Such a frustrating disappointment

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

What I expected to be just another potboiler western turned out to be a well acted movie with a strong and compelling story. The story deals with issues of loyalty, compassion, ethics, and morality. The main character, a physician played by Robert Francis, has choices to make. Whatever he does, he will make enemies. He is challenged to stay true to his convictions. His only friend is a woman, played by Donna Reed, who provides him moral support. The movie dramatizes the issues that defined the war against the Native Americans. To the US Army, all Native Americans were the enemy, including those who were at peace. When rifles are stolen, the US Army panics and in the process riles up not one but two tribes, who, united, and whose warriors are armed with rifles, comprise a formidable foe that could defeat the Army. Under these conditions the doctor is forced to make certain decisions that could go against his values as a medical professional. But to stay true to his beliefs could put him at risk for being branded a traitor. It makes for strong drama. To find out how it gets resolved, watch the movie.

Better than expected, with a complex script, lots of action (not all well-staged), and even some character development. Francis is fine as the idealistic young doctor whose dedication to his Hippocratic oath is greater than his oath to the army. As a result, he treats hostile Indians as equals, causing trouble for the cavalry when the tribe jumps the reservation. It's hard to tell if Francis's apparent unease is good acting or still a bit of stage fright for a newcomer. But whichever, it fits in perfectly with a tenderfoot trying to get his bearings in unfriendly surroundings.At first I thought Donna Reed's super-coy little flirt was nothing more than star-casting that would ruin the movie. But the script deals intelligently with her development as the plot darkens. Carey's excellent as the no-nonsense Captain, who's the realist counterpoint to the doctor's idealism. Note how he's never treated with disrespect even though some of his decisions seem ethically callous. Too bad, however, the writers included the tiresome cliché of a whiskey- loving sergeant as comedy relief. Nonetheless, director Karlson, who would later excel at crime dramas, keeps things moving, and wonder of wonders, even has the Indians shrewdly shooting horses out from under the cavalry.The movie's theme reflects the growing racial consciousness of the 1950's. I like the way a bond is established between the doctor and the medicine man in their common human concern with healing. But just as importantly, the screenplay manages to make its point without getting preachy. Sure, the production is low-budget, never getting out of greater LA, with an Indian encampment that looks about as real as a Disneyland tableau. Still, it's a thoughtful and generally well-executed little horse opera that's better than it ought to be.

Directed by Phil Karlson who later helmed the excellent GUNMAN'S WALK, this one involves an army surgeon (Robert Francis) who is at odds against his commander (Philip Carey) over the treatment of a malaria outbreak amongst the Kiowa.Carey hates army doctors as much as the Kiowa since the last three he's had on his post were drunkards who should never have been in the service to begin with, so he doesn't take too kindly to Francis and treats the guy with contempt. Francis also feels he has to step in order to prevent another Indian war and he disobeys a direct order from Carey to treat the Kiowa chief's ailing son.It's fairly standard fare that could have been better if the dialog wasn't so silly and they avoided using old stock footage of battle scenes that looked out of place with the rest of the film. Not to mention the fact that the rest of it was filmed on the same Columbia ranch locations that we've seen a hundred times before. It makes the whole thing look more typical than it should be.With Jack Kelly & James Best as the junior officers, and Donna Reed as the niece of the post commander who spends a lot of time flirting with the officers, I'd give this one a less than average rating than a subject treatment like this deserves.4 out of 10

This picture is a decent western that details the problems of an army doctor among military brass and rank and file soldiers at an outpost in Indian territory. Robert Francis has the misfortune of following incompetent doctors whose questionable medical practices did more harm than good. Problems arise when Francis tries to cure an Indian tribe of malaria against the army's wishes. Another plot angle involves a white woman married to an Indian and Francis tries to persuade her to return to her own people. Donna Reed and Phil Carey are the other main players in this film that has its moments but is otherwise a routine western. Francis and May Wynn were together in "The Caine Mutiny" before Francis' untimely death in a plane crash.