Recently I've watched a few westerns that I'd not heard of until I saw them listed in the TV guide; most turned out to be enjoyable and this one turned out to be one of the best. Set in 1876 when the US Government wants to open a trail through Sioux territory; they are understandably wary as every previous treaty with the US Government has been broken. At the Treaty meeting a white man stands up for them; he is Jim Bridger a scout who is travelling with his friend Sol Beckworth and a Cheyenne woman called Monahseetah. No treaty is signed but Bridger tells the commanding officer that the Sioux will let them pass through there territory if none of them are harmed. Bridger has no intention of staying with the army but when Monahseetah sees one particular officer, Lt. Dancy, he takes the offer to act as a scout... clearly he has a score to settle with Dancy. Things turn bad pretty soon when Dancy murders an Indian boy he sees near their horses; he covers up his crime but another Indian who saw what happened escapes and it isn't long before they are attacked. Nobody is killed but one settler is wounded. Once in the fort Dancy claims the attack was unprovoked but Bridger just knows he is lying... it is only a matter of time before there is open warfare between the Cavalrymen in the fort and the Sioux.
I was surprised just how much I enjoyed this film; there was plenty of exciting action, some of it exciting, some of it tragic; some tense moments and with the exception of Dancy there were no genuinely bad characters. The Sioux had clearly been wronged and had every right to fight back but the vast majority of the cavalry just wanted to live in peace and help the settlers through the territory. Dancy however was a real villain we learnt early on that he had only reenlisted in the army because he enjoyed the prospect of killing Indians and we later learn that earlier on he had been part of a group who had massacred a Cheyenne village including a woman who was Bridger's wife and Monahseetah's sister. It was refreshing not to see the Indians portrayed as 'savages' preying on 'innocent' settlers; even though the story follows people within the camp it is clear that our sympathies are meant to lie with the Sioux. Van Heflin puts in a fine performance as protagonist Jim Bridger and Alex Nicol is suitably unpleasant as the villain Dancy. If you are a fan of the western genre I definitely recommend watching this one!
I was surprised just how much I enjoyed this film; there was plenty of exciting action, some of it exciting, some of it tragic; some tense moments and with the exception of Dancy there were no genuinely bad characters. The Sioux had clearly been wronged and had every right to fight back but the vast majority of the cavalry just wanted to live in peace and help the settlers through the territory. Dancy however was a real villain we learnt early on that he had only reenlisted in the army because he enjoyed the prospect of killing Indians and we later learn that earlier on he had been part of a group who had massacred a Cheyenne village including a woman who was Bridger's wife and Monahseetah's sister. It was refreshing not to see the Indians portrayed as 'savages' preying on 'innocent' settlers; even though the story follows people within the camp it is clear that our sympathies are meant to lie with the Sioux. Van Heflin puts in a fine performance as protagonist Jim Bridger and Alex Nicol is suitably unpleasant as the villain Dancy. If you are a fan of the western genre I definitely recommend watching this one!