La bataille de la vallée du diable

James Garner is a good lead in this rousing Cavalry v. Indians western. There are very good battle scenes between between the outnumbered soldiers and the attacking Indians. The underlying issues of prejudice add an interesting touch to the movie as well with James Garner's character struggling with the death of his Indian wife and the Bibi Andersson character struggling with raising her baby fathered by an Indian brave.

As in any good western, the scenery also plays an important part and the southern Utah settings are particularly striking. The musical soundtrack is a little off-beat for a western, but also very good. Dennis Weaver, Sidney Poitier, and Bill Travers all add to the movie with good supporting performances.

Like the other reviewer of this movie, I, too, was a young child when I first saw this movie. It was around 1975 and it made quite an impression on me. My father, Bob Weissman, who loved the music in the film, first played the soundtrack for me. It is hypnotic and stirring -just excellent. The movie's storyline is not intricate, but what it lacks in depth, it makes up for with some suspense, good cinematography and of course, great music. James Garner is charismatic just like he is in "Support Your Local Sheriff" and Sydney Poitier, Dennis Weaver and Bibi Anderson fill their roles adequately. Overall, a good rental for a rainy (or snowy) afternoon or evening.

A bloody, brutal Western where the action never stops.

First, the Bad (let's get that out of the way). Like all Westerns, the plot has its flaws -- with an Indian war party off the reservation they would not have sent a shipment of ammunition through a narrow canyon guarded by only one squad of green recruits on unbroken/partly saddle broken horses. But so what? In the classic Western Stagecoach the Indians would have shot the horses pulling the stage and then finished off the passengers as opposed to shooting at the people in the coach. Also, Sidney Poitier's silver vest remains immaculate throughout the long desert journey and several pitched battles.

However, the movie moves so fast that you never really have time to stop and remind yourself that you have to "suspend disbelief" to watch it.

Next, the Good. On one level, it's a classic cavalry vs. Indians story. But viewed through a different lens than in earlier Westerns; the Indians are shown with some perspective, if not total sympathy, which probably makes this one of the first Westerns to get beyond a one dimensional view of them. There are a variety of interesting subplots which flesh out the major characters and keep things twisting, turning, and moving along between the combat scenes. In fact, almost every one of the characters is angry about something, creating lots of tension between them. James Garner's character is looking for the men who raped and killed his (Indian) wife, Dennis Weaver's Will Grange is angry about almost everything, including that his wife was held captive by the Indians, Sidney Poitier's Toller (now a civilian) is mad that circumstances forced him to accompany the cavalry on this mission ....

Garner and Poitier give excellent performances and the other actors rise to the occasion, helping us forget that they are, in fact, Scottish or Danish.

At the end of the movie the various subplots are tied up and the issues are resolved with (in one case) a very surprising twist.

On top of that, you have a wonderful (almost superb, for this movie) Neal Hefti score, which always seems to correctly reflect the mood of the scene. It fits the movie even better because it makes heavy use of Western/military instruments: guitars, horns, drums, ....

Finally, the Ugly. There are some fairly graphic scenes here (although not exactly like in the Wild Bunch or Saving Private Ryan). The Apaches could torture with the best of them and some of that appears in this movie, although we're spared the close-ups.

All in all, I must say that this is one of my long time favorites. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!

What makes this film interesting albeit unconventional are various themes that swirl beneath the main story line. Made at the time when the Civil Rights movement was in full swing, the film subtly touches on issues that were important during the 60s (e.g. racial tolerance, treatment of women and minorities). The film also has a brutal hard edge to it when it comes to the violence, death and the mayhem that takes throughout. The score gives a sense of desperation and inevitability which enhances its hard edge. Unlike many films of the genre, there is no clear cut protagonist or antagonist. The characters are realistic and more than mere two-dimensional cartoon characters for which the viewer could identify with. Overall, it is a thought provoking film that deserves a look in.

"Duel at Diablo" filmed in 1966, has a cast of both American and international players and touches of violence coupled with prejudices. It makes for an interesting mix and provides the viewer with a tense depiction of the usual struggles of the Apaches against the US Cavalry. James Garner plays Jess Remsberg, an Indian scout now out looking for the man or men that raped and killed his Indian wife. Sidney Poitier adds an excellent portrayal of a former Army sergeant who has quit the job of soldering in exchange for breaking horses, and selling them to the Army. Bill Travers and Bibi Anderson provide the international flavor in the cast, and Dennis Weaver gives the viewer a chance both to detest him and feel some sorrow for his warped prejudices toward those he considers inferior or below his status.

The group of troopers heads out across the desert to another fort in the area, but are headed off by a group of Apaches that have jumped their reservation. Garner does find out the identity of the man who was responsible for the rape/killing of his Indian wife, but in order to extract his revenge, he must first make it to the canyon of Diablo and rescue the beseiged group of Army troopers from being killed by the Apaches.

Good, tense story, sweeping vistas of the Utah landscape, and two actors, Garner and Poitier, delivering masterful performances.