The Horse Soldiers (1959) User Reviews

A movie full of paradoxes

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 12 April 2017]

Made in the period between two John Ford masterpieces, The Searchers and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", it lacks the completeness of both as well as that wonderful, overarching grandness of a larger theme that enriches Ford's finest efforts. I think this movie works in many of its parts, even if the sum is less than we've come to expect from the director.

The "Horse Soldiers" of the title are a Union cavalry company under command of Col. John Marlowe (John Wayne) who have to venture deep into southern territory to cut off confederate supply lines. Since they are our titular characters and because of the traditional slant of history on the war between the states, we would assume all our sympathies are supposed to be with the boys in blue. But Ford, a lifelong student of civil war history and a Yankee married to a flower of the southern aristocracy, does not ever really give either side the satisfaction of triumph (there are no decisively won battles in the film, only skirmishes and constant fight-and-flight) because he knows that there is no real victory in systematic destruction. Defeat, as usual in Ford films, is where more richness is to be found and by putting the Union army inside southern territory potential for casualties both mortal and moral is escalated. Neither side emerges unsoiled by their descent into what Col. Marlowe calls "this insanity".

Southerners are often depicted as alternating clowns and gallant heroes; genteel (Russell Simpson) and degenerate (Strother Martin & Denver Pyle); compassionate and sadistic. The Union soldiers under Marlowe's command are a ragtag bunch, some out for personal glory (the politician, played brilliantly by Willis Bouchey who seemed made for such roles); misfits that found themselves in uniform while doing what comes most naturally to them: wreaking violence and killing (Judson Pratt);ordinary men who will do whatever their fellows do and will follow most anyone who leads; and Bill Holden's doctor - doctors being a tribe hated by Marlowe because of his own wife's death at their hands. Holden was perfect for the part of Dr. Kendall. No one may have played cynical like Holden and he does it well for the entire film.

John Wayne's Col. Marlowe has to keep this disparate bunch in line, deal with his own disgust at being forced to destroy what he spent his whole life building up (the railroad--and by extension, his country)and on top of everything, he has to escort a most unwilling and uncooperative enemy lady and her servant. Needless to say, Marlowe has enormous pressures to pursue his objective, keep his temper and above all, keep these people alive. This tension fills the movie and along with the constant movement, keeps it from ever being static. This film is somewhat long but it moves.

Nobody in the company likes Col. Marlowe much at all until deeper into the film when both Hannah and Holden's Dr. Kendall come to appreciate him and his paradoxes in their respective ways.

Good Civil War Adventure From Ford.

[jpdoherty · 6/10 · 6 March 2012]

John Ford's THE HORSE SOLDIERS is something of an underrated cavalry epic from the great director. Produced in 1959 for a United Artists release by John Lee Mahin and Martin Rackin it was nicely written for the screen by Mahin and Rackin and colourfully directed,if a little less auspicious, by Ford. Beautifully photographed in widescreen and colour by William Clothier the picture also benefited from an atmospheric score by David Buttolph which was made up from an array of rousing cavalry songs. Once again John Wayne was the star and making his one and only appearance in a Ford picture is the surprise casting of William Holden who, it has to be said, is much less flamboyant here than usual especially if you consider his marvellous Captain Roper in the excellent cavalry western six years earlier "Escape From Fort Bravo". His role in THE HORSE SOLDIERS, as the non-combatant regimental doctor, is almost totally overshadowed by the arrogant and irascible troop commander as solidly played by Wayne. Never reaching the lofty heights of Ford's memorable triptych of cavalry epics "Fort Apache", "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" and "Rio Grande" THE HORSE SOLDIERS is nevertheless an engaging Civil War adventure.

The story of THE HORSE SOLDIERS is based on a real incident during the Civil War in 1863. Under orders from General Grant a division of Union cavalry, under the command of Colonel John Marlowe (Wayne), are to cross over into Alabama and Mississippi in the South and destroy the railway line at Newton Station deep in enemy territory which is the main supply depot of the Confederacy. On completion of their mission they are to make their way to safety via Union held Baton Rouze. The mission starts out and proceeds with little difficulty until disagreements erupt between Col. Marlowe and the regiment's doctor Kendall (Holden) who has been sent with the division against the wishes of Marlowe who distrusts and dislikes the medical profession. And then there's the beautiful Southern Belle (Constance Towers) who, eavesdropping, overhears the Union's plans and must now be taken along with the regiment lest she informs the enemy. The picture ends with an exciting battle between the two sides - the Union army routing the Confederates and making their escape to Baton Rouze.

Performances are splendid from all concerned. Wayne is especially good bringing great authority to his role. His Colonel Marlowe is arguably his best cavalry portrayal. Wayne's presence gives the movie a certain sheen and actually makes the film better than it really is. Holden is good too if somewhat more tempered than in anything he did before (He never handles a weapon throughout the film). But the antipathy between the two men makes for some engaging confrontations (the usually reticent Holden throwing a drink in Wayne's face, squaring up to him and yelling "OK section hand - I've had it - strip your blouse"). Regretfully though, and despite appearances by Ken Curtis and Hank Worden, there is a noticeable absence of Ford players. Particularly missed are Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jn. But there is a nice bit of casting for General Grant at the beginning of the movie who is played by cavalry song writer Stan Jones. Jones composed the movie's featured song "I've Left My Love". And it was Jones also who, three years earlier, had written "The Song Of The Searchers" the stunning ballad sung by The Sons Of The Pioneers over the titles of the Ford/Wayne classic "The Searchers". Also of note is the casting of Althea Gibson in the role of Tower's coloured servant. Gibson was a champion tennis player. She was the first African American to win the Grand Slam in 1956 and was the first African American to play Wimbledon in 1951 and to win it in 1957.

Ford's picture is a handsomely mounted adventure with some blazing action from time to time. Not as good as some of the director's previous cavalry epics but thanks to Duke Wayne for being around and contrary to general opinion THE HORSE SOLDIERS is an enjoyable ride.

Historically inaccurate but otherwise excellent

[gteatr · 8/10 · 5 January 2005]

This film has the usual Hollywood-style errors about the Civil War -- men talking about Andersonville Prison months before it was established, minor diversions treated as the pivotal event of a campaign, that sort of thing. The biggest error though was the replacement of the fascinating Colonel Ben Grierson with Wayne's railroad man character. Grierson was a music teacher who was afraid of horses because one kicked him in the head as a child. Joining the Union army to fight slavery (he was a staunch abolitionist) he wanted infantry duty but was assigned to the cavalry by mistake. He turned out to be good at it and stayed in the cavalry after the war, becoming the first Colonel of the 10th Cavalry (Buffalo soldiers). It'd have been nice to see Grierson on screen.

