In "Two Rode Together" John Ford returns to the theme he had earlier dealt with in "The Searchers", that of white people raised or held captive by the Indians. (In "The Unforgiven" from the previous year, Ford's rival John Huston had dealt with the opposite theme, that of an Indian girl- strangely played by a miscast Audrey Hepburn- raised as white by her adoptive family). The "two" of the film's title are Marshal Guthrie McCabe and his friend Lieutenant Jim Gary who are tasked by Gary's superior, Major Fraser, with the job of ransoming any white captives being held by the Comanche. Because Fraser is coming under pressure from relatives of the captives the two are authorised to use any means to achieve this end, including offering modern rifles to the Comanche in exchange, even though it is normally taken for granted in Westerns that the greatest reason any white man can commit is to sell weapons to the Indians.Ford's normal favourite actor John Wayne does not appear in this film; the leading roles are taken by James Stewart and Richard Widmark. In the early part of his career, Stewart was not an actor particularly associated with Westerns ("Destry Rides Again" being an exception) but in the fifties he got a taste for the genre and made a number of fine ones with director Anthony Mann. He fell out with Mann after the latter withdrew from "Night Passage", but this did not affect his love for the Western and he found a new collaborator in Ford. They did not, it would appear, get on particularly well on the set of "Two Rode Together", but nevertheless went on to make three move films together, including "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "Cheyenne Autumn".One weakness that occasionally crept into Ford's movies was a tendency to introduce some inappropriate humour into an otherwise serious film. That was even true of films as good as "The Searchers" and "Cheyenne Autumn", and it is certainly true here. The film is based around some serious themes such as ethnic identity, racism and the relationship between Native Americans and white settlers. It purports to examine the bigotry shown by many whites towards both the Indians themselves and any whites felt to be "tainted" by association with them. (Those captives whom McCabe and Gary eventually rescue are not made welcome by their own people). It includes some violent incidents such as a woman being stabbed to death and a teenage boy being lynched by a mob. Yet the tone is at times curiously light-hearted, especially in its depiction of the relationship between McCabe and Gary.The main culprit is Stewart, who had done some great work with Mann but here seems far too laid-back. McCabe is far from being a spotless hero; when we first meet him he is acting as the business partner of a "saloon owner", which here is a polite euphemism for "brothel keeper", and living off a percentage of her immoral earnings. His motives for accepting Fraser's commission are mostly mercenary ones. Now in his collaborations with Mann Stewart (who in the earlier part of his career had generally played clean-cut "Mr Nice Guy" characters) created some memorably flawed heroes, such as Howard Kemp in "The Naked Spur", but seems unable to do the same here. Ford was not particularly satisfied with "Two Rode Together"; he believed that he had treated the same theme far better in "The Searchers". (He was dead right there). This is not perhaps the worst Ford film; that must be that horribly overrated sentimental piece of Irish blarney, "The Quiet Man". It is, however, the worst Ford Western I have seen, and probably the worst Stewart Western as well. 5/10

No wonder director Ford considered the movie "crap". That may be a little too strong, but the results are definitely sub-par for the legendary filmmaker. If The Searchers (1956) dealt with whites kidnapped by Indians, the plot here is a reversal: Whites raised as Comanches are ransomed back into the white world, and in the process of reintegration, settler bigotry is exposed. That's a good thoughtful premise but the screenplay can't seem to provide a focus on anything. As a result, the story meanders from event to event in generally unfocused fashion. For whatever reason, writer Nugent can't seem to organize the elements into a coherent, effective narrative.Then there's the miscasting, especially Widmark as a 45-year old West Point lieutenant, who's supposed to romance a 26-year old Shirley Jones, who looks and acts like she just stepped out of a malt shop. And shouldn't forget poor 55-year old Andy Devine, a very un-cavalrylike cavalry sergeant. Somehow, his grossly over-weight figure is just not that funny. On the other hand, Stewart's not miscast, but this may be the only movie where his usual low-key style gives way to some serious over-acting, which unfortunately overshadows his low-key co-star Widmark. His character is, however, surprisingly dark and combative, an interesting feature.At the same time, for a western, there's little action, mostly just palaver and clumsy stabs at humor. However, the lynching scene is well staged and a real grabber. Anyway, it's pretty clear that director Ford's heart wasn't really in the production for whatever reason. Unfortunately, the end result is one of the least of his many fine Westerns.

