The Searchers without John Ford or John Wayne but not without its moments. I like westerns so even a mediocre one is okay with me, and this film is certainly better than mediocre. Apparently 40 minutes were crudely cut from this film during distribution leading to much of the complaints dealing with the story. I have a feeling most of the 40 minutes was a bit slow and it was probably better to have a lack of cohesion in the script than an additional 40 minutes trying to explain a script that really only needed 30 seconds. It is a western after all, all we need to do is identify the good guys and the bad guys and hope justice is fulfilled in the end. For the most part, that happens. The worst part is Lana Wood's unpolished performance and comedic squeaky voice (anyone remember Sue Ane Langdon?) and this film really did have one of the wackiest western characters since F-Troop in the form of Bugler who is played by director Charles B. Pierce like a sadistic Ernest T Bass from The Andy Griffith Show. On the plus side, it was nice to see Ben Johnson billed as the lead and Jack Elam play a character that was neither a villain or total buffoon. Iron Eyes Cody (the actor that sheds a single tear for a blighted American environment in "Keep America Beautiful" ads that ran in the 70's and 80's) could have easily been played by Leonard Nimoy, his character merely a bridge between the two cultures. Best parts were the scenery, horses, native costumes, Indian camps and Alex Cord's dignified performance as the title character (and the coolest Indian voice ever) placing this a notch or two above standard westerns.
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