Arrow in the Dust

Sterling Hayden stars in this fast moving western about an army deserter who takes the place of his dying cousin and leads a wagon train out of danger from Indian attack. We never get the back story here, why Hayden deserted, we're told he's not a person of good character, but what we see of him he's pretty noble. Certainly he provides the leadership that does the job even if civilian scout Tom Tully knows who the real army major is and it's definitely not Hayden.

But there's more than one person on the wagon train who is not whom he seems to be. Rich merchant Tudor Owen is carrying both rifles and whiskey and the Indians want them real bad, they don't even want to wait to pay for them. Seems to me they should have just waited and paid Owen's price.

That however would have gotten in the way of the action and veteran western director Lesley Selander was known for action. The battle scenes are well staged.

It's a good B western could have been better with a little more attention to the story.

The use of stock footage and uninspired acting and direction make this a very slow, routine western effort. Despite the cast (Hayden, Larson) this one is just too predictable to suffer through. And yet, in spite of it's failings, it often appears on TV while better efforts rot in a can somewhere. Go figure.

A Fine Actor, Sterling Hayden, seems to be Broken by the Blacklist, and is at His Worst in this almost Incompetent Western. The other Cast Members are not that good either.

The Indians, with Blankets not Covering Up the Fact that They didn't use Saddles, are only On Screen for the Killing, and are Never Shown in Close-Up, making Them Disposable and Less than Human. "You know what Indians do to Women and Children.", is a Line in the Awful Screenplay.

The Battles are Frantic and Bullet Ridden with a few Arrows Flying and couple Landing in the Dust to Justify the Title. Overall, a rushed and Routine, Low-Budget 50's Western (as if We needed more of those in the Decade).

This will be an Embarrassment to Sterling Hayden Fans and despite the occasional good shot of Colorful Scenery, it is easily Forgettable.

With the Indians about to attack a wagon train, deserter Bart Laish is torn between warning the cavalry or remaining on the run with many lives on his conscience - but then a daring though much more dangerous course occurs to him.

An efficiently made B-western finds Sterling Hayden looking broody and acting angsty and suitably conflicted over running for the hills or warning the wagon train of impending attack. It has a redemptive type of storyline and it's done well with plenty of skirmishes, well-staged action and exciting moments in the backdrop of great location. Of course, there's stock footage, a dummy thrown over the cliff and the formula is working like clockwork, however that's minor criticisms. Personally, I have always enjoyed this good b-western, which delivers that neat 80 min of action, but I also found the story quite thoughtful, and the acting - even Sterling Hayden who I'm not too keen on - quite satisfactory.

This movie surprised me. I had thought it was going to be a standard "B-western" movie, but with the sets, action scenes, and locations I was pleasantly surprised. I think this is a solid western. My only real complaint is Sterling Hayden. He's fairly wooden in his portrayal. I'm a big fan of Hayden based on his real life accomplishments. You can check out his Wikipedia page, but in World War II as a marine of the Pacific, he was awarded "Silver Star Metal," "American Campaign Metal," among others. Back to his movie career, he was very popular not only with Hollywood costars, but also with the public. Evidently a very standup guy. But, that doesn't change the fact that his acting chops lead a lot to be desired. Again, I enjoyed the movie and I recommend it. It's a by-the-numbers western but well done, well-made and enjoyable.