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.

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.

I enjoy Sterling Hayden and his gritty and realistic acting style. So, I thought I'd give this one a try even though both reviews for this on IMDb are really poor. I hoped they're wrong and it was worth my time.

Hayden plays a guy named Bart Laish. When the film begins, you learn that Bart is a deserter from the Cavalry and is hiding out west. However, as fate would have it, he comes upon a group of dying soldiers that were attacked by Indians. The dying leader just happens to be Bart's cousin and begs Bart to take his place and assume command of the rest of his outfit--which is a few miles away from this massacre! And, the deserter DOES!!! Later, after proving himself against wave after wave of faceless and stupid natives (who seem to just ride by hoping to get shot), all is forgiven with the US Cavalry and Bart is once again allowed to legally wear the uniform. Talk about impossible and ridiculous! In addition to a ridiculous plot and faceless Indians, it's also one of Hayden's relatively flat performances. I guess the other two were right after all....

By the way, in one scene it's supposed to be at night but it appears to be daylight! Huh?!

In this western Sterling Hayden has more or less the same role that Glenn Ford had in MAN FROM ALAMO, a deserter seeking to redeem himself. So, you see, this is not that new but still worth watching, and a not so bad movie from western specialist Lesley Selander, but not at the scale of SHOTGUN, my favourite and his best for me, who saw so many of his movies. This one however takes its promises in terms of action, excellent atmosphere. So, you can watch it without any problem, despite the predictable scheme, Sterling Hayden does more than his job, you won't be deceived. Lee Van Cleef in an early role as a supporting villain.

A devotee of westerns I have watched some classics and disasters. Arrow in the Dust wasn't offensively bad but it does lack in most areas.

A great western will have a great lead/s that you can root for or rally against. They hunt down the killer, complete the impossible drive or defend the town/farm/girl etc.

Hayden lacks the charisma (in this film) to make you care about the cause and the supporting cast don't really fill you with a need to want them to get to safety.

You feel indifference.

The film has some good action along with some poor scenarios, the outcome being a sense of ho-hum.

Watch it but be warned it won't stir your emotions :)