"Hang'em High" director Ted Post's made-for-TV cavalry versus the Indians western "The Bravos" qualifies as a traditional but formulaic horse opera. This predictable outdoors epic benefits from its sturdy cast, particularly L.Q. Jones, Pernell Roberts, John Kellogg, and Bo Svenson, as well as "Journey to Shiloh" cinematographer Enzo A. Martinelli's crisp location lensing around Sedona, Arizona which substitutes splendidly for New Mexico. You won't see anything here that you haven't seen before in a good John Ford cavalry yarn, indeed one of the subplots in "Cimarron Strip" scribe Christopher Knopf's screenplay appears to be a slight reworking of Ford's John Wayne oater "Rio Grande."
Handsome George Peppard, with graying temples, plays the grim fort commandant who serves as the only law and protection for 500 miles. He has his gauntlets full of trouble. He has only seventy-seven troops under his command and they are holed up in a fort with decaying walls, a shortage of ammunition, with thousands of Indians concealed behind a number of mountain ridges that lie without view of their walls. No, Major John David Harkness isn't pleased about this predicament and things predictably grow worse for him as this 97-minute dust-raiser unfolds. The big problem here is not with the lack of action, but with the lack of drama. Our stalwart cavalry commander has to deal with a bloodthirsty Kiowa warrior chieftain, an obnoxious wagon train leader who enjoys shooting Indians in the back, and his rebellious son who has been expelled from a New England boarding school and hates his guts because he doesn't think that he loves him. Meanwhile, Harkness has to contend with his own ill-disciplined troops and fellow officers who have problems following his orders. About the only thing mercifully missing from his sagebrusher is a love interest for Peppard.
The action opens at sunrise with a troop of blue-coated U.S. Cavalry riding into mountainous country to search for Indians. They find a Navajo village, but only an old dying squaw and her dog are around when the cavalry rides in for an inspection. They do find an army coat with a lance thrust through it in a sand painting. Major Harkness wants to know more about these deserted villages, and he persuades his chief scout Ben Lawler (L.Q. Jones of "The Wild Bunch") with a bit of arm-twisting to reconnoiter out the country and learn what has happened to the Navajos. Initially, Lawler had no intention of scouting. He plans to head out to greener pastures, but Harkness confiscates Lawler's army mount to keep the seasoned scout from leaving the fort. Harkness also forbids the camp supply clerk to sell him provisions. Reluctantly, Lawler gives in to Harkness' request and leaves the fort on expedition duty.
Meanwhile, a band of young Kiowa braves attack a wagon train of immigrants under the supervision of Jackson Buckley (Pernell Roberts of TV's "Bonanza") who is determined to see his settlers reach their destination. Buckley negotiates a deal with the braves who only want a horse in exchange for leaving the wagon train alone. The settlers give them a horse. When the braves take the horse, the treacherous Buckley picks them off from behind with his rifle. One of the members of the wagon train is a suspicious, unshaven German, Raeder (Bo Svenson of "North Dallas 40"), who is good with a knife and keeps to himself. He has a shady past that plays a part in the story. The two settlers who get their share of screen time are twenty-somethings, Heller Chase (Belinda Montgomery of "Miami Vice") and Garratt (Barry Brown of "Piranha") who have left St. Louis to make a new life for themselves. Heller decides leave the wagon train and strike out on her own to find the fort. She runs into Raeder but he sends her back to the train. Raeder collapses before he reaches the fort, but Harkness spots him from the stockade wall. Harkness and his men ride out and escort Buckley's wagon train back to the fort.
Harkness provides them with supplies and manpower to mend their wagons, but he orders Buckley to take them back to St. Louis. Buckley refuses. Lawler finds Heller passed out on the prairie with ice on her eyes and brings her to fort. No sooner has the cavalry gotten the wagon train of pioneers inside the fort than Santanta (Joaquin Martinez of "Joe Kidd") arrives with a small army of Kiowas. Lawler informs Harkness that Santanta is out to recruit the Navajos and if he manages to pick up the 2000 Navajos in the mountains, Harkness and company won't stand a chance against their superior numbers. Eventually, Harkness' son Peter (Vincent Van Patten) arrives at the fort and nothing that Harkness tries wins him any sympathy from his son. Santanta's braves attack the fort. During the attack, the Indians sneak into the fort and abduct Peter and take him to a high peak where they hold him as hostage. Santanta vows to kill Peter if Harkness doesn't surrender Buckley to him.
