Review of Trooper Hook

This is a Western semi action semi drama about a woman who was kidnapped by a very hostile Indian chief. Barbara Stanwyck is reunited in this movie with Joel McCrea. They were two of the giants in the movie star business. In the classic UNION PACIFIC they played two characters who were larger than life, but credible in incredible circumstances. Here, it is the opposite. They play two lower than life characters who aren't credible. Barbara plays a woman whose self righteousness knows no bounds. On one hand, she is a married woman who was kidnapped and forced to have a son with a criminal. Upon her rescue, she insists on forcing the son upon her husband instead of letting the husband take care of the son. Naturally, this is going to cause some people to get killed, but she never feels a bit of remorse for that. Joel plays a cavalry NCO who escorts her back to her husband. For some reason, he played him totally "in control". Anyone who appears that much in control all the time is out of control. The writing is simply terrible. You can tell by the way that only the major characters are treated with any dignity. The more minor a character is, the more "cannon fodder" he is made to be in the writer's theme. And it really sticks out when the writer and director try to make it look more character oriented. Not to say it is terrible. There are good parts, but what truly ruins it is the self righteousness of the heroine, and the poor writing and predictable treatment of the minor characters.