Wow--yet another film with the same plot! I must have seen at least a coupe dozen westerns with the exact same plot at this one! This one is about the Reconstruction--a period during which the victorious Union (Northern) troops occupied the South and enforced martial law. The Northerners who came to the South for this were nicknamed 'Carpetbaggers' and Southerners who cooperated with them 'Scallawags'. This period lasted about a decade.
When the film begins, you learn that during Reconstruction, tons of evil Yankees and Scallawags (Southerners who helped the Yankees) took control of the South and exploited it horribly--creating injustice and sowing discord. There's only one problem with this theme--it really didn't happen that way! As a history teacher, I recognize that this WAS a very popular view of this period in history books written during the early and middle portion of the 20th century (which, incidentally, coincided with the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan). The problem is that the books and films fail to mention one important thing--the treatment of blacks. In other words, the view in this period is that the real victims were white men--with no mention of the evils of slavery, the KKK or voter intimidation! Ain't this a bit one-sided?! The truth is that the Northern occupation did, at least temporarily, put a halt to these injustices. Once they left, then in many ways it was 'business as usual'--a far, far different view than you see in these films and books! So, at the outset, I was a bit annoyed at the incorrect history as well as the staleness of the plot. Oh, well...at least it wasn't Randolph Scott in this film, as he made quite a few films with Reconstruction plots.
The film begins by showing some atrocities being committed by the leaders of the occupation in one town. Now the film makers DID say that this was not typical of all of the Reconstruction--which is at least a plus.
In the following scene, John Payne is talking with some high muckity-mucks in Washington about the problems with Reconstruction in his home town. Though he has not been back to town since the war (after all, he was a prisoner of war being held in a Northern camp), he is sure that the letters from his townsfolk are true in asking relief from their new overlords. So, the well-intentioned folks in DC ask Payne to return and investigate the problem first-hand. But, to see what is REALLY going on, he pretends to be a dispirited man--a guy in complete sympathy with the Union cause and has contempt for his own people. This way, he can get friendly with the baddies--but in the process his old friends want to kill him! What will happen to our intrepid hero and the po' folks of this town? Tune in...or not.
Overall, this is a competent film but no more. Payne is fair in the lead but lacks charisma. The story, as I've already indicated, is pretty derivative. Is it worth watching...sure, whatever...
When the film begins, you learn that during Reconstruction, tons of evil Yankees and Scallawags (Southerners who helped the Yankees) took control of the South and exploited it horribly--creating injustice and sowing discord. There's only one problem with this theme--it really didn't happen that way! As a history teacher, I recognize that this WAS a very popular view of this period in history books written during the early and middle portion of the 20th century (which, incidentally, coincided with the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan). The problem is that the books and films fail to mention one important thing--the treatment of blacks. In other words, the view in this period is that the real victims were white men--with no mention of the evils of slavery, the KKK or voter intimidation! Ain't this a bit one-sided?! The truth is that the Northern occupation did, at least temporarily, put a halt to these injustices. Once they left, then in many ways it was 'business as usual'--a far, far different view than you see in these films and books! So, at the outset, I was a bit annoyed at the incorrect history as well as the staleness of the plot. Oh, well...at least it wasn't Randolph Scott in this film, as he made quite a few films with Reconstruction plots.
The film begins by showing some atrocities being committed by the leaders of the occupation in one town. Now the film makers DID say that this was not typical of all of the Reconstruction--which is at least a plus.
In the following scene, John Payne is talking with some high muckity-mucks in Washington about the problems with Reconstruction in his home town. Though he has not been back to town since the war (after all, he was a prisoner of war being held in a Northern camp), he is sure that the letters from his townsfolk are true in asking relief from their new overlords. So, the well-intentioned folks in DC ask Payne to return and investigate the problem first-hand. But, to see what is REALLY going on, he pretends to be a dispirited man--a guy in complete sympathy with the Union cause and has contempt for his own people. This way, he can get friendly with the baddies--but in the process his old friends want to kill him! What will happen to our intrepid hero and the po' folks of this town? Tune in...or not.
Overall, this is a competent film but no more. Payne is fair in the lead but lacks charisma. The story, as I've already indicated, is pretty derivative. Is it worth watching...sure, whatever...