Duel at Diablo

This bold treatment of the usual cavalry-versus-savages story was widely recognized for it's occasional moments of sadistic violence and it's contemporary racial conflicts. I see many reviewers also made mention of the offbeat score by Neal Hefti (whose best known work is the Batman theme for television and his theme for THE ODD COUPLE); it tends to work well, for the most part, with director Ralph Nelson's overall tone in DUEL AT DIABLO. The cast here is an eclectic but good one. Garner is particularly convincing as a tough and world-weary scout. DUEL AT DIABLO has a bitterness of mood, but is generally exciting and entertaining. This picture seems to be a prelude to Nelson's later, far more brutal and over-the-top cavalry movie: the notorious SOLDIER BLUE.

A thoroughly enjoyable western from 1966. The two main actors involved here give top performances, with James Garner appearing as Jess and Sidney Poitier portraying Toller. I liked all their stuff, both on their own and as a duo. Bill Travers also stands out in his role as McAllister. It's a pretty excellent cast in truth. Another thing that is notable about 'Duel at Diablo' is the music, which is very nicely crafted by Neal Hefti - there's one particular piece that suits so, so well. The premise is great to see play out, even though it isn't a massively unique story. There is a secondary plot which is all about Garner's Jess, one that starts off intriguing but kinda fizzles out by the end - I would've appreciated a deeper dive into what was his original motive. What I just mentioned would be my only real criticism, as the rest of the film is terrific. Recommended.

James Garner is a good lead in this rousing Cavalry v. Indians western. There are very good battle scenes between between the outnumbered soldiers and the attacking Indians. The underlying issues of prejudice add an interesting touch to the movie as well with James Garner's character struggling with the death of his Indian wife and the Bibi Andersson character struggling with raising her baby fathered by an Indian brave. As in any good western, the scenery also plays an important part and the southern Utah settings are particularly striking. The musical soundtrack is a little off-beat for a western, but also very good. Dennis Weaver, Sidney Poitier, and Bill Travers all add to the movie with good supporting performances.