

[6/10 · 11 May 2024]

As young boys, two brothers, Jed (AKA: Chip) and John, witness their father being hung by a vigilante gang. Chip, angry and bitter, grows up to be an outlaw and leader of the feared Blue Chip Gang. John goes the other way and becomes a U. S. Marshal. Two brothers on opposite sides of the law, destined to become embroiled in an Arizona range war between cattlemen and farmers.

Gunsmoke in Tucson is a formulaic yet watchable western with a brother-against-brother theme which plays out against a plot that mixes fistfights and shootouts with questions of guilt and redemption. There's a tendency of talkiness, but enough things happen in the plot to keep the wheels turning, though towards the end the pace lags. Good performances, characterisation and some nice action scattered here and there lifts this above the average sagebrush actioner. Forest Tucker as Mark Steven's' brother is great as usual though hasn't got much screen time. Mark Stevens, who I think fits the genre really well with his gaunt features and laconic style, does really well, though that mustard colour of his outfit looks dodgy.

The Hard Man (1957)

The Hard Man

[7/10 · 11 May 2024]

Steve Burden is a former lawman released for bringing in too many wanted men dead. The aging Sheriff of El Solito wants Steve for his Deputy and Steve takes the job knowing the last outlaw he killed was framed in El Solito. Looking for the man that framed him it appears that Rice Martin who controls El Solito is his man and Steve is quickly in trouble when Martin sends a man to kill him.

The Hard Man is an entertaining b-western starring Guy Madison in the title role and that toughness is needed when he takes on Lorne Greene's gun thugs. There's some fistfights, gunplay but the focus is more on drama, especially around Lorne Greene and Valerie French who plays his wife. But it's not a marriage made in heaven. Valerie, in a role similar to the cheating wife in Jubal, wraps her fingers around men in order to get them to kill Ben Cartwright ... sorry I mean Lorne Greene's character. Has she finally fallen for Guy Madison? Will she settle down with Guy or not? You got to watch this western that has some tense moments and involving dialogue. Lorne Greene sort of steals every scene he is in as a power mad rancher. The finale where Madison doesn't know who the gun man is and is jumpy at every sound is quite tense, and the twist at the end is good.

The Bushwhackers (1951)

The Bushwhackers

[7/10 · 11 May 2024]

A Confederate veteran Jeff Waring (John Ireland) arrives in Independence, Missouri shortly after the Civil War, still with intention of never using a gun again. He finds that rancher Artemus Taylor, an arthritic despot, and his henchies, Sam Tobin and Cree, are forcing out the settlers in order to claim their land for the incoming railroad.

The Bushwhackers is a well-acted western, with some interesting characters such Taylor's independent daughter who has a mean streak mile wide and even pips her father to that post on that score. The enchanting Dorothy Malone plays a daughter of a newspaperman who she berates for not revealing who is behind the attacks on other settlers. John Ireland is quite good as the pacifist, but you know he won't stay pacifist for long. Lon Chaney Jr. Steals the scene as the barmy rancher.

The plot is quite strong with some twist and turns and some grittiness is executed quite well. A little disjointed in places as scenes jump from one scene to another without flowing naturally, but it's a decent western with an arresting plot and fine characters. It's a little violent for its time - such as Jack Elam killing settlers and burning down the house with delight on his face - and has some noir flavour.

The Quiet Gun (1957)

The Quiet Gun

[7/10 · 10 May 2024]

Sheriff Carl Brandon must uphold the law and prevent a lynching when his best friend is accused of murder and immorality by the townsfolk.

It's amazing how the western ingredients featuring a stalwart sheriff, the corrupt clique in the town, the alternative good citizens, gunfights, posses, vigilantes, a lynching can be framed efficiently into an75 minutes film. In addition to this, there is a strong undertone of racism. It's a thoughtful western with strong themes and great acting -Forrest Tucker takes lead with his calm, nonplussed tough style. Jim Davis plays a rancher and Tucker's friend and is dependable as ever. Lee Van Cleef, none surprisingly plays a villain and a fierce one at that, and Hank Worden, always fun to watch, lightens the edgy and serious tone as the deputy of the sheriff. Mara Corday and Kathleen Crowley don't have much screen time but they are just fine. An above average western.

