WARPATH (1951, starring Edmond O’Brien)

Here is a tough, little-known Western starring a rather unlikely hero, Edmond O’Brien, as a man bent on tracking down the two remaining men who were responsible for shooting his fiancée.

Obsession, in the true tradition of the revenge genre, leads O’Brien to the extreme measure of joining the Seventh Cavalry in pursuit of the two men. He knows at least one of them has enlisted under an assumed name and he is determined to find the man’s identity.

Fictitious though this event may be, it weaves well into a storyline which embraces the command of Custer and his demise at Little Big Horn. The scenes at the Seventh’s headquarters, Fort Abraham Lincoln, are quite convincing, with the sets presenting what looks like an historically accurate rendering of the fort.

There is a lot of good action to propel the storyline along and some of the encounters are quite bloody by fifties’ standards, with a fair amount of blood evident (and in colour!). O’Brien is a bit beefy to be convincing as a romantic lead, but his tendency towards flamboyant acting on occasion is toned down here and focused so that he is quite believable as the revenge-seeking John Vickers.

A good supporting cast including Dean Jagger, Forrest Tucker and a sweet, fresh-faced 20-year-old Polly Bergen help keep the viewer’s interest. While not the greatest Western ever made, it is a solid entry in the genre and should satisfy most Western fans.

This film is exclusively available from Belle&Blade Video, which will surprise you with the diversity of titles found in their catalogue, which specializes in war, action and military films. Many of their films are video exclusives and while the sources may tend to vary in quality, Steve Mormando, the head honcho at Belle&Blade, will always advise you of the dub quality beforehand. All you have to do is ask. www.belleandblade.com

Jon Ted Wynne