The Gun That Won the West

Entertaining enough although the weak script, low budget and poor film editing let the film down somewhat, probably a B movie supporting a better feature film when released. The dialogue and most of the action will frighten and shock millennials and wokes not brought up in the glorious 50s and 60s when we all played cowboys and injuns! Good that these western and war films still get plenty of tv airtime and no doubt sizeable audiences still.

Well, I expected worse from this Sam Katzman's production, the infamous Sam Katzman who was so obsessed with bringing films with the tiniest budgets that sometimes the result was simply awful or laughable. This one is OK, maybe inspired by a true story, part of conquest of the West history. This film also belongs to the Columbia Pictures period for William Castle, before he eventually found his way in terrific and terrifying horror films that made his legends for generations of fans. Unlike his Columbia period.... This one, I repeat, is OK, agreeable to watch and the plot is rather interesting, smooth and not that predictable.

Dennis Morgan stars as Jim Bridger who is hired to scout land for the cavalry. They want to build a land encroaching on Red Cloud's territory. Predictably Red Cloud is not happy with that, and consequently there's an injun vs cavalry feud, despite the New Springfield rifles on their way. It is a watchable western, but it doesn't standout. It's slow moving at time and though the action is energetic, the battle at the end features none of cavalry firing the new rifles, and it ends as if they ran out of film time.

After building the entire plot and several key scenes around the introduction of the breech-loading Springfield "trapdoor" rifle, this movie fails to show a single round fired from the new rifles in the climactic battle with the Indians. Instead, the cavalrymen charge with sabers and wrestle in hand-to-hand combat, much too close to get off any shots. This is inexplicable in light of the general accuracy of the firearm details in the film: the cap-and-ball revolvers and 1860ish muzzle loading percussion rifles are period correct, as are the unadorned gun belts and of course the Springfields. I was even impressed with the Indians' reasonably dignified dialog, which was notably free of the "me see um" and "ugh" variety. Maybe the misleading title should be changed to "The Gun That Won the West Right After This Movie Ends."

In the late 1860s, Colonel Carrington (Roy Gordon) and his command are assigned the job of constructing a chain of forts along the Bozemann trail. But then they are besieged by Sioux - of Wyoming. Carrington recruits former cavalry scouts Jim Bridger (Dennis Morgan) and "Dakota Jack" Gaines (Richard Denning) to lead the project in Indian territory . Bridger and Gaines are friendly with Sioux Chief Red Cloud (Robert Bice) , and they feel a peace treaty with the Indians can be made. Later on , there is a meeting between US cavalry and Indians into signing a treaty. If an Indian war breaks out, the cavalry is depending on getting the weapon that stopped the last great Indian raid , a new type of arm : Springfield rifle. Bridger, Gaines and Gaines wife, Maxine, arrive at the fort for the conference in which dealing with the peace treaty . But thing go wrong when Gaines, in a drunken fit, attempts to intimidate the Indians . Along the way they must fight off enemies , hunting American Buffalo and rampaging Sioux who are also after them . The Story of the Unconquerable! .When a new kind of weapon wrote history in the Old West¡

The film packs thrills , fights , noisy action , crossfire , Indian charges , including Sioux habits with their rites and ceremonies and being enough entertaining . An ordinary and tolerable Cavalry Western in which explorer James Bridger is saddled with the risked assignment of steering a Cavalry regiment through hostile Indian territory surrounded by hostile Sioux . It's a medium budget film with comfortable actors , technicians , functional production values and passable results . Being freely based on historical events as Red Cloud's War 1866-68 and appearance by some legendary roles as the famous explorer James Bridger and Indian leader Red Cloud who was actually the only major Indian chief who vanquished a war against the US Army .Moving and action-packed Western with a simple , standard story that engages the viewer until the last scene when cavalry comes to the rescue in the nick of time by a river . Starred by a trio of little known actors as Dennis Morgan as Jim Bridges , Paula Raymond as Mrs. Maxine Gaines and her drunk husband performed by Richard Denning as 'Dakota' Jack Gaines . Second-class support cast with unknown secondaries as Roy Gordon and Robert Bice as Chief Red Cloud who threatens war if his territory is invaded by any troops building forts .

It contains an atmospheric and adequate musical score , as well as faded and tarnished cinematography Henry Freulich with a very bad print , being utterly necessary a perfect remasterizing . Produced in low budget by by Sam Katzsman , due to a combination of astute marketing and the fact that he ground out films so quickly and cheaply that he could cash in on a fad before it faded away, Katzman's movies seldom if ever lost money , taking a lot of stock footage here and there .William Castle used battle footage from Last of the Comanches (1953) , Buffalo Bill by William A Wellman and other films from Columbia Pictures at charge of production .This low-budgeted motion picture was profesional but regularly directed by William Castle . He was an expert craftsman with some of the all-time great schlock names serving as the producer Sam Katzman and fondness for gimmicks as proved in his successful terror films such as House of haunted hill , The Tingler , Mr Sardonicus , Strait-jacked , Homicidal , Macabre and 13 Ghosts . Castle emulated Alfred Hitchcock , this included the practice of appearing in the trailers, and even making cameo appearances in his films . Furthermore , he made several Western such as 1955 Duel on the Mississippi , 1955 The Gun That Won the West ,1955 El Americano , 1954 Masterson of Kansas , 1954 The Law vs. Billy the Kid , 1954 Jesse James vs. the Daltons , 1954 Battle of Rogue River , 1953 Fort Ti , 1951 cave of outlaws. Rating : 5/10 . So-so and average Western oater .