In one of several heartwarming sub-plots, the Garner character (protagonist) seeks to avenge his Indian wife's premature (off-camera: we never meet her) scalping. By a typically preposterous coincidence, this dastardly scalper just happens to be right under the protagonist's nose all along, thereby conveniently saving lots of time getting the Fort Concho cavalry to the rescue, since the protagonist doesn't have to spend precious minutes (or hours? who cares?) before the troops can ride out. Consistent with this sub-plot's pertinence, perhaps the script writers and actors drew straws to determine who the guilty character would be?

At one point, Neal Hefti's unavoidably ever-present and at times (unintended) toe-tapping musical score swelled to suggest the entire encampment of Indian women and children were about to break out into a fully choreographed cha-cha sequence. This reviewer had to check the credits to verify that Mel Brooks or Rudy DeLuca (or Gene Wilder lurking somewhere about) were not implicated.

Charles Wheeler's Utah landscape photography is gorgeous. The DVD picture and sound are probably as good as the originally source allowed and more than adequate for this cardboard cutout.

The movie centers on a plot to deliver a cache of ammunition from one fort to another through a harsh and foreboding desert land. The troops are green and inexperienced, and the desert terrain is the least of their worries as a local Apache tribe has decided to mount a last stand against the injustices heaped upon them and attack the convey and steal the munitions in an effort to free themselves and their spirits from the poor treatment and paltry reservation land given to them by the uncaring government.

James Garner plays Jess Remsburg, an experienced scout who has a personal interest in following the convey to their destination as he believes the murderer of his Native American wife is there. Sidney Poitier is also along for the ride, as Toller, an ex-army man turned horse dealer that supplies the cavalry with raw mustangs. Turns out he won't get paid for his recent delivery of horses as they are not saddle broken and he must ride with the convey and tame the horses along the way. The other recognizable actor is Dennis Weaver, who plays Willard Grange, a merchant who must get a load of supplies to the fort, and wheedles his way to tag along with the cavalry, despite protests from the lieutenant in charge, as the lieutenant thinks speed will be of the utmost importance, with the Apache tribe on the warpath and the lack of experience in his troops. Also, there is yet another interesting subplot involving Grange and his wife, Ellen, played by Bibi Andersson. Seems at some point prior to the events in the movie, she was kidnapped by the Apaches and escaped only to return to a disappointed husband and unfriendly townspeople as she has now been 'spoiled' with her extended contact with the Apache tribe. She has a special interest in returning to the tribe, which is revealed later in the movie.

The director does a wonderful job maintaining continuity between the various plot threads, and conveying the sense of danger between the harsh environments and the disgruntled Native Americans on the Warpath. The fighting is done with a sense of realism and seems quite brutal at times, but never really goes over the top and there is very little glorification of the old west, as seen in many other westerns. The various subplots do provide a nice sense of depth for the main characters, helping the audience develop a feeling of familiarity towards the characters, even the Native Americans. I never got a sense that the movie was portraying the Native Americans as bad guys, and the cavalry as good guys, but just people doing what they had to do based on either orders from superior officers, in the case of the cavalry, or the need for survival and a tired sense of being pushed around a regulated to less than hospitable lands by an uncaring government, in the case of the Native Americans.

The flaws of the movie, in my opinion, are few, but somewhat noticeable. The biggest one was the music. The western score was tinged with a sort of bouncy beat that detracted seriously from what was being shown on the screen. It would, almost in a humorous fashion, counteract the urgency and danger in specific scenes. Another issue I had, a subtler one, was the character Toller, played by Sidney Portier. He's an excellent actor, and I have no problems with his performance, but since this movie was probably set in the early to mid 19th century, I found it really odd how accepting all the Caucasian characters were of having an African American so closely in the midst as I believe the was a lot more racial intolerance at this time than the movie would have you believe. Sure, there was some towards the Native Americans in the movie, but no one seemed to notice Toller was an African American, and the cavalry troops certainly didn't seem to mind taking orders from him after their lieutenant was injured. On the flipside, it was refreshing to think that things could have been this way back then, but realistically, I doubt it. The total absence of any racial tensions between Toller and the Caucasian characters seemed to really stand out.

All in all good, solid western movie, with some pretty violent scenes that portrays both sides of the conflict in a seemingly real sense, allowing for empathy to develop for both sides, showing us the world is not black and white, figuratively speaking. The picture is in wide screen format, and is crisp and clear showing many beautiful desert landscapes between all the killing. The audio was quite good, also, sounding clear und unmuddled. There are subtitles available, but I didn't need to use them as I could hear all the dialog clearly. Throw in a trailer and that's it for the special features, but, as always, I'd prefer an excellent print and good audio to gobs of useless features I'll probably never watch.

James Garner stars as Jess Remsberg, the army scout who is also trying to track down the killer of his Indian wife. His role is very good and also different from what his fans might be expecting of him. Sidney Poitier plays Toller, the ex-sergeant who now accompanies the wagon train to break in their new horses for him. I hadn't seen Poitier in a western, but he is very good in this role alongside Garner. Dennis Weaver and Bibi Anderson star as the Granges. Anderson's character was abducted by Apaches and escapes but now wants to go back and live among them. Weaver's Will Grange is a rascist and very dislikable. Bill Travers plays Lt. Scotty McCallister, the leader of the wagon train who is desperately trying to get a promotion. The DVD offers widescreen presentation that looks very good and also a theatrical trailer. This is not your typical western but it is still very enjoyable. Check it out if you haven't seen it before!