I admit that two of my favorite actors of all time are Alan Ladd ( Johnny MacKay) and Charles Bronson ( Captain Jack), so naturally Drum Beat appeals to me. To be fair, Is it their best Western? No Ladd did Shane and The Badlanders and Bronson did Once Upon A Time In The West and The Magnificent Seven, but if you like either of those two it should be a must see. Ladd plays Indian Fighter MacKay who tries to bring peace between the US Government and the Modoc Indians, while Bronson's Captain Jack is a murdering renegade Indian who wants all whites off of what he considers his land. Bronson is so bad, he actually murders a general in cold blood and wears his coat. Spoilers Ahead: Does Ladd win over Bronson and get the girl ( Audrey Dalton)? Of course ( not only is he the star but he produced the movie). But how he wins is one reason you watch the movie. The other is Bronson. He steals the movie away from Ladd ( and this is before drinking ruined Ladd's career). I have to say, all the best dialogue ( including at the end) belongs to Bronson . What prevents Drum Beat from being a great western? Audrey Dalton ( Nancy Meek). If the love interest would have been played by someone else ( especially Veronica Lake) it would have been a classic. But she brings nothing to the table. Is she Kay Francis bad? No but she is just a love interest, nothing special. I will say it is the least often shown of Ladd westerns so do not miss it if it is on. In fact it is the only one I had not seen until it turned up in TCM. 9/10. Stars. Again mostly for Bronson.
Review of Drum Beat