Historical inaccuracy aside though the movie did quite well. The film showed multiple viewpoints and a fair degree of respect for most of them. It showed aspects of the war that were generally ignored in other films of the period -- the bloody horror of battlefield amputations, the desire of people to give up on the whole thing (I can't think of an earlier film that talked about deserters and the way they disrupted the southern home front), and the pain of the sheer physical destruction of the war -- a pain that affected the destroyers as well as the victims, something Gone With the Wind never quite admitted.

Some posters have complained about southern belle Hannah Hunter's overuse of sex appeal to spy on Union soldiers -- while there was no historical Hannah Hunter there were plenty of southern women who did just that, including Belle Boyd, Rose Greenhow and others. Some posters have complained about the way the film trivializes slavery -- this is unfair. It underplays slavery but never trivializes it. It shows conflicts within the Union army about the institution and addresses the issue of personal loyalty between some slaves and masters without glamorizing the institution as a whole. Does the film go far enough by modern standards? No. But it goes much farther than its contemporary and treats the slavery issue more honestly than modern travesties like Gods And Generals.

One poster actually complained about how inaccurate southern snipers were -- this is completely unfair. There was no indication that the "snipers" were specially trained men with Whitworth rifles or anything like that. They looked more like ordinary troopers out skirmishing, or perhaps the even more poorly trained militia. Ordinary soldiers fired more than 100 rounds for every hit they scored, so poor shooting on either side is nothing to be surprised about.

8 out of 10

Possibly Ford's most underrated work

[jandesimpson · 17 August 2010]

The fields, woodlands and rivers of Tennassee drenched in summer sunlight are in stark contrast to the horrors of civil war as depicted in John Ford's "The Horse Soldiers". John Wayne's mission to lead a troop of Yankee soldiers behind Confederate lines to destroy a railway base vital to the South's supply lines is fraught with danger. Skirmishes inevitably result in injuries and death, the former often giving rise to amputations. Although made well before the time that the full appalingness of warfare come to be depicted in films such as "Saving Captain Ryan", from "Drums Along the Mohawk" onwards Ford never shirked the unpleasant. Incurable romantic that he was, he gave his work a hard edge whenever it was needed. Although the term "road movie" to categorise films based on journeys was not then in general usage, this fascinating work, with horses replacing cars, stands as one of the genres finest examples. And yet, judging from many of this site's user comments, it remains one of Ford's most under appreciated films. I find this rather strange as it contains most of the ingredients that are the hallmarks of those generally regarded as masterworks, westerns such as "The Searchers", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "My Darling Clementine", not forgetting his glorious Irish romp, "The Quiet Man". A shrew is tamed, there is a measure of drunken knockabout and the soundtrack pulsates with rousing cavalry tunes and bugle calls. I have no quarrel with the fact that it is episodic rather than tightly knit. This somehow makes it all the more compatible with its journeying structure. Each episode on the way is brought out in sharp relief, be it the Southern belle's false hospitality and attempted betrayal, the central climax at the railroad station or the delightful interlude of the attack by the boy soldiers from the Confederate military academy (one of my favourite sequences from any Ford film). John Wayne plays what is almost a variation on his Ethan role in "The Searchers", his anger here not vent on Indians but on the medical profession which he holds responsible for his wife's death. His embittered relationship with his company's medical officer played by William Holden gives this otherwise picaresque film a strong dramatic unity. I can only advise those who consider this one of Ford's minor works to see it several times. From my own experience I find it emerges stronger on each viewing.

William Holden and John Ford, in their first pairing...

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 7/10 · 14 November 2001]

As the Civil War goes against the North, General Grant (Stan Jones) is unable to take the Confederate fortress of Vicksburg because the Confederates have it so well defended... He realizes necessity of cutting off that city's supply sources..

Col. John Marlowe (John Wayne) is assigned to take a small brigade of cavalry from Tennessee, ride hundreds of miles into the Confederate territory and destroy the railroad at Newton Station, Mississippi, thereby cutting the supply line to Vicksburg... To do it, he will have to avoid all contact with rebel forces until he has reached his target...

The first problem Marlowe encounters is Major Hank Kendall (William Holden), an obstinate surgeon who will be accompanying the force... Marlowe has the expected contempt of the combat soldier for his colleague who carries no arms... In addition, when Kendall asserts his rights as an officer in the medical corps to declare unfit any soldier he considers so, Marlowe and Kendall clash...

The next problem is Marlowe's second in command, Col. Secord (Willis Bouchey), who makes no secret of his plans to use his military career to further his strong political ambitions...

The third problem is the high-spirited belle Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers). This violent Southern patriot gives him an initial hard time... The Yankee soldiers stay at her plantation soon after they cross into the Confederacy... When Hannah learns their plans, Marlow is forced then to take her along with them for security reasons...

Holden and Wayne (violently opposing strong personalities) perform their assignment with a consummate force, intensity, and expert teamwork... Constance Towers, too, registers a vital presence... At their first dinner, she passes Wayne a platter of chicken... As she leans over, threatening to divulge her engaging décolletage, she says: 'Oh come now, Colonel, a man with a great big frame like yours can't just nibble away like a little titmouse. Now what was your preference, the leg or the breast?'

Incorrigibly sentimental and romantic in his big cavalry epic, Ford's motion picture is full of heroic cavalry on the skyline imagery... Among the more affecting scenes is that in which a harsh compassionate Wayne comforts a dying young soldier and the one in which he registers his love for Towers... There is also a compelling sequence, pure John Ford, in which a group of teenage cadets march out from a Southern military academy to take on the enemy, which makes manifest to battle boys and pulls a retreat, leaving the kids cheering...

"With all due respect, ma'am, I'm gonna get the hell outta here."

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 18 May 2014]

Union cavalry officer John Wayne leads his men through Confederate Mississippi hoping to reach Baton Rouge. Along the way, he has to deal with Rebel soldiers and spies, as well as clashing with doctor William Holden. While not one of director John Ford's best, this is an interesting movie for a few reasons. First it's a film about the cavalry's role in the Civil War, which is rarely discussed. Second, it takes place largely in Mississippi. Most Civil War movies that take place in the South generally focus on Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, etc. This is one of the few that I can think of to deal with the war in Mississippi. Third, this is John Ford's only Civil War film. He did direct a small segment of How the West Was Won that took place during the war and he certainly had many characters affected by their Civil War experiences in his westerns. But this is the only full movie of his that actually takes place during the war itself.

Duke is fine. It's not one of his more memorable roles, though that's more the fault of the script than his performance. William Holden plays an army surgeon Duke is forced to take along with him. In all honesty, Holden's character seems completely tacked-on to the plot. He could've been removed entirely without upsetting the film much. It might have even improved it. Constance Towers is fun as a Southern belle the soldiers have to take with them on their march. At first she seems flighty but soon shows there's more to her. She also has one of the most provocative scenes from any Ford film, where she bends down in front of John Wayne with her cleavage exposed, offering him some chicken and saying "Would you like a leg or a breast?" She's probably the only standout in the film. It's not one of Ford's best. It's watchable and interesting enough, but also overlong and familiar in tone to other cavalry movies I've seen, despite the change in locale. Obviously Wayne and Ford buffs will want to check it out.

