ONLY THE VALIANT (1951) ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
D: Gordon Douglas
Gregory Peck, Barbara Payton, Gig Yong,
Ward Bond, Lon Chaney, Neville Brand,
Jeff Corey, Warner Anderson, Steve Brodie,
Dan Riss, Terry Kilburn, Michael Ansara
Captain Gregory Peck rides out with a small patrol to defend a narrow pass against an army of Apaches. The cavalry-vs.-the-Indians stuff is pretty routine - which does not bode well for the Indians - but the movie really stands out as a character study, each misfit member of Peck's patrol clearly defined, and each with a different reason to want to kill their commanding officer. Ward Bond lays it on thick and overpowers his scenes as a booze-loving corporal, and Chaney gives a frightening performance as a hulking head case who's not a monster as much as he just acts like one.
