An Audie Murphy Western from 1953. Murphy plays a cavalry officer stationed at a fort just before the outset of the Civil War. He is adept w/dealing w/the Navajos particularly the leader named Menguito, played by Dennis Weaver of TV's McCloud fame, but he continues to butt heads w/his superior officer, a transplant from the old South who has recently been joined by his self-righteous sister who has an axe to grind w/any natives (a telling episode occurs when the scout of the base is seen at her window & she raises holy hell). The noose is tightened when a shipment of rifles goes missing & the military higher-ups suspect the Navajos of the theft so Murphy dejectedly conducts an investigation, finds the missing arms & orders Menguito & his tribe to a reservation but Murphy suspects foul play & as his suspicions are deepened, a more insidious plot asserts itself putting all parties on the road to an inevitable clash. More heft is given to this particular story-line then the majority of Murphy's oater output & this one ranks as one of his best which deftly fuses action, drama & racism in a well told package. Along for the ride are Russell Johnson & James Best as Murphy's subordinates & a special mention should go to Joan Evans who's portrayal of an uptight bigot who changes her ways is very vivid & telling.

Westerns that feature a cavalry theme don't hold much attraction for me but this one managed to hold my attention. It has an above average story by William Sackheim that helps - an above average and hard working cast, with above average photography by D.O.P. the Award nominated Charles P. Boyle (Anchors Aweigh '45)

The DVD copy I was given by a friend is from the Umbrella series: Six Shooter Classics (they really must do something about that silly marketing title). Universal originally used the magnificent IB Technicolor process for this film but this disc is well below average (compared with Umbrella's earlier 'Tumble Weed' that looked perfect). Sound transfer is also below standard. Robert Sterling ('Roughshod' '49) is good as the Fort Commander, with good support from Ray Collins, Greg Palmer (Lee) and Joan Evans. Dennis Weaver does very well as the Indian chief with his motley Hollywood tribe. Music is mostly from the Universal stock library and offers little help. Audie Murphy is reliable as always in his way. Veteran director Frederick De Cordova keeps things moving and probably helped with the good dialogue (as he was known to do). Have certainly seen far worse.