BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

alexandre michel liberman (tmwest) This film made me go back in time. I saw it when I was 9 years old and loved it so much I kept annoying people by trying to tell them the film story. Today, I rate it as an average western, colorful, and where everything happens very fast contributing to its entertainment value. Ronald Reagan is Confederate Captain Vance Britten who has a brother who is an officer in the Union. Reagan ends up changing colors of uniform in order to avoid a great Indian attack and meets his brother and his old sweetheart, the beautiful Rhonda Fleming in most awkward circumstances. Noah Beery Jr. as always is his lovable sidekick Sgt. Calhoun. If ever an actor was stereotyped in a role it was Beery Jr. The best of the film is Lloyd Corrigan as Mr. Betancourt, the "expediter". His bureaucracy and pomposity are a fantastic caricature of what we see in our everyday life.

denis888 Ronald Reagan was a great President, true. he was a decent horse-rider, and a very sweet, radiant personality. But as an actor, he was rather second-rate and very forgettable, indeed. Well, yes, you can watch his movies, turn it off and then easily forget what was in the movie ten minutes later/ This movie is a typical example - a very much of a period piece, with all the obvious errata goofs of that era - rather predictable plot, unrealistic love-part,typical portrayal of Indians, and some extremely cheap dialogs, which you can utter a second before a word spells out form a speaker's lips. Battle scenes are funny in fact, too. They have no suspense and deliver no thrill. A very good B-movie, with a very average casting and all the plot twists that you can imagine. Some sprinkle of humor often seems to be at odd with the general mood of the film, and very generic performance of all characters make this movie very lightweight, unserious and not memorable. Yup, Reagan grew to some grand things a bit later, smiling his way up. Here, even his smile is a bit of a lame duckie.

classicsoncall I saw this movie under it's reissue name "Cavalry Charge", and must say that it's original title makes a lot more sense. The film is not a cavalry Western per se, but a story that takes place in 1862 along the route of the Santa Fe Trail, with Union and Confederate forces alternately getting the upper hand in the action taking place. But it's not your typical Civil War yarn either, as brothers on opposing sides of the War reunite with opposing views on the U.S. Government's efforts to enlist Apache aid in defeating the Rebels.Ronald Reagan stars, and portrays three different characters before it's all over. He's introduced as Confederate Captain McCready, surprising a band of Union soldiers taking a swim break, while routing their horses and burning their uniforms, though taking no prisoners. His identity is revealed to be that of Vance Britten, brother of Union Colonel Jeb Britten (Bruce Bennett) when the two meet up in an ambush within an ambush within an ambush, trust me on this. Later, he assumes the identity of a Union Major dispatched from Washington, in an attempt to subvert his brother's mission of securing help in the war effort from the Apaches.Rhonda Fleming appears as the unhappy wife of a trader stationed at Fort Point, harboring memories of her romance with Vance Britten years earlier. With her husband killed in an Indian attack, she's free once again to take up her romance with Britten, though there are ups and downs along the way, and you never get the feeling Reagan's character is playing it straight with her.The prominent Indian Chief Grey Cloud is portrayed by Charles Evans, in a role stating that he was once a Union General who became an Apache when he married a squaw, renounced by the military for doing so. Even though their screen time was limited, it was still fun to see Iron Eyes Cody and Chief Yowlachie as fellow chiefs who agree to remain neutral in the white man's war. That of course goes all to hell in a war bonnet in the movie's latter third, when an impatient civilian fires on Grey Cloud standing under a white flag. Arguably, the white man comes across looking pretty poorly at this point, leaving the Indians no resort but to attack Fort Gil.Up to that point the film had an entertaining appeal, questionable as the premise was. With the Confederates coming to the aid of the Union soldiers and civilians within the fort, any hope of keeping the Indians neutral went up in smoke. Speaking of which, stay attentive during the Indian attack; when a white bearded civilian is hit with a burning arrow in the back, he falls into a pile of hay, but the hay ignites into flame somewhat to the right of where the man fell.Except for the rather exceptional cast of talent in the film, the movie is really nothing special. In addition to the starring players already mentioned, notable support comes by way of Noah Beery Jr. and Hugh Beaumont, both as Confederate officers.I got a kick out of one of Reagan's lines in the film - while impersonating Union Major Riordan at Fort Gil, he encounters a mob that wants to lynch Geronimo for his attack on trader McQuade's wagons, resulting in three dead white men. To keep the mob from erupting, he orders one of his men to shoot the leader if the mob got out of hand. In a weirdly prophetic line that would later become a hallmark of his presidency, Reagan's character states: "That's what's known as delegating authority."

raskimono Reagan is star top-billed in this Paramount oater from 1951. Non- big budget movie was a surprise big hit in 1951. It also stars Rhonda Fleming, a woman it was could not photograph badly from any angle, and it shows in this movie, though her role isn't major. She plays the girl. She wasn't exactly known for her acting chops. The plot has the makings for a great Western, two brothers take different sides in the civil war. Reagan is a Confederate while Benett is a Union officer. Also involved is a certain benevolent look at the Indians - in the fifties, one can easily see the changing tone of Hollywood's outlook on the Indians; from snarly wordless caricatures to humane three dimensional characters, mainly highlighted by the James Stewart movie, Broken Arrow. Dances with wolves, this is not but it tries, as it has a white man as the Apache chief, an ex military officer who turned Injun after marrying an Indian. He was ousted from the army for this. Also, to be noted, Reagan and Bennett don't have anything really negative to say about the Indians. They are just interested in their war and just want to keep the Indians from getting involved. It is the supporting characters who are portrayed bug-eyed yellow in their thinking of the red man as the colloquial connotations go. But a notorious third act finale bruises all the good will the earlier sessions had earned. In this act, Bennett and Reagan, that is Confederate and Union team up to slaughter the Indians in a battle that was superceded by the white man. You can argue for this scene, in a pseudo " man must survive" argument that states that even if I'm on the wrong, I shouldn't just stand by the chop me to pieces. Man must defend himself. But staging of the battle is certainly cliched and flimsy as the Indians ride straight into a gauntlet set up by the allies. Right smack into it as they are shot of their horses. And do they change strategy? No. They keep running into the awaiting bullets. It should be noted that earlier, Bennett notes they are outnumbered 50-1. How original? Good entertainment especially the first two-thirds that focuses on Regan's derring-do.