Yes, the great outdoors is infinite, but there's very little bit of outdoors that the group of people stuck in a small valley can roam around in. They are at the only slightly shady spot in the area, surrounded by large rocks and dangerous Apaches. The film stars Rory Calhoun as a loner who happens to spot Apaches in the area and warns some other passersby to their presence and as a result, they all get stuck in this area together along with a native American enemy of the Apaches and several calvary men whose troop was attacked by the Apaches and left ten for dead.
This creates a lot of tension for the group as while they do have a little bit of water, but they have run out of food, and they certainly aren't going to cook the silent but scary gila monster that comes into their midst at one point. A bit of the plot surrounds the individuals personalized, with Calhoun being reunited with an old girlfriend, Barbara Bates, who is now engaged to John Dehner.
When Calhoun provides water for the native born Pima, Frank DeKova, it is a subtle hint of his humanity because other members of the group want to kill him and leave his body for the vultures, but it seems that as Calhoun and DeKova are both lone wolves, they understand each other which creates respect. Another story involving young Carolyn Craig's attraction to Tom Pittman, unfortunately, it's not enough to extract from the action of the main story. The fact that Craig witnessed her parents being slain by the Apaches adds to her story as well.
You have to presume based on the fact that other movies have suggested that the Apaches only resorted to killing other natives and white people as a repurcusion over attacks on them because there really is no motivation given here. Calhoun is a very good silent anti-hero, and the veteran actor also took a hand in producing the film as well.
The tense situation is enough to keep you gripped, and the film clocks in at a very comfortable 72 minutes. As far as later studio era B westerns go, it's well made and colorful which makes it a bit more tolerable than many others.
This creates a lot of tension for the group as while they do have a little bit of water, but they have run out of food, and they certainly aren't going to cook the silent but scary gila monster that comes into their midst at one point. A bit of the plot surrounds the individuals personalized, with Calhoun being reunited with an old girlfriend, Barbara Bates, who is now engaged to John Dehner.
When Calhoun provides water for the native born Pima, Frank DeKova, it is a subtle hint of his humanity because other members of the group want to kill him and leave his body for the vultures, but it seems that as Calhoun and DeKova are both lone wolves, they understand each other which creates respect. Another story involving young Carolyn Craig's attraction to Tom Pittman, unfortunately, it's not enough to extract from the action of the main story. The fact that Craig witnessed her parents being slain by the Apaches adds to her story as well.
You have to presume based on the fact that other movies have suggested that the Apaches only resorted to killing other natives and white people as a repurcusion over attacks on them because there really is no motivation given here. Calhoun is a very good silent anti-hero, and the veteran actor also took a hand in producing the film as well.
The tense situation is enough to keep you gripped, and the film clocks in at a very comfortable 72 minutes. As far as later studio era B westerns go, it's well made and colorful which makes it a bit more tolerable than many others.