Good Civil War Action-Drama

[JamesHitchcock · 7/10 · 25 January 2011]

In "The Horse Soldiers" John Ford returns to the theme of the US Cavalry which he had immortalised in his "Cavalry Trilogy" made around a decade earlier. As in all three films of that trilogy, the leading role is taken by Ford's favourite actor, John Wayne, although this film is not set in the West but in Mississippi during the American Civil War. (Despite being set in the eastern half of the USA, it is nevertheless occasionally referred to as a "Western").

The story is a fictionalised version of the real-life "Grierson Raid" of 1863 in which a unit of Union Cavalry penetrated deep behind Confederate lines in order to destroy a strategically important railroad junction being used by the Confederates to supply their garrison at Vicksburg. Wayne plays the raid's commander, here called Colonel John Marlowe, who ironically was a railroad building engineer before the war. Apart from the battle scenes, much of the drama in the film arises from the clashes between Marlowe and his politically ambitious second-in-command, Colonel Philip Secord, and between Marlowe and the regimental surgeon, Major Henry Kendall. Kendall makes little secret of his dislike of war and sees himself as a doctor first, a soldier second. He considers that his main duty is to relieve human suffering, wherever it may occur, rather than to further the military aims of the Union armies.

An additional complication occurs when the unit stops at a plantation house and Marlowe discovers that the plantation's attractive young mistress Hannah Hunter and her black slave Lukey (played by the tennis star Althea Gibson) have been spying on them. To prevent them from betraying his mission to the Confederate forces, and unwilling to shoot two unarmed women in cold blood, Marlowe is forced to take them with him.

Ford does not really attempt to explore the causes of the war or the moral issues involved. Three years earlier he had made "The Searchers", in which he analysed the nature of racism in the Old West, but here he does not take up the challenge of analysing racism in the Old South in the same way. Doubtless, however, he was well aware of the economics of Hollywood film-making. The most commercially successful films were those that could appeal to audiences both north and south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and in the fifties a film which took too hard an anti-Confederate line would be likely to alienate Southern sympathies.

Although the film is essentially a war film, it combines action with other elements, including psychological analysis and occasional humour. There is even an element of romance, something not generally found in films of this type, as Marlowe falls in love with Constance Towers's Hannah, something I did not find particularly element in the film; it struck me as an unsuccessful attempt to import into an action drama that hoary old convention of the romantic comedy whereby two characters start off as bitter enemies and end up falling in love. (As had had shown in films like "A Man Betrayed", Wayne was not the world's greatest exponent of romantic comedy). Wayne is, however, very good when he concentrates on being a tough soldier rather than a sentimental lover, and William Holden is also good as the no-nonsense medic Kendall. "The Horse Soldiers" is not perhaps quite in the same league as "The Searchers" or "Fort Apache", but it is a good action-drama and one of the better Ford/Wayne collaborations. 7/10

John Ford's Civil War

[theowinthrop · 8/10 · 4 August 2005]

John Ford probably did more to glorify the old American Cavalry of the 19th Century than any other major Hollywood Director. But while the Civil War is an element that keeps turning up in his movies, he never actually did do the Civil War film he wanted to do - a biography of the career of Ulysses Grant. In his career he tackled the Civil War three times.

In PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND he dealt with the story of Dr.Samuel Mudd, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for involvement in Lincoln's Assassination. In HOW THE WEST WAS WON, Ford did the segment dealing with the battle of "SHILOH", with Harry Morgan as General Grant and John Wayne as General Sherman. This film was the nearest that Ford ever got to his dream film. THE HORSE SOLDIERS was the only film that was devoted to a full study of the effect of the war in the South, on both Union and Rebel soldiers. While not, perhaps, the best that Ford could have achieved - he was in the twilight of his master career - it is a fine film none-the-less.

The story is based on an incident in 1863 known as Grierson's Raid. Cavalry leader Benjamin Grierson was sent by Grant into Alabama and Mississippi on a raid to attack a railway junction, supposedly to destroy it for strategic reasons. While it was important to knock the railway junction out of effective work, the real purpose was to tie up Confederate forces in these backwaters. Since December 1862 Grant was struggling to capture the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, the last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. But try as he did Grant kept losing to the Confederates under Joseph Johnston and John C. Pemberton (the commander in Vicksburg). But Grant had noticed how Confederate cavalry men like Earl Van Dorn and Nathan Bedford Forrest had forced him to use men to protect his supply lines, and took valuable time away from him trying to fight off or track them down. He decided that Grierson, a first rate Cavalry leader, could do the same thing to Johnston. A very intelligent Confederate Commander, Johnston was nervous at unexpected difficulties. Grant reasoned that Grierson's men would panic Johnston, and cause him to waste time chasing him down.

As it turned out Grierson's Raid worked. The pinning down of large numbers of Rebel troops in Alabama and Missisippi was wonderful for Grant's Vicksburg campaign. It was the beginning of the successful conclusion of the campaign, as Johnston's attention was now split between trying to help support Pemberton and trying to reassure frightened southern populations in the hinterlands. Grierson got most of his men back to Northern lines. Vicksburg was able to hold out until July 4, 1863. It's fall (the day after Lee's defeat at Gettysburg) really marked the beginning of the end of the Civil War.

This incident is the basis for THE HORSE SOLDIERS. Ford concentrates on what the experience of the war must have been like in the Southern countryside. Certain things are taken from other incidents and battlefields. When a military school's cadets are brought into the field to try to catch or slow down John Wayne's men, Ford is really picking up on an incident in the war in Virginia, when the young cadets at the Virginia Military Institute came out to fight the Union troops under Sheridan in 1864. One can forgive the transition of the incident.

It has been pointed out that one of the characters, Colonel Secord (Willis Bouchey) is a splendid type - the political officer. Men like Secord (usually in the position of General) bedeviled both sides, because of their usually normal level of mediocrity or idiocy. A few rose to the job well - the best of the Northern political generals was "Black Jack" Logan, who would be a valuable associate of Sherman in the battles around Atlanta. But for every positive General Logan, there were thieves like Benjamin "Spoons" Butler, who feathered his nest as military governor of New Orleans (he supposedly stole even the silver spoons of the citizenry). Actually Secord is normally intelligent, and follows Wayne's strategy. But he is constantly looking ahead at post-war elections. Towards the end he even wonders if the White House beckons.

