Rocky Mountain

Errol Flynn's last western is a fine one. The story begins near the end of the Civil War. Confederate soldiers led by Flynn are sent to California to recruit more men. But that mission is sidetracked when the men spot a stagecoach under attack by Indians and rush to help. They soon find themselves stranded on Rocky Mountain, along with Union hostages, as they await an Indian assault.

This is a pretty underrated western. I didn't give it a chance for years simply because it was one of the movies made later in Errol Flynn's career and a lot of those depress me. It helps that this is in black & white, so the effects Flynn's lifestyle had taken on him aren't quite as noticeable as his color movies from the same period. It also helps that Flynn's character is supposed to be beaten down by the war. The movie has a simple story but it's told effectively with good performances and an elegiac quality about it that you might not expect. It's better than average for what is basically a cowboys vs Indians tale. Flynn's leading lady in this film, Patrice Wymore, would become his third and final wife in real life. It's a nice cast with some colorful characters actors like Guinn Williams, Howard Petrie, Chubby Johnson, Dickie Jones, and Slim Pickens in his film debut. Jones has a nice monologue about meeting Robert E. Lee. It's a fitting end to Errol Flynn's western career. Definitely one his fans will want to see.

It's 1865. In a desperate last move, Lee had sent eight men led by Captain Lafe Barstow (Errol Flynn) to recruit Cole Smith and his 500 men for an attack on California. They save a stagecoach from a Shoshone war party. Passenger Johanna Carter (Patrice Wymore) is on her way to join her Union Army fiancé Lt. Rickey (Scott Forbes).

I don't like the narrations. It sounds like someone lifelessly reading a book. This has the potential to be a western classic. The story is good old fashion civil war fighting Indians. It has Errol Flynn. It has the epic landscape. They keep cutting to the little dog for the animal lovers. It has the fighting and the melodrama. It's an old fashion western. It's not a classic, but it is better than most.

"For it being 1950, I was stunned to find so many real and honest performances. There was none of that obnoxious "Studio Acting" where everyone is chewing scenery and pretending to be their character."

This was the comment of a previous reviewer. Anyone who is "stunned" to find good acting in a 1950 movie has probably not seen many movies from that period. As for "chewing scenery", I wonder if this person has ever paid attention when "method" icons like Dean, Brando, Cobb, Palance, and Penn are on screen. It's often a miracle there's any scenery left uneaten to finish the movie with!

"Rocky Mountain" is one of Flynn's better films (of many good ones), and as always, this underrated actor is real and natural. The movie is also of interest as the debut of noted character actor Slim Pickens. The story is gritty and dark, and the scenery and photography are spectacular. The ending is quite moving. This is a movie worth seeing.

Excellent black and white photography showcases the area around Gallup, New Mexico. Every scene is methodically planned out to take advantage of the surroundings. Add this to a strong cast and it makes it one of my favorites to watch over and over. The story line kind of comes in second on this one.

This was Errol Flynn's last Western and not one of his best ,alas ,although it does have its moments. He plays a Confederate officer ,sent to California with a small troop to make contact with Southern sympathisers with the aim of stirring up rebellion in the state and diverting Union resources from other battle fronts.Two problems arise --the promised support is not forthcoming and he is sidetracked when riding to the rescue of a stagecoach coming under Indian attack.It proves to contain the fiancee of the local Union cavalry commander and when a troop is sent out to find her Flynn is forced to take them captive as well.When Native American scouts of the Union army turn out to be traitors and launch an attack his hands become even more full. Effectively shot in black and white there are some good action scenes and the acting is fine ,but it suffers by comparison to other "Indian attack " movies like "Apache Drums " Not bad but a notch or two short of classic status