Drums Across the River (1954)

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

A Colorful, Winner Western with Audie Murphy in His Element and a Solid Back-Up Cast including Walter Brennan in an atypical Super Serious Role as Murph's Dad. Some Recognizable Bad-Guys including the always Grinning Lyle Bettger, Bob Steele, and Hugh O'Brian as a Psycho Gunslinger. Jay Silverheels and that always Recognizable Voice has a Small but Important Role as an Indian Chief.It is quite Striking just how much Plot was Woven into these 80 Minute Westerns, it's just a Treat to Watch it Unfold at a Blistering Pace. The Action Never Lets Up and the Story Layers are Simple and Significant.The Movie features that Glorious Technicolor that Drips from the Screen, a Look that has been Lost in Time. Overall, this Cowboys and Indians Movie is the Stuff that made Saturday Matinees the Favorite Spot for Kids of the Fifties. Downtown at the Movie Palace there were Western and Sci-/Horror Entertainment along with Color Cartoons, and Short Subjects and the Kids were there because that was where it was at, through the 1950's.

"Drums Across the River" is another of the excellent 80 minute Audie Murphy westerns turned out by Universal in the 1950s. This one has a fine supporting cast filled with recognizable faces.The story in brief has all of the gold mines around Crown City Colorado being played out and the only way to save the town is to cross the river into Ute Indian lands and mine the gold found there. Gary Brannon (Murphy) is conned into helping unscrupulous townsman Frank Walker (Lyle Bettger) convince the town elders to support a trek across the river into Indian lands. Gary's father Sam (Walter Brennan) tries to prevent him.After the group crosses the river Walker along with his two brothers (James Anderson, George Wallace) and the Costa brothers (Bob Steele, Lane Bradford) incite an attack on the Indians sent to stop them. Townsman Nathan Marlowe (Emil Meyer) is captured by the Utes. An Indian brave is also captured by Gary and an exchange is arranged. Sam having been wounded allows Gary to go in his place to the Indian village.Meanwhile Frank Walker sends for all in black gunman Morgan (Hugh O'Brian) to assist him. Later, Walker stages an "Indian attack" on the stage where a gold shipment is stolen. Gary gets blamed for the resulting deaths and ends up being tried for murder. In bargaining for his life, Gary agrees to lead the bad guys to the gold but..............Others appearing in the cast include Lisa Gaye as the good girl, Mara Corday as the bad girl, Morris Ankrum as the dying Chief, Chief Yowlachie as the Ute Medicine Man, Howard McNear as townsman Stillwell, Regis Toomey as the town Sheriff and Robert Bray and Edmund Cobb in other roles.Audie Murphy was a better actor than most give him credit for. His portrayal of the prejudiced Gary is quite good. Brennan has a few good moments in the early part of the film but is tied up for most of the second half. Lyle Bettger was one of the best of the smooth talking villains of the 50s. He would appear with Murphy again in "Destry" the following year. Bob Steele and Lane Bradford, veterans of the "B" westerns of the 40s have hardly any lines although Steele gets to work Brennan over and has a campfire fight with Murphy.One of the better Murphy westerns.

As this film opens with Gary Brannon preparing to lead a group of men in to the San Juan Mountains; the mountains are the territory of the Ute Indians but with no other gold left near the mining town of Crown City people are prepared to take a chance and cross the river into the San Juans. Gary's father tries to persuade him not to go but he ignores him; shortly after the group leaves his father is attacked; that doesn't stop him heading after the group though. They don't get far into Ute territory before they get jumped and one of the group is captured. Gary captures an Indian and thanks to his father's negotiating they trade him for the captured man. This wasn't what Walker, the man who hired Gary wanted... he wanted to ferment a war with the Indians so that the army could be called in to force them off their land and into a reservation. To this end he and his men open fire on the departing Indians killing many of them. A war seems inevitable but Gary goes to the Indians alone and talks to the new chief; it looks like he has established a peace but Walker hasn't given up yet. He has a second plan that will frame the Brannon's for a robbery and make it look as though they were working with the Utes... Gary will have his work cut out if he is to save his father, avoid getting hanged and prevent a war!This is another solid western staring Audie Murphy; as usual he does a fine job as the hero. His character is given a bit of depth by the fact that he can't forgive the Utes because one of them killed his mother; we later learn that the killer was the chief's son and the chief had him killed for his crime... of course Gary comes to see that he can't judge a people by the actions of one man and comes to respect them. The bad guys are suitably villainous; Lyle Bettger does a decent job as the devious Walker and Hugh O'Brian is menacing as the hired gun Morgan. Director Nathan Juran kept the action going nicely with fistfights, shootouts and villains being dragged behind Indian horses. Filmed in California, as were so many B Westerns, rather than in Colorado the film still looks good with some spectacular scenery shot in vivid Technicolor. While this isn't a classic I'm sure fans of the genre will enjoy it.

Drums Across the River is directed by Nathan Juran and written by John K. Butler and Lawrence Roman. It stars Audie Murphy, Walter Brennan, Lyle Bettger, Lisa Gaye, Hugh O'Brian, Mara Corday and Jay Silverheels. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and Technicolor cinematography by Harold Lipstein."This is Crown City, born and build on gold mining, but by 1880 about the only gold left was across a near by river in the San Juan Mountains, Ute Indian land. People get desperate when their means of livelihood's cut off, and I was no exception. I'm Gary Brannon, my Dad and me ran a freight outfit."There's a reoccurring saying that often crops up when viewing most of Audie Murphy's Westerns, that of them being unassuming afternoon entertainment. Pour yourself a jug of beer or a glass of wine and enjoy the handsome Murphy going about his Oater business with energy and a straight forward willingness to entertain.Drums Across the River is a goodie in that context, it also boasts some lovely photography by Lipstein out of California locations that include Barton Flats (San Bernardino Mountains), Burro Flats and Red Rock Canyon. The Technicolor is gorgeous (TV print I saw was very good), with the blues and greens very striking, and the story is interesting as Murphy plays a bigoted young man who finds himself trying to avert a war with the Ute's whilst being framed for robbery himself. Bettger (Union Station) is a more than capable villain, as is the black clad O'Brian (The Lawless Breed), Corday and Gaye are underwritten but a treat for the eyes, and Brennan is the class act that he mostly always is.Juran (Gunsmoke) directs without fuss or filler, proving to have a keen eye for action construction as the film is flecked with a number of hand to hand fights, shoot-outs and horse play, and prolific Western scorer Gershenson offers up another in a long line of undervalued genre compliant flavours. The stunt work is also of a high standard, with one particular leap of death truly worthy of high praise, and the story rounds out to put a smile on your face as the last sip of beverage trickles down the throat. Few surprises narratively speaking, and the odd B Western budget error shows its face, but this is a colourful Audie Oater and it's all about enjoying without having to think too hard about it. 7/10