Another lovely moment shows the fraying of the Southern cause. Wayne and his men come across two Rebel deserters (Strother Martin and Denver Pyle) who have tied up the local sheriff (Russell Simpson). Wayne thanks Martin and Pyle for their unofficial assistance to the Northern cause,telling them which way they plan to go. While Martin chatters away (mentioning the strength of Rebel forces in the area), Wayne carefully knocks out Pyle and then Martin, and then unties Simpson and assists in tying up the two deserters. William Holden is watching this, and later asks why he helped Simpson. Wayne explains that he decided to feed the deserters false information about his own movements, as they would probably give the information to the Confederates later on anyway.

All the performances are fine, with Wayne in particular as a man who hates doctors and medicine for a valid personal reason. Holden is in a subordinate role but he gets some nice moments. So does Constance Towers, in a rare leading part, as a passionate Confederate supporter who gradually gets to like Wayne. Carleton Young, as a former friend of Wayne, has a moment trying to rally Confederate forces at the railway depot.

It is a good Ford film, and makes one wish that Ford had made his Ulysses Grant biography.

Marching Along Together...............!

[bsmith5552 · 7/10 · 3 September 2019]

"The Horse Soldiers", as suggested by the title, is another John Ford cavalry movie, this time set during the American Civil War.

John Wayne stars as Colonel John Marlowe who leads a column of "Yankee" soldiers on a trek through Confederate lines with orders to destroy Southern rail roads and supply depots. Joining the group, which Marlowe objects to, is Major Henry Kindall (William Holden) an Army surgeon. Along the way the troops stop at the home of Southern Belle Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers). A staunch southerner, she nevertheless greets them and welcomes them into her home.

Hannah and her slave maid (Althea Gibson) secretly listen in on the officers laying out their plans. Kindall catches them in the act which forces Marlowe to take them along on the trek. Later they come under fire from a couple of southern deserters (Denver Pyle, Strother Martin) who are holding the local sheriff (Russell Simpson) prisoner. Marlowe cons the men and knocks both out turning them over to the Sheriff.

Several minor skirmishes occur along the way but scouts Cpl. Wilkie (Ken Curtis) and Dunker (Bing Russell) bring news of an approaching rebel army. To evade the Confederates, Deacon Clump (Hank Warden) leads Marlowe and his men through an isolated swamp. As they push further south towards Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Rebels close in around them. A group of cadets from a Southern Military School join in with the regulars. A ferocious battle ensues and.................................................................................

The love interest between Wayne and Towers is rather unbelievable given her allegiance to the south, not to mention the large age difference between the two. This is clearly Wayne's film with Holden doing what he could with a supporting role. The film misses a character such as those portrayed by Victor McLaglan in the original Cavalry trilogy. Judson Pratt as SM Kirby tries his best in the role but comes up short.

Also in the cast which includes many John Ford stock company regulars include: Willis Bouchey ,Basil Ruysdael, Carlton Young, William Leslie Jack Pennick, Ron Hagerthy among others.

Under-rated American Civil War movie.

[barnabyrudge · 8/10 · 8 April 2005]

General critical consensus seems to feel that John Ford's The Horse Soldiers is a bit of a let-down, at least by the dizzyingly high standards of the director. However, it's quite liberating if you try to forget that you're watching a John Ford movie and just treat it as an American Civil War movie like any other. Then, the film's qualities become more apparent. Yes, The Horse Soldiers is inferior to many of the other John Ford movies. But Ford working at half-speed is still better than most directors working at the peak of their powers. And The Horse Soldiers is still a fascinating, exciting and expertly told war film.

Colonel John Marlowe (John Wayne) is ordered by the Union generals to lead his army 300 miles into the Confederacy, where they are to sabotage and disrupt the vital railway supply town of Newton Station as much as possible. After a disastrous few months of lost battles and heavy casualties, the Union generals are determined to swing the battle back in their favour before the arrival of winter. Marlowe is unhappy to learn that his orders include allowing army surgeon Major Kendall (William Holden) along on the mission. Since the death of his wife at the hands of two blundering surgeons, Marlowe has had little respect for those in the medical profession. To further complicate matters, a feisty Southern belle, Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers) with Confederate sympathies, overhears Marlowe informing his men that Newton Station is the target, and that once the town has been raided the Union forces plan to head for the safety of Baton Rouge. In order to secure her silence, Marlowe has to take her prisoner and suffer her sharp Southern tongue (plus escape attempts) during the trip.

The Horse Soldiers is filmed in loving detail, with gorgeous autumnal backdrops. Its story is very interesting, especially the volatile relationship between Wayne and Holden, and the mission itself provides excitements along the way. In particular, a street battle at Newton Station is memorable, as is a scene later in the film when the Union soldiers come under attack from an army of Confederate army cadets still at schoolboy age. Towers' character is written as a very cunning and feisty woman, who disguises her attributes by coming across as a melodramatic, gossipy airhead. Towers plays the part well, but because of how she's encouraged to handle the role she becomes rather irritating too. One disappointing moment in the film comes when Wayne and Holden reach breaking-point with each other and ride off to a secluded glade to slug it out. The sequence is set to be a real humdinger, but is curiously cut short by the arrival of the enemy forces. On the whole, though, The Horse Soldiers is a good, solid Civil War entertainment, well worth a look.

Contrived But Refreshingly Unconventional Civil War Drama

[Turfseer · 6/10 · 23 November 2022]

This is iconic director John Ford's only film set during the Civil War. On the plus side it's loosely based on real events and manages to eschew a surfeit of obligatory battle scenes.

The narrative follows a Union Calvary Brigade's mission into the Deep South led by Colonel John Marlowe (John Wayne), a railroad construction engineer in civilian life prior to the war.

The main conflict has Marlowe butting heads with his unit's regimental surgeon, Major Henry Kendall (William Holden) who immediately provokes the ire of his commanding officer by excusing a few of the men due to illness (Marlowe believes in pushing his men to the limit).

It's brought out later that Marlowe has a general antipathy toward physicians after his wife died due to what amounted as a blatant case of medical malpractice. It's a bit refreshing to have at least one character question the medical profession which is typically placed on an (undeserving) exalted pedestal in most American films.

The Union soldiers here hardly come close to the reputation of General Sherman's troops-the cruel, vengeful petty tyrants who burned Atlanta to the ground. Holden's Kendall is perhaps the saintliest of the bunch who in addition to his surgical skills in amputating limbs, utilizes holistic Native American remedies in attempts to stave off infection.

What's more Kendall assists a poor black woman as she gives birth after being summoned to a cabin on the side of the road in which the union troops are traveling on. Marlowe again is not pleased with Kendall diverting his attention from his own troops.

I suppose when Kendall loses a man after attempting to amputate his leg, he's not shown as perfect. But his decision to stay and help the wounded at film's end-in which he is shown voluntarily being captured by Confederate enemy troops, pegs him as a little too much of a saint in my eyes.

