La cavalcata della vendetta

Shot by the Oscar-winning cameraman of 'High Noon', with Lloyd Bridges again playing a coward (he was then treading water just before his career hit dry land in 'Sea Hunt'). Produced by Kirk Douglas' company Bryna, it's a sombre, talky little black & white potboiler of interest for taking the side of the Indians, with an inexpensive cast (by then sadly including Gloria Grahame in an ugly wig in a whiny supporting role) going through the motions.

This is a mostly pretty standard, Saturday morning kid's western. John Wayne could have easily been cast in the Rory Calhoun role (Tate) with no appreciable difference. Fans of Gloria Grahame and Vince Edwards will like it, even though there's nothing particularly memorable about their acting or scenes.

The biggest detriment is the large amount of screen time given to 'Little Billy'. You could see it coming right at the beginning of the movie, although his fate isn't particularly typical in these kinds of movies.

A real shame because, otherwise, it's not such a bad movie. As other's have mentioned, Lloyd Bridges' over-the-top, bad guy performance is the most redeeming quality. The other is the more sympathetic attitude given to the Native Americans' plight.

One more western where Indians are not necessarily the bad guys, the evil savages. Sensitive, delightful to watch if you do it closely enough, characters for whom you have feelings that you don't always have for westerns in general. The characters are very important and the story telling is smartly done in that purpose, emphasizing the relationships between those same characters. It is not tough, rough, brutal, nothing of that but instead a nearly pro indian western. The director Bernard Girard mostly worked for TV and rarely for the big screen. Only the ending is a bit smooth, predictable. I think it could have been better.

Ride Out For Revenge is a sincere portrayal of the anguish of the American Indians, the Cheyennes specifically, in the aftermath of losing the Indian Wars. It also shows the bitter prejudice of the white settlers who have also suffered losses as a result of the wars.

The problem I find with this film is the rather unbelievably noble portrayal of Rory Calhoun in the lead. Not his fault, there's not much he can do with a character that's just too good. As is explained he's sustained personal losses himself, a sister and husband killed and he's raising his nephew Michael Winkelman and boarding with widow Gloria Grahame. As fetching as she ever was in movies, Grahame's got a real thing for Calhoun and he may have given her a tumble once or twice, but right now Rory has got eyes for Indian maid Joanne Gilbert.

I'm also not sure why a troop of cavalry is stationed in the town where Calhoun is marshal. But they're there and headed by Lloyd Bridges a captain who never would have found his way into any John Ford cavalry film. He's as slimy as they come. When chief Frank DeKova comes into town to plead for supplies for his people, he gets shot down in the street like a dog and son Vincent Edwards vows vengeance. That sets in motion all the events of the film that follows.

With characters I just could not buy, Ride Out For Revenge falls short of its goal for sympathy for the Cheyenne. One of the main characters dies and one is thought to have died in the end. The actual death of the first should have set off a big inquiry.

Kirk Douglas's Bryna Productions produced this one and Kirk was wise not to take the lead himself here.

The story plays off of the hatred of Native Americans, and although there is a thread of support for equality and fairness, there's enough race-baiting stereotypes here to satisfy all spectrum of viewers. Gloria Grahame delivers a mannered, poor performance as a spurned love interest. The material is weak; her character goes from hating Indians (they killed her husband) to delivering a sanctimonious speech about hatred toward the end. Lloyd Bridges is over the top, easy to loathe. His character is a weasel. We get to see Vince Edwards, the future Dr. Ben Casey, as an indian. The best performance here is from Rory Calhoun, whose character has a strong moral compass; his performance is good leading man material. He's cool, relaxed and steady. Calhoun is the only reason to enjoy the film. Overall, not much new ground covered in this film. Nothing special.