A very B Grade Western
Amazing that this was made the same year as "High Noon" but is a world away in the quality of the film making. I realized after a while you could have substituted Roy Rogers into the Gary Cooper part the action was so reminiscent of Roger's movies!
The fist fights were terrible, you punch, then I punch, then you punch - well, you get the idea...
Dramatic moments were thrown away - McCool tells Kearney to pick out a horse - in the corral is a wildly bucking jet black beauty and, of course, Kearney says "I'll take the black one" and picks up his saddle and bridle. CUT. Kearney, McCool and henchman are seen riding side by side, Kearney on the black horse. Uh, was there supposed to be a dramatic horse breaking moment to show how tough Kearney was? If it was it never made it past the cutting room.
Kearney's wife apparently had no problem coming from Virginia through a war zone, we are told the journey takes around a week, pretty porous lines they had back then...
Gary Cooper did his best but the script was pedestrian and needed no emoting from him even at gunpoint, I kept expecting Dale Evans to ask Coop to give her a song...
Come on lads, bags of swank!