bsmith5552 This almost forgotten western was ahead of it's time. The theme of "an eye for an eye" revenge is carried to the extreme with the brutal massacre sequence where soldiers, women and children alike are slaughtered without mercy.The film opens with army scout Adam Reed (Rory Calhoun) being brought to Cheyenne Chief Fire Knife (Lee Van Cleef). The chief warns of an impending Cheyenne attack on an army encampment in retaliation to one led by commanding officer Major Ives (Warner Anderson) who has been branded as "The Butcher" by the Indians for his slaughter of women and children.Reed brings a yellow tomahawk to Ives as a warning from the Cheyenne. He ignores the warning. Reed meets Katherine Bohlen (Peggie Castle) skinny dipping and sparks fly. Katherine is engaged to Lt. Bascomb (Patrick Sexton) whom she unceremoniously dumps. Reed also meets up with fellow scout Tonio Perez (Noah Beery Jr. complete with Mexican accent) who assists Reed in sounding the alarm. At the same time, Tonio is being pursued by the young Indian squaw named , now get this, Honey Bear (a very young Rita Moreno).Into the camp comes prospector Walt Sawyer (Peter Graves) and his wounded partner. Subsequent events reveal that Sawyer has a hidden agenda of his own.Then the Cheyenne attack and savagely "kill all white eyes" except for Major Ives who was away obtaining buried ammunition, Tonio who had been escorting a wagon load of wives escaping the attack, Sawyer and Reed. The survivors which also include Cpl. Maddock (Adam Williams) and Private Bliss (James Best) then try to reach the distant fort while being pursued by Fire Knife and his braves and.......................................................................................Although the massacre sequence is not as graphic as one would see today, it is nonetheless brutal and totally unexpected. Calhoun is a stalwart hero who had been appearing in a number of low budget westerns at this time. Castle in her skin tight slacks, makes a sexy heroine. The always likeable Beery is good as is Graves and Anderson as the heavies. Lee Van Cleef is also excellent as the Indian Chief. Walter Reed, Dan Riss and Robert Bray round out the cast.A quirky unexpected ending round out this opus ably directed by veteran director Lesley Selander.

weezeralfalfa One of several films I'm familiar with that relates to the infamous massacre of peaceful Cheyenne, mostly women and children, at Sand Creek, CO. The historic Chivington, who led this slaughter, is renamed Major Ives(Warner Anderson). However, his hatred of all Native Americans is not changed. Perhaps the most glaring alteration of history is the designation of Chief Red Cloud as the main chief of the Cheyenne, whereas he actually was the most important chief of the Sioux during this period. ...The basic story is that Major Ives plans on building an army fort on Cheyenne land, besides his duty of escorting immigrants through Cheyenne territory, on their way to Oregon. This raises the ire of Red Cloud(whom we never see), and one of his lieutenants: Fire Knife, who uses the presence of his soldiers on their land as an excuse to attack the temporary camp of Ives, which includes some women and other civilians. Most of the soldiers and civilians are killed, but, inexplicably, Ives survives, and journeys with the rest to the nearest fort.....Vagabond scout Adam Reed(Roy Calhoun) happens upon Bostonian Kathrine(Peggy Castle) swimming in the nude in a small lake. Seems she's staying with Major Ives' bunch because her boyfriend is a lieutenant there. After this titillating scene, Reed interacts with her periodically, as he hangs around the camp. After her boyfriend is killed in the Indian attack, she soon latches onto Reed as the man most likely to insure her survival. Eventually, they kiss and hug several times. Given Reed's preferred wandering lifestyle, I'm not sure they have a future together, in which case, Kathren probably will return to the civilization of Boston....A more convincing developing couple consist of Mexican Tonio Perez(Noah Berry) and Nez Pierce maiden Honey Bear(Rita Moreno). As she emphatically states, she's not Cheyenne, who destroyed her native village. Tonio treats her well, thus she sticks with him, despite his perception that she is too young for him. That is, until she saves him from an Indian attacker. Thereafter, he's more accepting of her. Rita provides a beautiful impish presence, being more charismatic than blond Peggy Castle. ....One aspect of the story that doesn't come across as tenable is Major Ives' eventual desperate claim that he is part Cheyenne(and thus should be spared by the Cheyenne, out for vengeance). ....This B&W B western has a cheesy feel to it, but is generally acceptable entertainment. See it on YouTube.... Besides Major Ives, there is another villain on the European side in Peter Graves, as Sawyer. Along with his 2 buddies, he was a gold prospector, presumably on Cheyenne land. They were attacked by Cheyenne, and his one buddy got an arrow to the chest. Sawyer brought him to the army camp. While other's weren't looking, he drove the arrow deeper into his chest, killing him. He later admitted he killed his other partner for the gold. He met his end trying to escape into the bush with his sack of gold, where an Indian was hiding.

morris vescovi Major Ives (Warner Anderson), one of the commanding officers of the infamous Sand Creek Massacre ( an actual event) is building a fort in Cheyenne territory. Fireknife(Lee Van Cleef) , tells his friend Adam Reed (Rory Calhoun) to warn the soldiers that they must go or be killed. This is a true act of decency as they know the butcher Ives is in command and they really want him: and revenge for the slaughter he caused. Reed and Fireknife may actually have been blood brothers as they refer to each other as brothers and Reed tells Catherine (Peggy Castle) "the Indians are as much my people as you are." The arrogant Ives won't listen, the Indians attack and the action is unusually violent for it's time. (When Catherine tries to find her former fiancé she says, with a look of horror " I can't tell if it's him") The survivors are forced to go through Cheyenne territory to another fort to reach safety, and this sets up a confrontation between friend Reed and Fireknife.This is another example of a modestly budgeted western with a superior script, very good acting and characters of some depth. Also, the Indians are not the "bad guys". Reed tells Catherine " It might surprise you but Indians love their children and are loyal to their friends." And Fireknife does save his life There is also a very interesting twist in the end which I do not believe has been done before or since. Definitely worth seeing.The film was originally shot in color but only black and white prints were every released on television. This film deserves to be restored.

Alonzo Church The 1950s was the decade of the message western, and this is a low budget version of the genre. But don't let the low budget (or the deterioration of the film negative) scare you away. This story about a bloody confrontation that is the direct result of a barbarous US general's attempt to occupy Indian lands is surprisingly brutal, sympathetic to the native Americans, and much more cynical about the inherent decency of those in power than one would expect from a movie from this era. Yes, if you look, you will find ample and annoying western movie clichés. Rory Calhoun and Rita Moreno are the recognizable stars here -- and they are playing types, rather than roles. (Rory is the scout raised by the native Americans, who is conflicted. Rita Moreno has an obnoxious role as the cute native American who has attached herself to Rory's Mexican sidekick). The reason to watch is plot, pacing, and, yes, the ending that you will not predict.Note. The film was shot in color, but TCM broadcast it in black and white. This looks like a film in bad need of restoration, particularly as much of it was shot against sagebrush that was actually in bloom.