Alicia I love this movie so much

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

dbdumonteil The screenplay is another variation of the "stagecoach " theme : a group of persons in jeopardy ,some of whom are enemies.At least in its second part:the first one,particularly the very first ,are confusing and the movie really takes off when ,in spite of an ominous warning,the travelers set off for territories where the Indians are a living threat.Sen Blakely is a politician we do not meet every day : his attempt at a truce with the Indians is the most moving moment in the movie -it recalls Uncle Matthews ' vain attempt to communicate (armed with a cross) with the Martians in " war of the worlds " (Byron Haskin, 1954)-;his sacrifice is not vain : John (Dale Robertson)does some soul-searching and makes a decision which is not so obvious:he will clear Hamilton/Carter's name whereas he could easily get away with it.Let's add that miss Darnell's sumptuous dress-in the middle of the desert!- helps .As for her French servant,Giselle,C'est Une Lâcheuse.

Tweekums This western gets of to a good start when two bank robbers connive to shoot the third in the back and take his share of the loot. Too bad for them they didn't check that he was dead because he will bump into them again in town. In many stories the conclusion would be when he faced down the two who tried to kill him; here that is just the beginning of his adventure. He is one of several people wanting to get to Laramie; it seems everybody wants to go there including a senator who is preaching the case for peace with the Indians, a woman called Amy Clarke who wants to catch up with the partner who robbed her and a travelling minstrel. The ticket seller tells them that the stage is full but when it finally arrives it is clear that there will be places available… those aboard are full of Cheyenne arrows! They don't get far before the coach loses a wheel and they have to take cover in a dry riverbed as the Cheyenne prepare to attack. When the attack comes not all of them will make it out alive.I was surprised just how much I enjoyed this less well known western, the opening scene got me interested and I was not bored from that moment till the end. I hadn't heard of any of the actors before but thought they all did a pretty good job, especially Dale Robertson who played the bank robber John Banner and Linda Darnell who played Amy Clarke; it isn't surprising that all the male characters took an interest in her; she was stunning in her scarlet dress. I feared that it would be an old fashioned 'white man good, Indian bad' film however by the end our anti-Indian hero had grown to respect them. The action was pretty tense and I was surprised at how much bright red blood we see; most of the westerns I've seen from this era show very little if any. If you enjoy westerns of this era I'd certainly recommend this one; it might not be a classic but it is still worth watching.

Spikeopath An assorted group of people are waiting in Christian Flats for the stage to take them to Laramie. Once the empty stage arrives it's evident that it has been the victim of a Cheyenne attack, but out of need and bravery, the hardy souls decide to risk the journey regardless...Very much a minor Western in the grand scheme of the 1950s offerings, Dakota Incident makes up for what it lacks in quality, by being an oddly structured film of intrigue. The actual "incident" of the film isn't until about the half way point, because prior to the inevitable Cheyenne attack, there is no shortage of character forming. In fact this might be the longest prologue in Western history! Basically crooked John Banner (Dale Robertson) is shot and apparently left for dead out in the hills by his two so called allies. Getting to the town he proceeds to annoy everyone with his oafishness and of course catch up with the two who wronged him. In amongst all this we are also following the interests of the few who will eventually make up the stage passengers. With sultry Amy Clarke (Linda Darnell), John Carter (John Lund), Regis Toomey's Minstrel and Senator Blakely (Ward Bond) being the main principals. All of whom have back stories as to why they are making this decidedly perilous trip.It's very good stuff for its first half, in fact I tip my hat off to the makers for really giving the characters some substance. Yes we may not like them really, but at least our attention is held and as they board the stage, we are intrigued as to how things will pan out for them. The second half tho is a mixed bag, the action sequences are poorly put together but are off set a touch by the nice locale work at Red Rock Canyon State Park. While using the "Trucolor" technique really adds a vivid look to the action. None more so than the sight of the vivacious and curvy Darnell, resplendent in bright red dress, firing away at the Cheyenne with her newly acquired rifle. Dale Robertson and John Lund are average at best, but again it's not hurting the film too much because Darnell, Bond and Toomey are holding their ends up. The ending is perhaps a bit twee for some tastes, but it does work and closes the picture on a competent note.Republic Pictures have done far better films than this, and this one is a tough picture to recommend to even the hardiest of Western fans. But it's got a beguiling factor, and an oddity that means it's definitely one to at least try to see if the chance should arise.A cautious 6/10 from me.

Clarence Abernathy A widely unknown strange little western with mindblowing colours (probably the same material as it was used in "Johnny Guitar", I guess "Trucolor" or something, which makes blood drips look like shining rubies), nearly surrealistic scenes with twisted action and characters. Something different, far from being a masterpiece, but there should be paid more attention to this little gem in western encyclopedias.