Drum Beat (1954)

Sorry, this movie sucks

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

"Drum Beat" is notable on two counts. First it was Warner Bros. first wide screen CinemaScope picture and second it marked the first film in which Charles Buchinsky became Charles Bronson.Indian Fighter Johnny MacKay (Alan Ladd) is summoned to Washington by President U.S. Grant (Hayden Rourke) where he is appointed Peace Commissioner with a mission to make peace with renegade Modoc Captain Jack (Bronson). Accompanying him back to California is Nancy Meek (Audrey Dalton). The intended of stagecoach driver Bill Salterwhite is murdered by Modoc Jim (Frank DeKova) and Bill vows revenge.Later, during a meeting between MacKay and Captain Jack, Bill kills Modoc Jim thus starting an Indian war with the soldiers headed by General Canby (Warner Anderson). Peaceful Modocs Toby (Marisa Pavan) and Monok (Anthony Carouso) try to help MacKay in his quest for peace. A meeting is set up between Gen. Canby and Captain Jack but then.......................................................Alan Ladd made some pretty good westerns over the years but is woefully miscast in this one. It is hard to imagine the clean cut Johnny MacKay as a one time fierce Indian fighter. His buckskin jacket seems tailor made and he shows nary a whisker. Most Hollywood Indian fighters were grizzled unkempt mountain men. Not so here.Delmer Daves makes good use of the wide screen. He gives us beautiful panoramic shots of the mountainous regions together with those of the vast countryside. Victor Young as always, provides an excellent musical score. A lot of action and well staged battle scenes abound. The less said about the love triangle between Ladd, Dalton and Pavan the better.Other recognizable faces include Elisha Cook as a gun running Indian Agent, Rodolpho Acosta as Scarface Charlie, George J. Lewis as Captain Clark, Perry Lopez as Bogus Charlie and Denver Pyle, Richard Hale, Stother Martin and Peter Hansen in smaller roles.There is also an amusing little scene at the beginning with James Griffith as a White House sentry who advises MacKay how to get in to see the President.

A fairly scenic Western which boasts that it is based on true events, and announces in the beginning that it does take literary license to make it more entertaining, so there's no beef about that.Ladd plays Indian fighter Johnny, who has a hate-like-hate relationship with Captain Jack, played by Charles Bronson, and is on a first name basis with the leading thugs that accompany Captain Jack.Captain Jack is a Modoc Native American, but he is not a real captain. He steals medals from officers he kills. The real leaders of the Modoc don't trust him, and think little of him. Same for his main cohorts.He makes a name for himself in villainy, and President Grant tries to quell his killing peacefully. He sees the importance of keeping peace with the good Modoc people who would make good neighbors.As with any Delmer Daves directed movie, we know his high handed American Nazi ideology will prevail, and he will force the issue to kill at least one beautiful brunette woman. One must wonder if Daves was once jilted and humiliated by a brown eyed brunette, in order to make him continually do this.It is just one of the "forced" looking events that take place in this movie. More "forced" is the direction, in which Daves seems to want to display certain lines and characteristics in very unnatural looking sequences of events. It looks like Daves had in mind to make sure certain lines were spoken, and certain images taken. It almost looks like a movie made by a story book artist.Daves is a bit more subdued in this movie than in most movies, however, and it probably is the best of his works, which isn't saying much.

This western is one of Alan Ladd's best films and he is the peace commissioner turned Indian fighter who finally brings peace in the far west. The film is based on factual events as Modoc boss Captain Jack ignores repeated overtures for peace and leaves the cavalry no choice but to resort to arms to stop the killing and outrages. Ladd and Charles Bronson, the Indian leader, make fine adversaries and the movie has lots of action and beautiful scenery. A great cast of western favorites are in the film and Ladd even has a moment or two to clinch with with pretty Audrey Dalton. Marisa Pavan is an Indian maiden who also has a yen for Ladd. Delmer Daves directed this film, which is another in a succession of excellent Daves westerns. Victor Young's fine music accompanies the film.

"Drum Beat", released in 1954 pits Alan Ladd, as an Indian fighter turned peace commissioner, against the leader of the Modoc Indians of N. California, led by Charles Bronson. Ladd, as Johnny McKay, has an intense bitterness towards Indians in general, as they had slaughtered his family years earlier. However, Pres. Grant desires him to work with the Modoc tribe, in particular, to bring peace in the area of California and Oregon. The Modoc chief, Captain Jack, played by Charles Bronson, feels that an area of land is Modoc land only, and it is his to take, and keep. He also has an intense feeling toward the army medals and blue coats, which, to him, are symbols of power and authority. He even kills a retired army colonel, and seizes the medals off the coat the man was wearing.Ladd, with the aid of Modoc Indians that desire peace, attempts to settle the conflict, but hostilities do break out between the tribe and the soldiers. This was the role that Ladd seemed to shine best in, that of the tight-lipped, slow-to-anger, tough guy. Watchable western fare.