best movie i've ever seen.

Awesome Movie

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Producer: William Cagney. A William Cagney Production. Copyright 30 March 1951 (in notice: 1950) by Cagney Productions, Inc. A Warner Bros Picture. New York opening at the Strand: 13 April 1951. U.S. release: 21 April 1951. U.K. release: 18 February 1952 (sic). Australian release: 13 March 1952. 105 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Cavalry captain leads a small group of misfits to hold back an impending Indian attack through a narrow mountain pass. COMMENT: Realized on a grand scale, Only the Valiant is a tensely suspenseful, actionful western with more explosive excitement than a jammed jackhammer. The intriguing central situation is cleverly and deftly grounded by a fast-moving introduction in which not only the plot groundwork is laid but the characters are forcefully introduced. Each character is skilfully rounded, providing some excellent opportunities for the fine cast of seasoned players. In one of his more interesting roles, Peck properly dominates the film. Peck is always at his best in less sympathetic parts and here he has a field day as a martinet captain in conflict with the likes of Neville Brand's bitter, bullying sergeant, Ward Bond's guzzling corporal whose surface charm so quickly turns to murderous hate, Lon Chaney's vengeful strongman, Terry Kilburn's cowardly bugler and Steve Brodie's victimised Southerner. Although she has been criticized in some quarters, I thought Barbara Payton didn't put a foot wrong in her poignantly effective study of the heroine. Whilst she plays no part in the main section of the film, her performance and sheer presence is memorable enough to more than retain our sympathy. All the actors deserve commendation, particularly Gig Young, Jeff Corey, Hebert Heyes, Dan Riss and those mentioned above. As stated, all have solid characterisations to work with. The only exception is Trooper Rutledge, who is deliberately painted along more shadowy lines. His motives are less obvious, more obscure. Anderson accordingly plays him in an appropriately enigmatic manner, as his actions have to come as a surprise - which they certainly do! For their obligatory Old Testament quotation, the writers have come up with something admirably fresh. I tracked it down to Job 14:7-12: "There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the roots wax old in the earth, and the stock die in the ground, yet through the scent of water it will bud and again bring forth boughs like a plant. But man dieth, and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail in a drought, and even a flood doth recede and dry up, so men lie down and rise not. Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep."OTHER VIEWS: Directed with considerable panache and vigor, Only the Valiant stakes a hard-to-beat claim as Gordon Douglas' most exciting and most accomplished film. Blessed with a taut script, an accomplished cast and a photographer with a fine eye for both location and studio compositions, Douglas has risen to the occasion with pace and style. Creating an atmosphere loaded with tension, the director has drawn engrossing portrayals from all his players and staged the action with passionate immediacy. Not a single second wasted in 105 edge-of-the-seat minutes. - John Howard Reid writing as Tom Howard,

Two names, one in front of and one behind the camera, imply a touch of Class that is largely absent here. Gregory Peck was one of the most underrated actors in the history of film and writer Harry Brown had a string of fine credits from A Walk In The Sun onwards. Sadly producer Jimmy Cagney was seemingly reluctant to shell out on a decent budget and may well have manipulated things - Brown, for example, had written Cagney's Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, the previous year and leading lady (no, I'm not making it up, that's what the billing says) Barbara Payton, had appeared in it and was under contract to Cagney which may explain what she was doing, albeit ineptly, here. Peck himself was railroaded into this but even so he was too good an actor and too much a pro to give anything less than his best and the support is at least interesting; Lon Chaney Jnr, Jeff Corey, Gig Young, Neville Brand, Ward Bond, Steve Brodie, all essentially wasted as was all-around director Gordon Douglas. A curio at best.

"Only the Valiant" is not a great western; in fact it is obvious that the director, cast and producers knew perfectly it was not going to be one. However the product is entertaining and has an interesting plot.In order to gain some time, Cpt. Lance (Gregory Peck) is sent to defend a small abandoned fort located right in the opening of a small passage between the mountains through which the Apaches will have to ride in their way to attack the army's main position. He has been accused by his girl of sending his friend Lt. Holloway (Gig Young) in a sure-death mission just to get rid of romantic competition; Peck is innocent of course, but he doesn't feel he has to explain (sort of a character like the one he played some years later in "The Big Country").Lance chooses his men for the mission among the worst in the regiment and those he knows have personal feelings against him. He occupies the fort and waits for the Apaches to come while watching his back at he same time.The picture, totally unpretentious, was shot in black and white by director Gordon Douglas and you could say this was a correct decision for it adds to the grey and dark atmosphere that reigns in the fort. It is also interesting when Lance forms the men and tells each one clearly why he has chosen them for the deadly task.The cast is adequate. Peck is good as the righteous Captain as also is Gig Young in his small part. Among the troopers you'll find such classical tough guys of the 40's and 50' as Lon Chaney, Ward Bond and Neville Brand. Michael Ansara is the Indian chief.But what really demerits the film are some indoor settings representing the rocky passage and the fort itself that look clearly fake and cheap. Michael Ansara's outfit looks more like one for a costume party than that of the chief of an Indian war party. The point is that producers didn't want to spend much money on this film and it shows.However it turns out to be a rather enjoyable army against Indians western and its worth one look at least.

On the whole one wishes this was a better film, but it has enough flashes of intense power to make it worth while. Peck made this film during the same period that he made The Gunfighter, before he apparently decided he was a monument rather than an actor. A pity! He was a fine actor, perfectly willing to tackle characters that were not very likable, and to do them extremely well. The character he plays here is driven and, when necessary, ruthless. Given the mission the character has been assigned, and the "men" with which to do it, those characteristics are essential.Without being a spoiler, think of this film as an early, grittier example of The Dirty Dozen genre. The dialog in this film is a bit ham handed but it is atmospheric and intense and definitely tells a story worth telling. It contains good work by all the character actors and even Barbara Payton turns in a credible performance.This one isn't often shown on television so your local video store may be the only place to find a copy. Go ahead! Devote an evening to it. It is worth your time!