Only the Valiant

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source: Only the Valiant

Only the Valiant

One of the drawbacks of signing a studio contract in Hollywood's heyday was that even top stars were obligated to perform in vehicles they knew were second rate. After he'd starred in two excellent and mature Westerns like "Yellow Sky" and "The Gunfighter," 20th Century Fox put Gregory Peck into this cliche-ridden, badly mounted, and poorly directed cavalry picture. Although Peck had a good supporting cast, they were unable to make anything memorable or even sensible out of a miserable, ineptly plotted script. Virtually every scene is riddled with logical inconsistencies, and the characters spend so much time sniping and snarling at each other that one can't help but root for the Apaches, who were introduced here yet again as the movie industry's all-purpose Injun villains. As a genuine Peck fan, I prefer to forget this particular outing.

This is a decent film though there's really nothing about it that makes it especially memorable. I think this is made worse by the fact that the film stars Gregory Peck and he went on to make MANY better westerns. This one just seems pretty pedestrian. The movie is a combination of a B-style western about the cavalry and THE DIRTY DOZEN, as Peck is in charge of a small detail of misfit soldiers who are trying to stem off a major Indian attack. The problem is that despite SOME similarities to THE DIRTY DOZEN, the writing just isn't that good at times and the reasoning why Peck took this group of degenerates on the mission seems really stupid--I mean putting the safety of everyone back home in the hands of people who only cared about saving their sorry butts. In reality, such a group would have either deserted or shot their C.O. and then deserted.

I saw this film twice, both by accident. It is one of those movies that only gets shown at 3:00 am because it is so intense. After seeing this you can understand why John Huston picked Gregory Peck to play Captain Ahab in his version of "Moby Dick". This is a character you can only hate until he redeems himself. The Indians are a serious force of nature whose periodic attacks you fear because the aftermath of each one is so bloody you cringe instinctively which is why I am glad the movie is in Black and White. Gordon Douglas, who also directed one of the greatest monster movies of all time, "THEM", really understands the art of building tension and the pain of violence. Lon Chaney Jr's character goes through some of the same sadistically disturbing drama that Gene Hackman went through when his character was shot in "Bonnie and Clyde". A real nail-biter.

Only the Valiant isn't a great movie, but it is a good one. It is sluggishly paced however, with some parts that feel drawn out, and there were times when the direction was lacking. That said, Only the Valiant is very well shot, the black and white cinematography looks good, and the scenery is authentic. Also good is the score, which is suitably rousing, the script is decently structured and the story is interesting while taking inspiration from Fort Apache and Red River. The acting ranges from decent to very good; I am not a huge Gregory Peck fan(I sometimes find him dull) but he does a good job as the ruthless and tight-lipped martinet officer, and Barbara Payton is luminous and pretty as Cathy. Ward Bond, Gig Young and Jeff Corey are much more impressive though. Overall, not perfect, but worth the look. 7/10 Bethany Cox