Stagecoach to Fury (1956)

Stagecoach to Fury

[6/10 · 9 May 2024]

A stagecoach with a mixed group of passenger en route to the town of Fury makes a stop at a layover. Upon arrival the passengers are held up by Lorenzo Garcia (Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.) and his gang of bandidos capture and disarm the passengers, shooting one when he stops to raise his fallen trousers when he puts his hands up. The two staff of the coaching stop are missing presumed murdered. Garcia questions former Army captain Frank Townsend (Forrest Tucker), now riding shotgun on the stagecoach on the location of the Federal Government gold shipment they expected to be carried by the stagecoach.

Forest Tucker heads the cast in this neat little B-western that has some unusual flourishes with its flashbacks. A group of passengers are held hostage by some bandidos until the gold arrives at the relay station. During the course of the film we get flashbacks of three passengers, giving us an insight into their flawed characters and two of them are not any worse than the bandits holding them. Matter of fact, the gunslinger gets tricked during a countdown to a showdown with a bandit just like how he had shot the sheriff (seen in the flashback)without warning. Mari Blanchard's character uses her hotness to get people do things for her, even murder, but when she tries to use that skill on a bandit in order to get away she gets her up-commence. Some good action rounds up a solid little B-western. It's a pity Forest Tucker didn't do more leading roles in westerns. He does so well.

Massacre River (1949)

Massacre River

[7/10 · 8 May 2024]

Lts. Guy Madison and Rory Calhoun, real pals, both love the colonel's daughter Kitty. Kitty turns Rory down in favor of Guy. Rory accepts this...

But then the triangle becomes a love quadrilateral when Guy meets and falls for a racy saloon gal, Laura (Carole Mathews), and breaks off his engagement with Kitty. Which causes Kitty's brother to try and kill Guy but he gets killed - from here tragedy strikes.

In the back ground, Chief Yellowstone (Iron Eyes Cody) and Colonel Reid (Art Baker) want peace but the chief has trouble controlling his young hothead braves, who prefer the warpath.

A cavalry western called Massacre River would usually mean plenty of injun clashing with the cavalry, arrows flying and tomahawks crashing, but this western hasn't got much action; it has more drama and romance. It is quite involving and moving nevertheless. The performances are great, especially Carole Matthews as Laura and Guy Madison as the lieutenant whose decision to settle down with Laura sets off a series of tragic events. Usually not keen on tragic love stories, which this is, but the plot of Massacre River gets a grip on you and doesn't let go. The stark atmosphere adds to the story.

7th Cavalry (1956)

7th Cavalry

[8/10 · 7 May 2024]

Randolph Scott stars as Captain Tom Benson , a cavalry officer unjustly accused of cowardice. When Custer and his troops are wiped out at the Little Big Horn, Benson escapes death. To vindicate himself he volunteers for a seemingly suicidal mission: to recover Custer's body from the battlefield.

The 7th Cavalry focuses on the aftermath of the "Little Big Horn" massacre of June 25, 1876. On this historic day, the 7th US Cavalry Regiment under George Armstrong Custer was crushed by Lakota and Dakota Sioux, Arapaho and Cheyenne Indians under their leaders Sitting, Crazy Horse and Gall on the Little Bighorn River in present-day Montana. This western is more of a drama centred around the incident rather a shoot 'em up, though there's some action scattered here and there, mainly in the second half.. There are some well-staged and exciting fights, one between Scott and a brave( it's a few minutes long) and another with Leo Gordon.

It's quite a focused and an interesting western, probably even unusual, and starts off with Scott entering a deserted fort; great sweeping camera shot. Definitely one of Scott's top tier westerns that is quite gripping. The ending with the appearance of Custer's horse is a memorable scene.