As much as wide swaths of the western genre are supersaturated with racism as a defining feature of their storytelling, the premise here doesn't sound particularly enticing. As soon as we press "play" - woo boy, it's even worse than one supposes sights unseen. We can at least be grateful that the white settlers are accurately, definitively, and vehemently posited as appalling, toxic villains, which gives this feature a leg up on many of its brethren, but that doesn't make the ugliness of the tale any easier to digest. There's also the fact of white actors being cast as indigenous characters, but this is small fries compared to the saga of rampant, brutal, unchecked violence against native Americans, of mob rule and the same villains running roughshod over a town and its inhabitants, of a protagonist with indigenous blood who keeps his identity secret, and of the latent biases of even the most well-meaning characters coming out in due course. The genre does get tawdrier than 'Reprisal!,' but only when the storytelling betrays the prejudices of the filmmakers. For all that, though: words like "entertaining" carry too positive a connotation to use here, but even at its most sordid this is unquestionably, firmly compelling and satisfying.
In every other capacity this is as well made as we assume of mid-century westerns, including gorgeous if desolate filming locations, beautiful sets, lovely costume design, and appreciable stunts, effects, and action sequences. The cast give terrific, earnest performances to bring the terrible drama to bear, including not least Guy Madison and Felicia Farr, and even the actors portraying the villains certainly have to be commended for making their characters so irredeemably loathsome. From Mischa Bakaleinikoff's stirring complementary score, to Henry Freulich's smart, vivid cinematography, to George Sherman's sharp direction that capitalizes on all the potency of the saga, this is all-around superb. True, the overall production values may not represent the utmost cream of the crop, but for as strong as every component part is, the disparity doesn't truly matter. Above all, the adapted screenplay of David P. Harmon, Raphael Hayes, and David Dortort is terrific, serving up a dark, seedy, but absorbing narrative, and stark, electrifying scene writing and characterizations. Truth be told there's only one discrete flaw I see here, for though I don't know whether it can be chalked up to the screenplay or to Arthur Gordon's novel, one way or another it comes across as pure, contrived Movie Magic - the unspoken enforcement of A Happy Ending - for the last scene to conclude in the manner it does. That last sour impression is unfortunate, but still 'Reprisal!' is so excellent otherwise that it's far better and more worthwhile than not.
Strictly speaking a recommendation is tough to give simply because this is not an enjoyable picture; it's not something one watches then walks away feeling good about oneself. The awful real-life history of the United States is on full display in these seventy-odd minutes: the country's racism at large, specifically its treatment of white settlers versus indigenous people, and its living history of allowing the worst of all people to wantonly abuse and harm without any consequences. Not enjoyable - but no less worthy because of it, and in its own way, an important viewing experience for how unflinching it is in its depiction of these notions. I won't say it's a must-see, or perfect (the plot could have been fleshed out more, if we're being honest), but I will say that if you have the opportunity to watch, this is a western that stands taller than even some of its more widely celebrated kin. 'Reprisal!' is not an easy watch, but it's grabbing and deeply engrossing, and one can hardly ask for more than that.