After a skirmish with some Confederate irregulars, we break into Act 2 with the brigade's encounter with the mistress of the Greenbriar Plantation, Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers) and her slave/servant Lukey (introducing tennis star Althea Gibson in the role).

Towers is good as the sassy Confederate sympathizer who gets into trouble by intentionally overhearing Marlowe and his command discuss battle strategy in the room below. Leave it to Kendall to discover what Hannah is up to and instead of being shot as a spy, Marlowe (the gracious gentleman that he is) decides to take the two Southern females along with them.

It should be noted that Althea Gibson objected to some demeaning language in the script which called for Lukey to talk in "slave language." The often recalcitrant and controlling Ford gave in and agreed to script changes so Gibson continued in the part.

There's more interesting stuff to come including the scene in which Marlowe extracts some crucial information from two low-life criminals who are then turned over to the local constable as well as a bunch of cadets attempting to take on Marlowe's battle-scarred veterans.

The big battle scene focuses on the capture of Newton Station, Mississippi, in which a group of Confederate soldiers disembark from a train in an attempted ambush but end up basically committing proverbial suicide when Marlowe and his men are ready for them. The way Confederate property is destroyed-especially how the Union troops tear up the railroad tracks and destroy the trains-is reflective of the "scorched earth" policy initiated by the Union commanders during the Civil War.

I wasn't convinced by Hannah falling in love with Marlowe as John Wayne to me is hardly a romantic leading man (it probably would have been more realistic if Holden's Kendall turned out to be the love interest).

The film's abrupt climax was not unintentional. After one of Ford's stunt men died on the set, Ford called it quits and returned to California. Instead of the troops triumphant entry into Baton Rouge, the ending had Marlowe and his men blowing up a bridge and escaping with Kendall and Hannah left behind as the Confederates moved in.

The Horse Soldiers is a bit contrived-especially the idea of bringing two women along with the troops into battle as well as the nature of Marlowe's brigade itself-a little too "soft" in comparison with much more hardened soldiers who fought in the actual Civil War.

Nonetheless, Ford's effort has enough "curve balls" in it to keep the inveterate cinephile fairly interested to the end.

The Section Hand and The Croker

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 16 July 2005]

John Wayne's been given a critical job to do by none other than General Ulysses S. Grant. He's been ordered to take 3 brigades deep into Confederate territory and destroy a critical rail supply station at a place called Newton's Station and then get his troops out the best way he can. He's ordered to take along, an army surgeon played by William Holden. Wayne's got what appears to be an unreasoning dislike of Holden and their rivalry professional and personal is what drives the plot of the Horse Soldiers.

John Ford always disparaged the films he made after Wings of Eagles, but in my opinion, The Horse Soldiers is one of his finest films. Also in my humble opinion he managed to get one of John Wayne's finest film performances. Wayne's a volunteer officer, in civilian life he rose from section hand on a railroad to an construction engineer. Holden calls him "section hand" as a term of derision after Wayne consistently refers to him as "croker."

Wayne and Holden were very close personal friends and friendly rivals at the box office. That's part of the reason that The Horse Soldiers is so good, the chemistry between them. In fact when Wayne died in 1979, Holden was said to have gone on one legendary drinking binge. Who would have suspected we'd have lost him as well two years later.

Holden as the doctor has a less flamboyant part than Wayne, but he makes the most of what he was given. I suspect knowing the relationship between Wayne and John Ford, he knew going in his part would be less, but he did it anyway.

Anyone who thinks John Wayne incapable of acting should see the scene in the saloon at Newton's Station after the Union forces repel a Confederate attack and are about their business destroying the railroad property. In a great drunk scene he reveals to Constance Towers the reason for his hatred of the medical profession. I won't reveal it, but it's something we can all understand. Wayne did this scene so well that Ford used an abbreviated version of it in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Ford makes marvelous use of music in there, weaving traditional Civil War era songs with the song written by Stan Jones for the film, I Left My Love. That is one catchy and infectious ballad, one of the best things written for a John Ford movie. Incidentally Stan Jones makes a brief appearance in the film as Ulysses S. Grant and does well by him.

There are two in the supporting cast that deserve mention. During the Civil War Lincoln had to deal with volunteer political generals, most of whom were a flop. Willis Bouchey playing John Wayne's co-commander in the expedition captures the phenomenon to perfection. He's argumentative, arrogant, and a general pain in the butt to Wayne. It's probably Bouchey's finest screen performance.

And Carleton Young also gives what I think is his finest screen performance as the one armed Confederate colonel who tries in vain to stop Wayne from completing his plans. It's a role that requires dignity and strength and Carleton Young is marvelous. In fact the contrast between Bouchey and Young as soldiers is pretty obvious.

The relationship between the Section Hand and The Croker evolves during the running time of The Horse Soldiers. It's a relationship well worth seeing develop.

Wayne and Ford pair for an off-kilter story

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 31 December 2016]

THE HORSE SOLDIERS is yet another pairing between western star John Wayne and western director John Ford, the pair who made some of the most memorably macho movies in American cinema. The plot, set during the American Civil War, is a little different from the usual for these guys, although fans of the Duke will be pleased to hear that his character is typically brash and full of bravado.

This is a film less about action than it is the intricacies of the plotting. It also has a greater breadth of characterisation than expected for the genre, with William Holden excelling as the conscience-wracked doctor and Constance Towers affected as the southern spy. The cast is rounded out by the usual character actors you see appear in Wayne films. Some parts of the film are action-packed and exciting, with the men-on-a-mission aspect of the story working well, and the emphasis on pain and injury gives it a grittier edge than usual.

Half-finished

[davidmvining · 5/10 · 6 February 2022]

A Civil War film where the history of the Civil War is all just jumbled together into a pastiche of life in the South while an unconvincing love affair bubbles up between a Union officer and Confederate woman, an oddly built feud between two Union officers breaks out, and the movie just kind of stops because an on set accident let to a death that sapped the director's enthusiasm for the project and he never filmed the ending, The Horse Soldiers is John Ford phoning the effort in. Talked into embracing sobriety by his doctor for his health, Ford seems to have been off his game here, never quite finding the right footing for the cavalry story.

It's the Western Theater of the war and General Grant is setting up his siege of Vicksburg. In order to help ensure his position, he orders Colonel John Marlowe (John Wayne) to head south towards Newton Station, Mississippi, the Confederacy's main train station for supplies to Vicksburg, to destroy any contraband as well as the railroad itself. The mission requires secrecy and guts, heading hundreds of miles into enemy territory, and Marlowe is the man to do it. Before he sets out, he's assigned a new officer, Major Henry Kendall (William Holden), a surgeon who refuses to carry a gun. There's antipathy between the two men from the moment Kendall shows up in camp, but Marlowe follows his orders and takes him along.

