Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Considering the vast amount of Cavalry-vs.-Indians Westerns made during the genre's heyday, this emerges as a reasonably engaging entry – thanks to the pleasant Technicolor hues but, even more so, the scenery-chewing antics of its two stars (Charlton Heston and Jack Palance). I'd owned a copy of the bare-bones Paramount DVD for quite some time, but found the perfect opportunity to check it out now in tribute to Heston's recent passing.He plays a maverick scout who, in the past, had spent some time with the Apaches; he knows them inside out and is, therefore, indispensable to the Cavalry because he can anticipate what their next move will be. The tribe has ostensibly capitulated and is heading towards the reservation but, when the current chief's son (Palance) arrives on the scene – having undertaken an education merely to fulfill a prophecy which would make him the savior of his people! – the attacks start anew, thus confirming Heston's skepticism of the whole deal (and which had practically ostracized him from his office). The film, whose title remains unexplained throughout, generally delivers in the action stakes (even if Heston and Palance's long-awaited showdown, the 'war' being resolved in single hand-to-hand combat between them, is a disappointingly hasty affair) – but is let down by a couple of obligatory romantic rivalries: Heston is torn between half-breed Katy Jurado, who's wasted, and Mary Sinclair, the widow of the Fort Commander who's also desired by his successor (Brian Keith).Heston made a number of such minor genre fare (which, I have to admit, I had all but ignored all these many years) – including another Western penned by Charles Marquis Warren, PONY EXPRESS (1953) – before carving a niche for himself playing larger-than-life roles in a myriad big-budget spectaculars. Having mentioned the writer/director, I recently acquired another Western of his – the well-regarded and, reportedly, noir-tinged LITTLE BIG HORN (1951) which, naturally, revolves around Custer's infamous Last Stand.

This is the movie which gave Heston the persona of the self righteous bigot of the movies. It is an action filled Western, true, and Brian Keith actually plays a more likable character than either Heston or Palance. Palance probably felt sick about the role he played in this movie which can only be described as a "hate film". There has never been a movie before or after this one which depicted native Americans so horribly, in such a way reminiscent of Nazi propaganda against Jewish people. This is the movie people are talking about when they talk about such sick junk. I'll try not to spoil it too much. It's told from the punk's point of view (I imagine, but it is the most insane point of view you'll ever see I hope). I will say that the "hero" sleeps with an Apache woman, kills her brother, then kills her, and after he kills her in his room, he tells a cavalry guard "There's a dead Apache on my floor. Get it out!" The punkiness leaves you speechless. It left people speechless when the movie was made, it was so insane! Somehow, the director must have thought he justified the wacko's actions, but he failed. Words can't describe how horrible this movie is. If you watch it, you'll be stunned with the fact someone duped you into wasting your time, and you'll be stunned that so many people actually spent so much time, effort, and alleged talent making this garbage.

Charlton Heston plays an Indian-hating scout very loosely based on famed frontiersman Al Sieber (who, in reality, was a German immigrant who not only didn't hate Apaches but often lived with them and spoke fluent Apache dialects; he spoke almost no English because he detested American whites and refused to learn any more English than he considered necessary). He goes up against Jack Palance, an Apache he knew from his boyhood who is returning from several years at an Indian agency school that is supposed to have "civilized" him (also based on fact; many Indian children were forcibly sent to such a school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania). Heston, unlike the local military and civilian authorities, doesn't believe that Palance has been "civilized" and suspects that he's secretly planning to lead the Apaches in attacking and massacring the local white population. This is a tough and, for its time, brutal little western, well written and directed by Charles Marquis Warren, and pulls no punches in its depiction of racism on both sides; Palance hates whites as much as Heston hates Indians, and both have no compunction about killing those on the "other" side they've known for years simply as a matter of course. Palance and Heston are suitably intense in their roles--Heston perhaps a bit too much so--and the action scenes are handled very well, although the final confrontation between Heston and Palance is a bit of a disappointment. A good supporting cast of veteran western actors--Milburn Stone, James Anderson, Robert J. Wilke (not playing a villain for once), among others--contribute greatly to the film's pace and atmosphere (although the rivalry between Heston and army officer Brian Keith over a girl at the post is a bit superfluous). Well worth your time.

I never tire of watching this western. It's got a absolutely great cast, both major and minor characters. If you like Charlton Heston, Jack Palance and/or Brian Keith, I think you'll enjoy this one. Fantastic music score by Paul Sawtell (Five Weeks In A Balloon, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea).