The films of Levy-Gardner-Laven aren't particularly well remembered now and weren't that highly regarded in their day but there were a bunch of them including this one. It's a Western very much in John Ford mode - it's about a cavalry troop at a fort, with a dogged captain, some glory hunters and incompetents, boozy Irish sergeant,
Instead of John Wayne there's Tom Tryon, who is handsome and all that but is simply too wooden; instead of Victor McLaglen as the Irish sergeant there's James Caan, of all people, who should've played the Tryon role; instead of Henry Fonda or Richard Widmark as the scout there's Harve Presnell. They throw in a brawl.
The cast also includes Stefanie Powers (fought over by Tryon and Presnell), Michael Anderson Jr, Wayne Rogers. Good on Laven for giving young actors a go.
The script was written by Sam Peckinpah who had worked with Laven in television. Laven directed, and tries to channel Ford - rituals, farewells at the fort, long shots of men on horseback. Some of the colour photography is pleasing. It's a decent story - a version of the Custer story with Tryon playing a version of Reno/Benteen.
But it's done in by a cast who all feel wrong. Presnell in particular looks out of place but Tryon runs a close second.
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