In Mississippi, the column soon comes across an isolated country home, Greenbriar, where Hanna Hunter (Constance Towers) and her servant slave Lukey (Althea Gibson) are waiting out the war. After some feigned hospitality, Kendall notes that Hunter is spying on Marlowe's officer meeting, hearing their plan to head straight through past Newton Station once it's sacked to Baton Rouge. Feeling like there's no choice, Marlowe decides to take Hanna and Lukey along so they won't give up the column's position, mission, or destination. So begins the ineffective romance between Marlow and Hanna that starts as a meet cute and never really moves past. She becomes slightly enamored of him because of his...well, it's not entirely clear why. He's a hard man, a dedicated Northerner, a man bred from a lower class (he's a train engineer without a formal education), but he does have a certain sense of honor that she finds attractive, I suppose, most notably when the column comes across a pair of Confederate deserters who have taken the local sheriff hostage. Marlowe gets some information from the deserters before knocking them out and handing them off to the sheriff with a tip of the hat.

There are two great moments in this film, and the first comes in Newton Station. They arrive in the little town with the people, mostly women, screaming at them to go home, and Marlowe figures out that the local Confederate colonel has set up a trap with an approaching train engine that's filled with Confederate troops. The battle that erupts is a slaughter and so poorly thought out from a military point of view that it's a wonder anyone thought it would be a good idea to include in the film (this isn't the great part, it's coming). Then the troops get to work on destroying the railroad, and it's just great to see the mechanics of what it means to tear up a railroad up to and including the creation of Sherman's neckties by wrapping the weakened iron railings around telegraph poles.

And then Wayne gives an impassioned speech about how much he hates doctors, and it's one of the oddest moments of the film. It feels like an idea made up on set rather than planned out. Marlowe hates doctors because some years ago two doctors convinced his wife that she had a tumor. They operated on her, they found nothing, and she died. To have this speech come up more than halfway through the film feels off, especially when this was the war where doctors were hacking off limbs with unclean equipment all the time. A speech about how doctors had lost him many good men during the fighting would have fit so much better. It would have applied to the situation at hand much more intimately, and operated as a direct challenge to Kendall who was in the same job. The use of a long-dead wife just feels random and off.

Anyway, the column moves on, and we get our second great moment of the film. Desperate for men (the scene ends up feeling like it should have taken place in late 1864 instead of early 1863, but whatever) a Confederate soldier shows up at the Jefferson Military School and begs for the headmaster to lead his students into battle against the Union cavalry that terrorized Newton Station. The old man, a reverend, organizing his boys of between 9 and 16 years old, into columns and leading them off to fight the dying cause (again...this fits better with a later in the war story, along with all the references to Andersonville that didn't open until 1864) while a widow begs him to let her have her only son left stay home is remarkably powerful. This could operate as a short film on its own, and it's great.

And then the students find the column, open fire, and Marlow refuses to fire on children while the movie ends up kind of treating the whole thing like a kind of joke.

The finale of the film is around a random bridge somewhere in Mississippi where Marlowe needs to fight off an approaching Confederate skirmishing force while another Confederate force comes upon them from another direction. It's not much of an action scene, doesn't seem to have much in terms of stakes, and doesn't really satisfy all that well. The actual ending of the film was apparently never shot because of the death of the stuntman during the filming of some action, and the movie simply stops with the Confederate column coming upon Kendall, who stayed behind to take care of the wounded.

This movie is kind of a mess, but there is some entertainment to be had. I find John Wayne watchable in just about anything he does, and since he's front and center for most of the film, he's an asset. Most of the looks at Confederate life carry a tinge of melancholy at their losing side that I appreciate. That bit with the boys leaving the military school is honestly outright beautiful in the anguish from the widowed mother. However, the story as a whole feels a bit random, the two major action sequences are lackluster, the romance simply doesn't work, and the professional rivalry between the two main male characters ends up feeling like something from a satire rather than a straight war picture.

I don't hate it, but this isn't exactly one of Ford's or Wayne's best efforts.

Where was Maureen O'Hara when casting this one???

[Doylenf · 2 November 2002]

I have high praise for THE HORSE SOLDIERS, an absorbing, excellent Civil War movie about the Union cavalry during combat and based on some actual battles according to historians. The only flaw seems to be the casting of Constance Towers as the flirtatious, spirited Southern lady who becomes the unwilling captive of Col. John Marlowe (John Wayne) when he discovers that she is a Confederate spy. She goes along for the ride and provides the film's love interest. While she's certainly a capable enough actress, it's the sort of role that cries for a hot-tempered Maureen O'Hara who must have been busy in another role to pass up this choice romantic lead.

It's the sort of Ford film that must have been hard on the actors, riding through swamps on horseback and engaging in fierce battles when pursued by Rebel forces. William Holden has some wonderful moments as a doctor who is constantly bickering with John Wayne. Their exchanges provide plenty of tension and humor--and both actors are at their best under Ford's direction.

A good Civil War western combining magnificent photography, good performances and some rousing battle scenes. The horrors of war are not ignored and there are some sentimental moments that never strike a false note.

Another John Ford/John Wayne classic

[smatysia · 7/10 · 18 February 2000]

Another John Ford/John Wayne classic. Pretty good war movie for its time, featuring small unit combat. Constance Towers was quite good as the feisty Southern belle, who first seems a spoiled rich kid, but shows the steel underneath. An interesting bit of casting, Althea Gibson, the tennis player, as the slave handmaiden to Towers. I didn't think her acting was much to write home about, but the role didn't really call for theatrics. Definitely worth while for Wayne (or Holden) fans.

Fine Civil War action

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 25 December 2014]

Grant needs to win Vicksburg but the south is fighting him to a draw. Colonel John Marlowe (John Wayne) leads an Union cavalry brigade to destroy a rail supply depot at Newton Station behind the confederate lines. Major Henry Kendall (William Holden) is the newly attached surgeon who is constantly at odds with Marlowe. Marlowe distrust all doctors after his wife was killed in an unnecessary surgery. Plantation mistress Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers) and her slave Lukey (Althea Gibson) overhears their plans and Marlowe takes them prisoner. They plan to fight all the way to Baton Rouge.

William Holden is good as the questioning doctor. He could have been played as some pacifist idiot but he shows more depth than that. I do want John Wayne to be harder and darker. His moral superiority keeps bumping against the gritty ugliness of the situation. The kids from the Jefferson Military Academy are a perfect opportunity to up the ante on the war action. Instead, the movie takes the safest route. The action is big but not always the most impressive. I actually like the bending of the rails but that's not really action. It's just something different. For the action, I want it to be grittier and darker. This is fine but not anything superior.

