Captain Mark Bradford (Cornel Wilde), offers 43 Confederate prisoners the chance to be paroled on a full pardon if they agree to be recruited into the Union army. Arthur Hunnicutt (Sgt. Pickens) defends his commander (Joseph Cotton) and admonishes the captain, "the colonel don't need no reminders of his duties, he's brought us through more tight squeezes...." Cotton cuts him off as Captain Bradford is doing well as the affable liaison officer. Linda Darnell (Elena Kenniston) plays it true to form as the Spanish widow of the Major's brother who is waiting at the fort to receive an armed patrol to escort her back to her Monterey home. Jeff Chandler (Maj. Henry Kenniston) is open in his hostility toward the rebel forces but disguises his desire for the stunning Darnell. Joseph Cotton gives a command performance of his role with sly ambiguity and an equivocating irony. Cotton, Darnell, Wilde and the great direction of Robert Wise make this film one of the great classics. Of course it wouldn't be possible without a wonderful supporting cast of Dale Robertson (Lem), Jay C. Flippen (Sgt. Terrance Duey), Noah Beery (Cy Davis), Harry von Zell (Ephraim Strong), John Sands (Lt. Adams).
Review of Two Flags West
