Two cavalry officers (Lloyd Bridges, John Ireland) lead a patrol to warn Gen. Custer about an ambush.
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I love this movie so much
For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
This was my all time favorite Western. I loved at the end when John Ireland says "Sacrifice a few to save many"..And the bugler says "some on has to lead the charge" with Ireland "make it loud for the one's we left behind. So many great actors in this movie. John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, Reed Hadley, Hugh O'Brian, Marie Windsor ( she is always great playing the other woman), Sheb Wooley (there was a one eyed one horn flying purple eater) also a regular in "Raw Hide" Jim Davis a another great western cowboy. Another western I enjoyed with John Ireland was "The return of Jessie James" with Reed Hadley as Frank James * Hugh O'Brian and Henry Hull as the Younger brothers.
Charles Marquis Warren directed some tough westerns like Arrowhead, Seven Angry Men, Hellgate and Trooper Hook, and in the same style, this one. This film has a lot in common with Warner's Rocky Mountain, which was released in 1950,almost at the same time, both excellent films that deal with a small group of soldiers facing almost certain death. Lloyd Bridges is Captain Philip Donlin, who at the beginning of the movie catches his wife Celie (Marie Windsor) in the arms of Lt. Haywood (John Ireland). Just after that he commands a mission to warn Custer about the attack he is going to face at Little Big Horn. Through the somber mood of the film we get to know each character and feel for him. There must have been a huge difference in the budgets between this picture and Rocky Mountain, but Lippert achieved the same quality level.
Ever watch a movie that was so good you wished it would never end? That's the feeling when watching "Little Big Horn", an unheralded, unheard of (at least by me),old fashioned, Cowboys-and-Indians movie that Hollywood used to turn out by the Conestoga wagon-full. But this one is more suspenseful and well-acted, the characters more developed and the storyline just plain better than most oaters. This is a western with an edge.Others have outlined the plot in reviews above, but rarely did LLoyd Bridges, John Ireland and Marie Windsor (the quintessential femme fatale in a cameo) get roles they could sink their teeth into as those found in "Little Big Horn". The realistic atmosphere here rivals that found in some of Hollywood's greatest achievements, for example "Treasure of The Sierra Madre" or "Paths of Glory", made on much bigger budgets. If you are a fan of Hollywood movies, when movies were movies, try not to miss this one. It's available on Amazon now and it's a bargain.
This is the story of a small band of cavalry, out to warn General Custer of the tremendous number of indians arrayed against him. While it offers fine drama and action there is much more going on here--Duty, Honor, Country: and how each man in the patrol comes to grips with his responsibility as a soldier. This should be MUST viewing for anyone contemplating enlistment in the Army!