Not without a few flaws, it's still very interesting and compelling

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 25 November 2006]

While this isn't one of John Ford's best films, it's still very good and well worth seeing. That's because it's one of the few films I have seen that actually talks about the US Cavalry during the Civil War. In fact, now that I think about it, it's amazing how few films Hollywood has made about this supremely important and devastating war. And, fortunately, the film has a strong basis in reality, as the mission John Wayne leads his men on is inspired by real incidents. The battle scenes are excellent and in the case of the battle fought on the main street in one town, quite compelling and sad.

About the only negatives are the seemingly artificial animosity between Wayne and William Holden. At times, it seems like this is more a plot device than anything else, though this is hashed out better as the story unfolds. Also, another minor problem is the female lead. Considering how often she tried to escape, that she was a spy and tried to alert the Confederates, I just couldn't buy Wayne in how he treated her. I would have shot her and be done with it!!! What's worse is near the very end, completely out of no where, he confesses to her that he loves her!!! Where did this come from anyways?! Please try to look past these issues and enjoy the film for what it is--a tribute to some very brave men on a seemingly impossible mission.

Holden and Wayne earn their pay

[driver_8 · 9/10 · 30 May 2004]

The Horse Soldiers is one of many John Ford and John Wayne collaborations.

Moreover, it is one of their better. The story involves a daring mission by union troops into the heart of the confederacy, in order to cut supply lines. Wayne is leading the daring plan. However, also going on the mission are an insolent

surgeon (played by William Holden) and a Southern Belle, complete with slave

(played by tennis star Althea Gibson). Where this film shines are in the excellent performances turned in by the big two stars. Rumor was that this film had many shutdowns and stoppages, the kind of thing that can make someone hornery.

Well, you see that in the relationship between the Holden and Wayne

characters, they genuinely despise each other. To me, this was one of Wayne's most underrated performances. He shows real emotion in his rather complex

character. As usual, Holden is excellent. Being a Ford film, the story and

scenery are both epic. Moreover, it does not take the Hollywood path towards

the obvious. I really enjoyed this film and was anxious to see just how it would end.

Disappointing John Ford / Jpohn Wayne collaboration

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 6/10 · 24 May 2015]

Beginning with 1931's "Arrowsmith" starring Ronald Colman, John Ford had more than his share of impressive directorial efforts. This was not one of them. Likewise, though John Wayne was a somewhat limited actor, what he specialized in he did extremely well (e.g., "Rio Bravo" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence"). Unfortunately, for both Ford and Wayne, this film was less than impressive.

If I were to pick only one single problem with this film, that problem would be the horrible acting of Constance Towers. One of the worst performances I've ever seen. While she made a few films, she mostly became a television actress (and as of this writing is still alive at 82). Well, no thank you. Her performance in the early phases of the film -- playing the Southern belle -- actually made me giggle. And it wasn't supposed to. Better she ended up on soap operas on afternoon television.

Personally, I think there's also a problem with John Wayne's role here. Not with his performance, but with the way the role was written. He seems -- especially in the early parts of the film -- to just be an ass. He seems to insult pretty much everyone, including a doctor who is just doing his job. There is, in my view, nothing admirable in this John Wayne character.

When it comes to William Holden, whether I like him or not depends to a large extent on the individual film (although more often than not, I did like him). Here I like him very much in a performance that is, perhaps, a bit more nuanced than usual.

And, despite some weaknesses, there are some strong points to this film. Perhaps the most emotional being the young students at the rebel academy being called to fight. It is reminiscent of a later sequence in the wonderful film "Dr. Zhivago", though here the results are not quite so tragic.

The supporting actors here are not, in my view, particularly memorable, but they all do their jobs.

Overall, this is a "decent" film, but it still falls short of the typical John Ford/John Wayne collaboration. Some of the location photography is quite good. To be fair, this genre doesn't usually hold my attention, but this film did. So while not great, I was going to give it a "7", the ending left me totally flat. Sorry, now we're down to a "6".

John Ford cavalry entry with two top-notch stars who play well-matched contenders in the Union Army

[ma-cortes · 8/10 · 9 February 2013]

Based on the true-life of Col. Benjamin H. Grierson and a real incident during American Civil War ; it deals with a Union Cavalry army is sent behind confederate lines in strength to destroy a rail/supply post. Along with them is sent a pacifist medic (William Holden, the producers originally wanted Clark Gable for the leading role) who causes instant antipathy between him and the commander-in-chief (John Wayne). As Union Colonel leads sabotage party deep into rebel territory and carries out attacks ans contra-attacks , being accompanied by the doctor who heals wounded people . The secret plan for the mission is overheard by a southern woman (Constance Towers) who must be taken along to assure her silence . The actual deeds are the followings : In the Spring of 1863, Grierson left bases in northern Mississippi, taking 1,700 troopers with him. The film is based on the true raid by Col. Benjamin Grierson who, as shown in the movie, began his expedition--known as Grierson's Raid--from LeGrange, Tennessee, in April of 1863. Grierson "drove through central Mississippi, tearing up railroads and upsetting Confederate General Pemberton's troop deployments before reaching Union-held Baton Rouge.

This is the following to trilogy cavalry : ¨She Wore a Yellow Ribbon , Rio Grande , Fort Apache¨ , and including glorification of military life , drama , love and sentimental nostalgia with interesting character studio of a varied assortment of individuals . It was considered a minor job , however this classic picture nowadays ranks as one of the best of John Ford's work . It contains Ford's usual themes as good feeling , a little bit of enjoyable humor , friendship and and sense of comradeship among people . Interesting screenplay portraying in depth characters and brooding events with interesting issues running beneath script surface . Spectacular scenes as when the Confederate troops spontaneously attack the town in its last stand and when takes place the final confrontation on the besieged location , surrounding the bridge . The film marked the beginning of mega-deals for Hollywood stars , as John Wayne and William Holden received $775,000 each, plus 20% of the overall profits, an unheard-of sum for that time . The film , however , was a financial failure, with no profits to be shared in the end. Excellent film featuring a magnificent performance by whole casting . Awesome John Wayne in a larger-than-life character along with William Holden. Enticing and intimate Constance Towers in an enjoyable role , giving a sensational acting . Agreeable co-starring cast, as in the movie appears all habitual Ford's friends as Hoot Gibson as Sgt. Brown , Ken Curtis as Cpl. Wilkie , Willis Bouchey as Col. Phil Secord ,Hank Worden as Deacon and Strother Martin as Virgil . Good cinematography by William H. Clothier , John Ford's usual , reflecting splendidly marvelous outdoors .Vivid score by David Buttolph and including an emotive military parade of the boys academy .

The movie was stunningly written and produced by John Lee Mahin and Martin Rackin ; of course , magnificently filmed by Ford , being John Ford's only feature film set during the Civil War, although he did direct a segment of ¨How the West Was Won¨ that was set during the Civil War . Director Ford suggested the scene with the boys' military academy, and according to the producers, he ad-libbed it . Rating : Better than average worthwhile watching .

