LeonLouisRicci Notable B-Movie Director Phil Karlson Helmed this Above Average Early Fifties, Low-Budget Western with Little Style but its Social Concerns Rode the "New" Esthetic that Shined a much needed Light on Bigotry. There are some Corny Side-Elements to be sure, but the Aforementioned Elevate this one to Respectability. The Plot is all about a Military Doctor (Robert Francis) and His Treatment of Indians and viewed Them as, God Forbid, Equal People as seen from the Eyes of a "Medicine Man".Donna Reed is Awkward as a Centerpiece of the Soldiers Attention (one proposes to Her on sight), but the rest of the Cast do Yeoman's Work and it is left to Francis to Carry the Movie. He is Adequate, but the Strength is the Story and its Ramifications about the Mistreatment of a Defeated People thrown in the Trash Bin of History, until Recently.There are some Wild and Wooly Battles that Punctuate now and then for the Action Oriented Crowd that could give a Hoot about Empathy and Inclusion of a whole Race of People that Desired Respect that was Initially Withheld.

bux I saw this one at the theater as a kid and was somewhat disappointed, probably too much story and not enough action to suit my taste at the time. However by today's standards, this one treats the Native American much more respectfully than other movies of it's time, most notably the God-awful "Arrowhead"(1953). The story moves along well and there really is enough action to go around and Francis shows that he had some real star quality, had he lived. Not a bad one.

NewEnglandPat This picture is a decent western that details the problems of an army doctor among military brass and rank and file soldiers at an outpost in Indian territory. Robert Francis has the misfortune of following incompetent doctors whose questionable medical practices did more harm than good. Problems arise when Francis tries to cure an Indian tribe of malaria against the army's wishes. Another plot angle involves a white woman married to an Indian and Francis tries to persuade her to return to her own people. Donna Reed and Phil Carey are the other main players in this film that has its moments but is otherwise a routine western. Francis and May Wynn were together in "The Caine Mutiny" before Francis' untimely death in a plane crash.

toonnnnn What a shame that this young actor died so tragically after making his film breakthrough,I guess its a cruel irony we will never know how good he would have really been.In this western he is a dedicated doctor who helps friend and foe alike,this is a basic western but worth watching once.The action scenes are good,and it shows that the US army was split into two as to the treatment of indians.5/10