The Bravos

George Peppard stars in The Bravos a cavalry western where Peppard is a captain in charge of a badly located fort some weather beaten troops and a wagon train that has taken refuge in his post out of necessity. It seems as though they have a martinet of a wagon-master in Pernell Roberts who went and shot a Kiowa chief's son and now he wants protection. The Kiowas want Roberts and to insure they get him they take Vincent Van Patten playing Peppard's son who is visiting.

The Bravos is a routine cavalry western to be sure. Some of the themes however could have used a more poetical director. Coming to mind immediately is Rio Grande where John Ford gets the most out of scenes involving Claude Jarman, Jr. with his parents John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. Would that Ford been directing Peppard and Van Patten.

Pernell Roberts between his television series Bonanza and Trapper John, MD. played a lot of villains. His arrogant wagon-master is someone you love to hate and is the highlight of the film.

This one is OK for western fans.

Not a bad film: an interesting-looking fort, good scenery, L Q Jones gets some decent screen-time and there's no contrived love interest (just a bit of on-off-on romance between two youngsters in the wagon train). But Peppard's persona is a bit too genial for a disciplinarian CO of an undermanned garrison; it was a bit of a shock when, after it has been surprised by the Indians, he puts enlisted men on 18 hours of duty a day and officers on 24 (for three days); not a good idea when there's meant to be 2,000 hostiles threatening 70 just soldiers. We don't get to see many of the 2,000, and the rescue bid (which, thankfully, doesn't descend into the A-team heroics that Peppard came to be identified with) seems to involve taking on just four or five of them. Funny title: I understand "bravos" to be hired ruffians or killers, and none of the protagonists fill this description. Even the fugitive from justice isn't really a bad guy.

It's movies like this that give westerns a bad name. Yes, it was made for TV, but that's no reason to bore the viewers. But at least the Kiowas were played by Native Americans and not not a bunch of white guys with feathers in their rugs.

"The Bravos" is a made for TV movie which stars George Peppard. It's set in the American west just after the US Civil War.

The story begins with a group of settlers passing through Navajo country. What the settlers don't realize is that the man leading them (Pernell Roberts) is an irresponsible idiot. His actions end up nearly killing all of them, as he thought it was prudent to shoot some natives he saw near their camp....and not surprisingly the dead men's friends and family want vengeance.

This incident with the natives came at a very bad time. It seems that the nearby cavalry unit (led by Peppard) is overextended and can barely take care of themselves...let alone the settlers. Soon both groups are under attack and to top things off, the angry natives kidnap the commander's son!

This is a good film...no doubt about it. The only negative is that so many westerns were made for TV in the 1950s, 60s and into the 70s that I am sure this one kind of got lost among them. But it is well written, well acted and tense. Not a great movie...but a very good one.

Slow and lacks capturing plot. Very little action and lackluster acting.