Underrated John Ford Movie

[doug-balch · 6/10 · 19 July 2010]

This is usually considered one of the lesser John Ford efforts. Not in my opinion. While technically a Civil War film, I include it in the Western genre. Since this is Ford, it can be considered a "prequel" to his Westerns, since almost all characters during the classic "Western" time period were Civil War veterans.

Here's what I liked:

• Wayne's fantastic in this. I'd love him even more as a war leader if he hadn't dodged real service in WW2 (sorry, Duke fans, just keepin' it real).

• Great story, even greater since it is largely true.

• William Holden does a nice job with a not very glamorous role of the anti-war physician.

• I've read a lot of criticism of Constance Towers as the female lead, but I fell for her character hook, line and sinker. Very sexy and believable.

• Fabulous Ford military fetishism. The silhouetted columns of cavalry are macho poetry.

• Typically wonderful Ford soundtrack, full of authentic period marches and folk songs.

• Nice balance struck between portraying the Union soldiers in a positive light, yet remaining respectful of the Confederates.

Now here's what kept it from being better:

• As mentioned above, I have problems with Wayne playing a war hero. Jimmy Stewart, Duke's peer, volunteered for combat in WW2 and flew dozens of almost suicidal bombing missions over Germany. He survived and vowed never to star in a movie that glorified war. In fact, on several occasions, he played a peacemaker ("Broken Arrow", for example).

By comparison, Duke's legacy is embarrassing. Out of respect to veterans like Stewart, he should have refused war roles.

• As is typical with Duke movies after 1950, he's way too old for the woman playing against him in the romantic subplot. He didn't start playing characters his real age until well into the 1960's.

• There's no well defined heavy. This can be a problem when retelling real events. Also, Ford wasn't out to demonize the South.

• Unusually for Ford, there's no effective comic relief. Guess Walter Brennan and Andy Devine were busy.

The 1863 Grierson raid brought to life in this stirring epic John Wayne/John Ford collaboration

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 5 January 2017]

John Ford was a truly great director, even one of the finest, where even minor or lesser works still had interest value and were much better than a lot of directors at their best. While whether John Wayne was a great actor or not has always divided people, he was definitely a great star and very charismatic.

'The Horse Soldiers' is not their best collaboration, my personal favourite is 'The Searchers' and not quite among their best. This said it is very hard to say that, because they made so many great films together, and their best efforts being masterpieces. In no way though is that knocking the quality of 'The Horse Soldiers', because regardless of any inaccuracies it is stirring enough, often the very meaning of epic and while very fondly remembered here it deserves to be better known and it is quite a shame that apparently it wasn't particularly well-liked on release.

It isn't perfect by all means, at least to me. Constance Towers is radiant and the chemistry with her fellow actors is good, but she does have a tendency to overplay the feistiness so the character can come over as irritating. The romantic elements weren't as interesting as the rest of the film and elements, and felt shoe-horned in, and while almost all the music is sensational the opening song is an ill-fit, both in the context of the film and doesn't come over as a particularly great film now.

However, 'The Horse Soldiers' is a visual wonder. Throughout there is stunning use of landscape and even more stunning cinematography that make for so many striking, rousing and sometimes poetic images. Ford's direction is exemplary and a strong example as to what made him so revered as a director. David Buttolph's music score couldn't have been more superbly fitting, and it is an absolutely outstanding music score in its own right with rousing and affecting use of army choruses that capture the film's mood wonderfully.

Scripting is literate and thoughtful, if occasionally a little talky, and dramatically 'The Horse Soldiers' is convincing and the characters are ones that are developed nicely and ones that are easy to care for. Seeing Wayne and William Holden together is particularly well-realised, their contrasting personalities are incredibly interesting, when it could easily have been an awkward mismatch, and adding a nostalgic value. The story, not a western despite being what Ford and Wayne were particularly famous for, rarely feels dull and has enough marvellous set pieces and emotional impact to satisfy. The most memorable sequence is the one with the southern military cadets laying down their young lives on order. The whole ending is powerful and very poignant.

Wayne is very charismatic in his role, but brings more than just that and star power, there is also complexity and nuance. Holden is more subdued than usual, and while not one of his best performances it is a suitably nuanced turn that fits the character perfectly and makes him mesh well with everything else. Towers aside, the rest of the cast are fine though some Ford regulars are sadly missed.

Overall, a stirring, underrated and very watchable epic, even if there are better Wayne/Ford collaborations around. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Not great Wayne/Ford, but good Wayne/Ford

[frankfob · 7/10 · 19 March 2002]

John Wayne and William Holden work well together in this Civil War story of a Northern cavalry unit going behind Southern lines to attack and destroy a Confederate railroad depot. Wayne plays a former railroad builder who is torn between his desire to do his duty and his distaste at having to destroy things that he had spent his life building, and Holden is the army doctor who accompanies the unit, and arouses Wayne's ire because Wayne dislikes doctors even more than he dislikes destroying railroads. This is one of director John Ford's last pictures, and while not on a par with his better known westerns, it's still a crackerjack tale, well acted by the principals and the cast of stellar character actors--Willis Bouchey, Hank Worden, Bing Russell (Kurt's father) and old-time cowboy star Hoot Gibson among them--with Ford's usual top-notch action scenes and somewhat crude but not vulgar humor. The main drawback is the lame romantic triangle among Holden, Wayne and Constance Towers, who plays a Southern "belle" caught listening in at a meeting where the unit's strategy is being planned, and is forced to accompany them on their mission. It doesn't really work, as Towers' part is too sketchily written and she comes across like a third-string Scarlett O'Hara. There's a touching, and funny, episode when the unit is "attacked" by the teenage (and younger) cadets of a Southern military academy. All in all, a good action picture that will hold your interest.

Incredibly lame

[grantss · 2/10 · 14 May 2015]

Incredibly lame, and not representative of the genius of John Ford. Very unrealistic and contrived. Just about everything is wrong, militarily. Subordinates question just about every order of their commanding officer, the CO gets drunk in the middle of a raid, US Grant gets called by his nickname by subordinates, after doing well to disguise their intentions the Union soldiers give it all away by showing the towns people the direction they are headed.

Then there are the sappy sentimentalities that devalue the movie even more. The doctor who doesn't seem to realise there is a war on, the irritating Southern woman who is just there as a very contrived love interest (and who should have been shot as a spy), the successful attack by a regiment of kids.

Add in a few overblown characters that are there just to represent the types of people who fought in the Civil war: eg the politician- officer.

Usual one-dimensional swagger-filled performance from John Wayne. William Holden is incredibly irritating as the doctor. Even more irritating is Constance Towers as the Southern woman. Hardly a good performance in the whole movie.

The saddest thing is that the movie is loosely based on a real event, the Grierson Raid. Though the characters and many details have been changed, this movie is an insult to the memories of the men who took part in that raid.