This movie is a real mixed bag. In some ways, it's quite intelligent and moving but in other ways the film really misses the mark and could have used a re-write.
First, I admire that the film deals with the senseless slaughter of millions of buffalo in the 19th century. This was such a waste and was a topic worthy of making a film about--but the filmmakers also gave a very mixed message. While the impact on the Indians (mass starvation) and waste of life was portrayed, the prologue also said that the massacre was the result of Whites AND Indians!! This is ridiculous, as the Indians killed buffalo as needed and their impact on the buffalo population was limited--playing moral equivalence was ludicrous! I am certainly no politically correct zombie, but this assertion was stupid. Additionally, many of the buffalo that were killed in the film really were being killed! As a Department of the Interior management decision to thin the remaining herds, this thinning was filmed and the animals that died in the film really did die--something that may make PETA-types cringe or become sick--so be forewarned!! Second, I liked the counter-point of having a man who is sick of the slaughter (Stewart Granger) and the blood-lust of of his partner (Robert Taylor). However, while this juxtaposition is interesting and brought the point home well, it didn't make sense when you think about it. After all, if Granger had enough of the killing, then why did he spend so much time in the film killing?! Plus, Robert Taylor's character was so over-the-top and ludicrously unbelievable that the whole partnership seemed impossible and dumb.
Now there were also several things I did like about the movie. First, I was surprised how effective Stewart Granger was as a Buffalo Bill-type man. He had no trace of his native British accent and was amazingly good. Second, the very end of the film was handled deftly--how the final showdown went down was really great. Third, it was nice to once see that a typical Western cliché is absent. In this film, there is no "hooker with a heart of gold"! Instead, she's kind of ugly and mean and is purely in it for the money! Fourth, When Granger is involved in a bar fight, the song "Yellow Rose of Texas" plays during this battle and is very, very similar to the final climax in GIANT--and I think this was intentional, as both films came out in 1956.
So overall, this is a mixed bag--full of great ideas but poorly executed as well. As a result, it's interesting but quite skip-able.
First, I admire that the film deals with the senseless slaughter of millions of buffalo in the 19th century. This was such a waste and was a topic worthy of making a film about--but the filmmakers also gave a very mixed message. While the impact on the Indians (mass starvation) and waste of life was portrayed, the prologue also said that the massacre was the result of Whites AND Indians!! This is ridiculous, as the Indians killed buffalo as needed and their impact on the buffalo population was limited--playing moral equivalence was ludicrous! I am certainly no politically correct zombie, but this assertion was stupid. Additionally, many of the buffalo that were killed in the film really were being killed! As a Department of the Interior management decision to thin the remaining herds, this thinning was filmed and the animals that died in the film really did die--something that may make PETA-types cringe or become sick--so be forewarned!! Second, I liked the counter-point of having a man who is sick of the slaughter (Stewart Granger) and the blood-lust of of his partner (Robert Taylor). However, while this juxtaposition is interesting and brought the point home well, it didn't make sense when you think about it. After all, if Granger had enough of the killing, then why did he spend so much time in the film killing?! Plus, Robert Taylor's character was so over-the-top and ludicrously unbelievable that the whole partnership seemed impossible and dumb.
Now there were also several things I did like about the movie. First, I was surprised how effective Stewart Granger was as a Buffalo Bill-type man. He had no trace of his native British accent and was amazingly good. Second, the very end of the film was handled deftly--how the final showdown went down was really great. Third, it was nice to once see that a typical Western cliché is absent. In this film, there is no "hooker with a heart of gold"! Instead, she's kind of ugly and mean and is purely in it for the money! Fourth, When Granger is involved in a bar fight, the song "Yellow Rose of Texas" plays during this battle and is very, very similar to the final climax in GIANT--and I think this was intentional, as both films came out in 1956.
So overall, this is a mixed bag--full of great ideas but poorly executed as well. As a result, it's interesting but quite skip-able.