While this is another rip on Custer's stupidity at Little Big Horn it is very well done. Starting with the competition between an army scout and a cavalry captain for a widow woman. They go about it in a semi-civilized manner, only slugging it out once. Both go noble when it comes to the woman and each says he will bow out of the others way. During the fighting with the Indians the scout comes back to aid the captain and gets killed. So I guess the field is clear for the captain. Sent out as a diversion the captain's troop survives, with casualties of course but the glory hunting general (who pushed to get there a day early) and his entire command are wiped out. Coming across the slaughter field the troop sees the approaching column of troops that are arriving as scheduled, they form up and the film then ends. Does Tryon get the girl? Who is found culpable? Who gets hung out to dry?

whilst it is always a pleasure to see senta berger on screen the film takes too much time developing the love interest. however when it gets to the point of the relationship between duggan and tryon it improves tremendously there are 2 scenes which are superb. the passing in review with the forming of the parade order is a classic and the charge by tryon and his troop chasing the decoy indians is one of the great spectacles of any western movie. historically it is very accurate especially the quest for water although factually the descent was down a 300 ft bluff.despite this being another take on custers last stand it compares very well to some of the other offerings

I originally saw this movie back in 1965 when it first came out and I have always had fond memories of it . It is definitely not as substantial as Wild Bunch, Sam P's masterpiece western, but it is an intelligent movie that builds great characters who make up the film.Tom Tryon is good as the maverick Captain who worries more about the lives and survival of his men then the prime directive of the General, played in his great evil fashion by Andrew Duggan. Harve Presnell,as Sol the scout makes a good foil for Tryon as they compete for the love interest,the widow Woodward, played by Senta Berger The standout characters to me are Slim Pickens as the long-suffering sergeant who must mold the misfits into a fighting troop, and a very young, brash James Caan as Dugan, the Irish ne'er do well, who becomes a soldier after all.Because of the time period the Indians are pretty one dimensional and uniform, unlike later movie representations like Little Big Man, but they do pull off clever fighting tactics and the hand to hand combat is fierce for its day.Like later war movies, the enemy is often the high brass or the law, just as much as the opposing forces.I could only find this movie in VHS, so I recorded it on my DVD recorder so I could keep it for posterity.

I cringed when the opening credits started and some horrible song invaded my ear drums, but then things got better and I was pleasantly surprised while watching this film in its widescreen version. The acting was very good, the Calvary life on a dusty western post was well depicted, and the direction, albeit cheesy in some of chivalry scenes between the two leading men and typical bar fights of the genre, was pretty good considering the simple and predictable plot line.I think James Caan's part of Pvt. Anthony Dugan was well acted and gives us a hint to his impending stardom. Beautiful Senta Berger was just okay in her part of Lou Woddard but there wasn't much for her to do except officiate the battle between Tom Tryon and Harve Presnell for her hand. The other parts weren't that special either but what made the film play out well in my eyes was the appearance of authenticity of a western Calvary company. From the initial gathering of a bunch of green troops through their training and drilling, and complaining, to the final well oiled product that had at least a fighting chance of survival in a big campaign against the Indians.I would recommend this film for those who like westerns and give it 6.5 stars out of 10.