Bruce Grilikhes (bcgme) One of my favorite westerns, really for the cast, as you have great character actors who really believed in the westerns of yesteryear. They felt like they were the cowboys and cowgirls, and riding the horses and shooting the guns was more natural to them, then having to spend 3 months training with arms specialists. I also like the screenplay, but there I am prejudice as it was written by my father, Michel M. Grilikhes, who loved westerns also. Its very hard to see James Garner in a western movie and not remember him in his giant role on television as Bret Maverick on Maverick, If my memory is correct I think he lasted for 2 or 3 years, then had a fight for more money lost and moved on, too bad because the show really turned into his show, not the Brothers Maverick show. I don't think as a child I missed an episode.Another cast member was Sidney Poitier, not with a giant part but he was a giant actor at this time already with an Academy award in his pocket and many nominations and great roles like Porgy and Bess. Actually, he was nominated for Top Male Action Performance for Duel at DiabloThe film was shot in the beautiful state of Utah with some of the most wonderful scenery in the world, perfect for the frontier days, as thats where the Mormons traveled through, some staying and some continuing on their wagon train! Great all round film!

TedMichaelMor Strong portrayals by Bibi Andersson, as Ellen Grange, and James Gardner work here with skillful director Ralph Nelson to create a well acted, beautifully photographed, entertaining Western, even though some mannered performances by other actors as such Sidney Poitier distract from the natural feel Andersson and Gardner bring to the effort.Utah locations are classic aspects of carefully imitated Western icons and tropes exploited to create a fifties look to this lovely film. If the icons seem clichés, they are formulae exploited to create standard entertainment. They do not develop the genre; they simply exploit it, perhaps, with some effectiveness. Counting the codes becomes part of the entertainment—does the film miss any one of them? However, watching Bibi Andersson in any film treats the viewer. Further, I doubt that James Gardner can make a bad movie. Dennis Weaver is perfect as he always is.

ma-cortes This exceptionally hard picture deals about Jess (James Garner) who frees Ellen (Bibi Andersson)from Indians, she's married to mean trader (Dennis Weaver). Meanwhile lieutenant McAllister (Bill Travers) along with Toller (Sidney Poitier) are ordered transport ammunition throughout Apache territory where ravages an Indian chief named Chata (John Hoyt). Jess seeks revenge on the man who murdered and scalped his Indian wife. Then Ellen mysteriously flees again to unite them.This violent Western and hard on racial themes is full of noisy action, thrills , chills and results to be quite entertaining. The gratuitous violence and tortures brought worldwide queues and much criticism in the newspapers, though Nelson declared that it was utterly necessary. However it was severely cut in some countries. Good duo protagonist as James Garner and Sidney Poitier, director's usual. Appears uncredited Richard Farnsworth and the filmmaker Ralph Nelson as Colonel Foster. Rare and non appropriate score for an Old West movie is composed by Hefty. Stark and atmospheric cinematography by Charles Wheeler. The motion picture is well directed by Ralph Nelson. There were no half measures in this filmmaker. He would make sentimental movies or violent and gore films . Failure alternated with hits through the 1960s, though Nelson's direction was more than successful in ¨Lilies of the field¨with invaluable help of Sidney Poitier who won an Oscar as an African-American helping a group of German nuns to build a chapel. And of course his greatest success ¨Soldier Blue¨, also with cruel massacres and and blood fountained all over the screen. In the 7os Nelson went on to making strong movies , however, his films themselves were doing less successful at the Box office , numerous of those being barely seen outside US . As a violent Zapata Western titled ¨Wrath of God¨ with Robert Mitchum, as ¨Tick..Tick..Tick¨ in which the racial tensions arise when a black man being elected sheriff, ¨ The Wilby conspiracy¨ about the apartheid and again with Poitier and a Sci-fi movie titled ¨Embryo¨with Rock Hudson. Rating : Acceptable Western , Poitier fans will enjoy their idol.

ed_two_o_nine What we have here is a b western whose messages are probably of more value than the film. This is not shot well, with a script that does not stand out and the action set pieces are obviously cheap, but well ahead of it's time we have no real good and evil here with flaws in both sides and it is here that the film excels. James Garner is the anti hero who is only persuaded to come along on the quest to see his ex-army colleagues through territory filled with hostile Apache because he is looking for revenge on the man who killed his Indian wife. Sidney Poiter is in the unusual position of an empowered black man who despite his statements has loyalty to his ex-army colleagues. In fact all the characters are multi faceted and I feel this movie could actually be remade extremely easily to great effect. Not a great film that I would not really go out of my way to view again but well ahead of it's time in terms of message.