"The Bravos" boasts first-rate production values. There are no surprises in this familiar clash of wills both inside and outside of the fort.
Handsome George Peppard, with graying temples, plays the grim fort commandant who serves as the only law and protection for 500 miles. He has his gauntlets full of trouble. He has only seventy-seven troops under his command and they are holed up in a fort with decaying walls, a shortage of ammunition, with thousands of Indians concealed behind a number of mountain ridges that lie without view of their walls. No, Major John David Harkness isn't pleased about this predicament and things predictably grow worse for him as this 97-minute dust-raiser unfolds. The big problem here is not with the lack of action, but with the lack of drama. Our stalwart cavalry commander has to deal with a bloodthirsty Kiowa warrior chieftain, an obnoxious wagon train leader who enjoys shooting Indians in the back, and his rebellious son who has been expelled from a New England boarding school and hates his guts because he doesn't think that he loves him. Meanwhile, Harkness has to contend with his own ill-disciplined troops and fellow officers who have problems following his orders. About the only thing mercifully missing from his sagebrusher is a love interest for Peppard.
The action opens at sunrise with a troop of blue-coated U.S. Cavalry riding into mountainous country to search for Indians. They find a Navajo village, but only an old dying squaw and her dog are around when the cavalry rides in for an inspection. They do find an army coat with a lance thrust through it in a sand painting. Major Harkness wants to know more about these deserted villages, and he persuades his chief scout Ben Lawler (L.Q. Jones of "The Wild Bunch") with a bit of arm-twisting to reconnoiter out the country and learn what has happened to the Navajos. Initially, Lawler had no intention of scouting. He plans to head out to greener pastures, but Harkness confiscates Lawler's army mount to keep the seasoned scout from leaving the fort. Harkness also forbids the camp supply clerk to sell him provisions. Reluctantly, Lawler gives in to Harkness' request and leaves the fort on expedition duty.
Meanwhile, a band of young Kiowa braves attack a wagon train of immigrants under the supervision of Jackson Buckley (Pernell Roberts of TV's "Bonanza") who is determined to see his settlers reach their destination. Buckley negotiates a deal with the braves who only want a horse in exchange for leaving the wagon train alone. The settlers give them a horse. When the braves take the horse, the treacherous Buckley picks them off from behind with his rifle. One of the members of the wagon train is a suspicious, unshaven German, Raeder (Bo Svenson of "North Dallas 40"), who is good with a knife and keeps to himself. He has a shady past that plays a part in the story. The two settlers who get their share of screen time are twenty-somethings, Heller Chase (Belinda Montgomery of "Miami Vice") and Garratt (Barry Brown of "Piranha") who have left St. Louis to make a new life for themselves. Heller decides leave the wagon train and strike out on her own to find the fort. She runs into Raeder but he sends her back to the train. Raeder collapses before he reaches the fort, but Harkness spots him from the stockade wall. Harkness and his men ride out and escort Buckley's wagon train back to the fort.
Harkness provides them with supplies and manpower to mend their wagons, but he orders Buckley to take them back to St. Louis. Buckley refuses. Lawler finds Heller passed out on the prairie with ice on her eyes and brings her to fort. No sooner has the cavalry gotten the wagon train of pioneers inside the fort than Santanta (Joaquin Martinez of "Joe Kidd") arrives with a small army of Kiowas. Lawler informs Harkness that Santanta is out to recruit the Navajos and if he manages to pick up the 2000 Navajos in the mountains, Harkness and company won't stand a chance against their superior numbers. Eventually, Harkness' son Peter (Vincent Van Patten) arrives at the fort and nothing that Harkness tries wins him any sympathy from his son. Santanta's braves attack the fort. During the attack, the Indians sneak into the fort and abduct Peter and take him to a high peak where they hold him as hostage. Santanta vows to kill Peter if Harkness doesn't surrender Buckley to him.
"The Bravos" boasts first-rate production values. There are no surprises in this familiar clash of wills both inside and outside of the fort.