Keine Gnade für Jonny T.

Fort Defiance is an independent western from United Artists, more interesting than good. It was an attempt at some adult themes in a western that would become more commonplace in the future. Sad to say though its characters are not developed fully.

Ben Johnson arrives at the ranch of George Cleveland and his two nephews, Peter Graves and Dane Clark. He's looking for Clark who has not made it home from the Civil War yet. Supposedly Clark ran out on his troops while on a mission to deliver a message and nearly everyone died in the command he served with. Johnson was one of the few survivors, his brother wasn't and he's out to get Clark.

As his big rancher Craig Wood who had running feud with Cleveland, Clark, and Graves before the Civil War, heightened by the loss of two brothers. He wants the whole family dead, including Graves who is blind.

Johnson, feeling sorry for Graves and Cleveland throws in with them before Clark arrives. They face an attack on the ranch, a stagecoach massacre from some Navajos before the inevitable showdown.

Possibly in the hands of a major studio with a better script Fort Defiance could have been a better film. As it is some of the character motivations just don't make sense fitted into the overall framework of the story.

Still this cast of good professionals feels at home in westerns with the exception of Dane Clark who was way too urban a character for a western.

Interesting film, but not as good as it could have been.

If you can get past Brooklyn born Dane Clark as a two gun Arizona outlaw, this is an entertaining picture. Ben Johnson plays a man bent on revenge who softens to his intended victim's family, and Peter Graves is very good as the brother of the man Johnson wants to kill. This may be the best Cinecolor film made, as the color, although brash, doesn't waver as many others do. For me, Clark was the weak point; although he does well the script doesn't make him very believable, waving his two guns all over the place and never missing his target. It's also hard to believe he could last more than thirty seconds in a fistfight with Johnson. The secondary cast is quite good, with Goerge Cleveland as a hot headed but understanding uncle, and Ralph Sanford as a cantankerous stage driver. It's certainly worth a ninety minute view time, if you have popcorn and a drink.

Nice guy, Ned Tallon, now blind, is waiting for older brother, Johnny, to come home from the war and help get the ranch back on its feet. A newly arrived stranger, Ben Shelby, reports that Johnny deserted his outfit, costing many men their lives, then became a bank robber and was killed. When the desertion story gets out, relatives of several men who died want brother Ned buried, too. Ben steps in to save Ned by helping him skedaddle to Navajo territory -- but the Navajo have just been told that its Reservation Time, and they're none to pleased. ...now guess who shows up!

Pretty good yarn. Fair amount of action. Rugged Arizona scenery. A good Ben Johnson role. Interesting to see Peter Graves in one of his earliest films.

For a fitfully simple b-western, FORT DEFIANCE has the most complicated case of post Civil War revenge, twofold: first there's Ben Johnson, who becomes a ranch-hand working for blind, extremely trustworthy Peter Graves, and secretly wants to kill Peter's older brother for backing out of one of the last battles... and then an entire posse wants both brothers dead...

Enter first-billed Dan Clark, extremely anticipated through expository dialogue, thirty-five minutes in, as his brother and new best friend are cornered by Indians in a cornering canyon, led by legendary faker Iron Eyes Cody...

There would be far more suspense along with anticipating tribal drums if the low-budget use of day-for-night... filming darkly in daylight masquerade a brightly moonlit night... wasn't so obvious... but the introduction of heart-of-gold-hooker Tracey Roberts, who even blind Peter Graves knows is pretty and genuine, adds some needed dimension: but what matters most takes place in the third act, after sunrise...

When Dane Clark, usually a kind of poor man's George Raft, really stands out, playing the heck out of the villainous yet faithfully-dependable scoundrel in what's an 11th hour crash-course of the ambiguous gunfighter persona... making you forget that most of the film's buildup didn't have him around at all.

It is several months after the end of the civil war, and Ben Shelby (Ben Johnson) shows up at the Tallon Ranch to kill John Tallon (Dane Clark). Tallon had given himself up to the confederates just before the war ended and this led to a company of the Arizona volunteers being wiped out, Ben's brother among them. He meets John's young, blind brother Ned (Peter Graves) and Uncle Charlie. John is not around and Ben ,saying he knows John from the war, decides to wait for him. A problem comes up when he gets very close and Ned and Uncle Charlie. John has become a bank robber and a killer which Uncle Charlie has kept from Ned and asks Ben to also keep the secret because Ned worships his brother who supposedly was a war hero. Word finally reaches them that John is dead and Uncle Charlie and Ben have to tell Ned.

There are additional problems. The Indians find out they are going to be moved to Oklahoma, don't like the idea and go on the warpath. Local land baron Dave Parker, who also lost brothers in the Arizona volunteers, finds out about John Tallon's act of cowardice and wants all Tallon's dead. This is just an excuse to get their ranch.

AS you might guess. John Tallon finally shows up, but he is not the coward and killer you might expect, and Ben, besides fighting Dave Parker and the Indians, must face the possibility of killing a close friend's brother This is not exactly a B western. It was shot in New Mexico, has a cast of superb actors, more plot than there is in two current films( actually a plot worth of a major film) and complex, conflicted characters. I saw this film when I was very young and found out recently that it has not aged. It is well worth tracking down and watching. A very good sleeper

There is a problem with the color. The film was shot in Cinecolor, and it is just not as good as Technncolor of even Eastman color.The colors fade and blues and greens are lost. This film deserves a restoration.