weezeralfalfa
This is essentially the story of 3 men: Captain George(Lloyd Bridges), Chief Little Wolf(Vince Edwards), and Tate(Roy Calhoun). Captain George, a cavalry officer with seemingly only a handful of men to command, charged with keeping the peace in this frontier area, actually foments trouble by ordering the killing of Cheyenne Chief Yellow Wolf when he came to town asking for essential supplies to survive the coming winter. The chief didn't understand that Cpt. George had no authority to issue such supplies, since they were not on a reservation. Yellow Wolf had favored peaceful coexistence with the white settlers, whereas his son, Little Wolf, who succeeded him, talked of stealing the needed supplies from the army depot, and against going to the reservation in Oklahoma, which Cpt. George had received orders to facilitate. An additional reason for wanting the Cheyenne gone was that Yellow Wolf had brought a sample of gold-bearing rock from near the Cheyenne camp to show to Cpt. George, hoping to use it as a bargaining chip. Opposing the goals of both Cpt. George(and the army) and Little Wolf was ex-Indian fighter, Sheriff Tate. He wants peace and the status quo returned. But, the town's people interpret his stance as pro-Cheyenne. Many of them, including Tate. have lost loved ones to Indian murder, hence are not willing to tolerate Tate's position. Also, they know his girlfriend is the sister of Little Wolf, which they believe colors his stance. Thus, a town council recommends that they find a new sheriff. Even the death of his adopted son at the hands of the Cheyenne doesn't dissuade him from the relatively pro Cheyenne stance. At this point, Cpt. George wants both Tate and Little Wolf dead. Tate feels he must kill Little Wolf to prevent an attack on the town. Yet, when he has a chance to shoot him, he cannot. Pretty Willow(Joanne Gilbert)arranges for Tate to meet Little Wolf, out between the town and village. Somehow, Cpt. George receives this information, so plots to kill the two together, if they haven't already killed each other. Tate and Little Wolf knife fight each other, eventually falling into a lake. At this point, Cpt. George arrives, and shoots into the water, apparently killing Tate, while Little Wolf comes to shore. I will stop here, and let you find out the conclusion by seeing the film.Tate, if he lives, has the choice of 2 beautiful women, who are in love with him. One is European: Amy(Gloria Grahame), his landlady, who is very anti-Cheyenne, since they killed her husband and she sees them as greatly inferior culturally. The other is Pretty Willow, whom he favors. I think this union symbolizes a take-home message that interracial marriages should be considered OK, even if they often impose extra burdens and incompatibilities on the couple. However, personally, I think I would have chosen Amy, Tate's age mate, who easily expressed her emotions. In contrast, the much younger Pretty Willow seldom expressed her emotions by her face or words. Even the death of her father, brother, and apparently Tate didn't excite any crying, wailing, etc.. She just clamed up.I found several historical curiosities that relate to this film. The white town was given the fictional name of Sand Creek. Well, the infamous massacre of Cheyenne(mostly women and children) camped at Sand Creek, Colorado, created a stir among bipartisan whites, in it's day. Little Wolf was the name of a northern Cheyenne chief, who famously led a group of Cheyenne from the Oklahoma reservation to Montana, despite harassment by the army(see "Cheyenne Autumn") However, Yellow Wolf was the name of a Comanche, not Cheyenne, chief.See it at You Tube.
bkoganbing
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.
doug-balch
You might be tempted to watch this movie when you see that Gloria Graham is the female lead and that Lloyd Bridges costars. Don't make that mistake.This thing looks like a high school play. It's a "civil rights" Western, where the Indians are a metaphor for blacks in the South.OK message, but there is no art to this movie. Graham's part is nothing. Bridges has just a little more to work with, playing a sleazy, cowardly cavalry captain.This is a good opportunity though to categorize three types of Westerns:The "Cold War" Western, where the cowboys represent freedom and individuality, while the Indians are a foreign menace trying to take their freedom away. All that stands between freedom and destruction is the bravery of the U.S. cavalry.The "Civil Rights" Western, where the whites are the bad guys oppressing a racial minority.The "Vietnam" western, where the oppression of the Indians becomes a much wider metaphor for global Western imperialism and colonization.
William Giesin
Lloyd Bridges shines as a cowardly calvary captain while actor, Vince Edwards, looks terribly miscast as an Indian in this Bryna Film Production. Bryna Productions was the company that was formed by actor, Kirk Douglas, that produced such films as "Spartacus", "Last Train From Gun Hill", "Paths of Glory", etc. I suspect this film was shot around the time that "Last Train From Gun Hill" was shot as some of the scenery where Rory Calhoun (Tate) has a confrontation with Vince Edwards (Chief Little Wolf) appears to be the same area where Earl Holliman rapes and kills Kirk Douglas wife in "Last Train From Gun Hill". What "Last Train From Gun Hill" has that this film doesn't have is a good script, a solid plot and beautiful Technicolor. "Ride Out For Revenge" is an interesting and entertaining film in so far as it points out the many wrongs that the "white man" has inflicted on the Indians as well as the hatred that has been sowed over the years through the losses of life from both sides. The plot puts Tate (Rory Calhoun) who loves an Indian princess (Joanne Gilbert) in the middle of an Indian vs "white man" confrontation. Now add the fact, that gold is found on the Indians land. Throw in a cowardly captain (Bridges) who hates Indians but would love to have their land and their gold. Sprinkle a widow (Gloria Graham) and a child (Michael Winkleman) that have both lost spouse and father by Indian massacre. Add a touch of vengeful Indian (Vince Edwards) whose father has been murdered by the town's people .... and you have all the ingredients for what is to come. The film, in my opinion, is at best a mediocre western with a very important but "preachy" message. What I found most interesting and important was the morale of the film which can be found is some of the final dialog of the film. Pretty Willow (Joanne Gilbert) says "If everything changes ... what will happen when someone comes to take the land from the "white man" and Tate (Rory Calhoun) responds "I don't know I never gave it much thought."
