During the last 100 years, Hollywood must have made several thousand westerns....and because they made so many, they couldn't help but start repeating and reusing themes. One of the more familiar ones is a group of people (often Cavalry) surrounded by marauding Indians...something which, incidentally, rarely actually happened. "Duel at Diablo" has such a theme...though it manages to make more of it than usual.
When the story begins, Jess (James Garner) rescues a white woman who was kidnapped by Apache warriors. Oddly, it turns she was kidnapped by these Apache....was returned to her husband and then she ran BACK to the Apache! Why? Well, see the film to find out more about this and why the Apache warriors later attacked a Cavalry formation with this woman, Jess and a scout named Toller (Sidney Poitier) among them.
One thing I loved about this familiar story is that never once did anyone make anything out of or mention Poitier's character was black. Perhaps this wasn't realistic for the 19th century, but it was nice to allow this fine actor to play a plot that didn't revolve around being a black man....and it must have been a nice change of pace for Poitier. I also thought the story was handled well and is enjoyable to watch. So, it's a nice example where although the plot is familiar, it still manages to be fresh.
When the story begins, Jess (James Garner) rescues a white woman who was kidnapped by Apache warriors. Oddly, it turns she was kidnapped by these Apache....was returned to her husband and then she ran BACK to the Apache! Why? Well, see the film to find out more about this and why the Apache warriors later attacked a Cavalry formation with this woman, Jess and a scout named Toller (Sidney Poitier) among them.
One thing I loved about this familiar story is that never once did anyone make anything out of or mention Poitier's character was black. Perhaps this wasn't realistic for the 19th century, but it was nice to allow this fine actor to play a plot that didn't revolve around being a black man....and it must have been a nice change of pace for Poitier. I also thought the story was handled well and is enjoyable to watch. So, it's a nice example where although the plot is familiar, it still manages to be fresh.