It carries the mark of Ford. Two young men are competing for the same girl. There is a rambunctious fight in which someone has to knock the wooden chip from his opponent's shoulder. Somebody gets drunk There's a pretty girl in jeans and plaid shirt who emerges as a butterfly at the officer's dance. Two men make a long journey to visit a Comanche camp and bring back white captives.The cast features names like Carey, Carey Jr., Roberson, Hayward, Whitehead, Curtis, Lee, Devine, Bouchey, Brandon, Qualen, Pennick, and Strode. It not only suggests John Ford but it suggests "The Searchers" in particular.It's not "The Searchers" though; it's "Two Rode Together" with James Stewart and Richard Widmark in the leads and Shirley Jones and Linda Crystal as their ladies fair.The first half hour or so is entirely successful as a comic Western. Stewart is a cheerfully corrupt marshal in Tascosa, Texas, and Widmark is a captain in the US Cavalry. The film really depends on Stewart's portrayal of an utter scoundrel and he delivers. He flatly turns down the Army's request to visit the Comanche camp for humane reasons but on his way to the door, the major asks if money would make any difference. Stewart turns thoughtfully around. "Waall, ye -- yes. Yeah, money would make a difference." One of the best scenes has Stewart and Widmark sitting on a log next to a wide and shallow stream. Ford had the camerman and crew set up in icy waters up to their knees to get this long and unvarying shot of the two having a casually hilarious conversation.There are amusing moments later in the film as well, as Stewart tries to suggest ways that Linda Crystal can stop looking like an Indian and get all gussied up for the dance that night. Lamentably, Stewart knows nothing about women's fashions. "Why don't you -- you -- try -- wait a minute." And he takes Crystal's two long thick pigtails and twists them this way and that around her face and head while she stares up at him pitifully.When Ford gets serious, the movie falls apart, a pale shadow of "The Searchers." Confronted by a bare-chested Woody Strode -- a Comanche! -- who has come to reclaim his wife, knife in hand, Stewart whips out a pistol and shoots him to death where he stands. Linda Crystal is at least a docile recaptured captive. The other one they bring back -- a seventeen-year-old boy -- is not only ugly but must be listed among the world's worst actors. Not that he has much to do but kick and scream, but then many of the actors is small parts overact.When it's funny, it's funny. And when it's sad, it's REALLY sad.

Two Rode Together (1961) *** (out of 4) Surprisingly pleasant Western about a Marshall (James Stewart) and military officer (Richard Widmark) who are sent by the government to Comanche territory where they want the Marshall to try and get back several white people who were kidnapped years earlier. While Widmark has good plans in his heart, Stewart on the other hand is simply in it for the cash. Many reviews have called this Ford film a "been there, done there" type of thing, which I'd somewhat agree with since this does contain elements of THE SEARCHERS. That's about all I'd agree with because I found the story to be quite poignant and the performances excellent. Those wanting 100% action are probably going to be disappointed because there's very little of that and instead we're treated to a very good story that will make you think. THE SEARCHERS dealt with some of the issues that might happen when young female kids are kidnapped by Indians but this film takes it up a few notches as Stewart, in a rather mean fashion, informs people that their 9-year-old daughters who went missing years ago are now used up women who probably have many half-breeds. The racial tensions are very high in the film as many of the white folks can't come to terms with this and this is just part of the film that tries to make you think. When one of the kidnapped victims are brought back, the white people's prejudices are much greater than the race they look down upon and Ford is very clever in how he gets his message across without being preachy. Stewart and Widmark are terrific together and their energy certainly helps keep things moving. The Stewart character is an interesting one because the first portion of the film we see that lovable Stewart as he tells funny stories, makes light of everything and is just an all around likable guy. The second half is when that darker character comes out and this is where Stewart really shines. The way he uses that brutal honesty to really put hopeful people in their place was very effective and the actor does a marvelous job with it. Widmark gets the lesser of the two characters but that stern and straight-forward nature of his comes through very effectively. Shirley Jones is quite good in the role of a woman searching for her brother and we get the one and only Andy Devine for some great comic relief. The banter between he and Stewart early on is priceless. The cast also includes Linda Cristal, John McIntire, Harry Carey, Jr. and Mae Marsh in a brief part. TWO RODE TOGETHER has a few dry moments that bog the film down but on the whole it's a pretty impressive feature that has been overlooked probably because it's not as grand as some of the director's other works.