The Saga of Hemp Brown

U. S. cavalry officer, Hemp Brown (Rory Calhoun), runs into some serious trouble when the party of civilians and troops he's bringing to a nearby Army fort is ambushed. A woman is killed during the gunfight, and money is stolen by the bandits. The leader of the gang, Jed Givens (John Larch), is an acquaintance of Brown, who implicates the fugitive during the subsequent trial. But Brown is court-martialed and booted from the Army. Brown tracks down Givens to restore honor to his name.

From cavalry officer Rory Calhoun's character becomes an outcast, one who has been wronged, and searches for the key that will grant him readmission into society, and the only way he could do that is by capturing John Larch. Larch is excellent as the villain of the piece, coming across quite psychotic. Calhoun does equally well as the man desperately trying to clear his name of cowardice. Beverley Garland add some colour as well as offering advice to our hero: that revenge can be self-defeating nature of it all and how it ends up inflicting more harm on the seeker than anyone else.

This western does lack some action, but it's plot driven and you get absorbed into the story with enough things happening. When I first watched this I found it a tad boring in parts, but on second viewing I liked it more. The pace can be a bit lumbering and there's some lack of excitement - but it's still a decent western with strong themes and performances.