"El Paso" director Lewis R. Foster and "Charro" scenarist Frederick Louis Fox sought to defy formulaic western plotting without success in "Dakota Incident," a lukewarm 'survival of the fittest' horse opera about a group of white passengers stranded in the desert after their stagecoach breaks down and they find themselves at the mercy of hostile Cheyenne Indians. Despite some lively dialogue, this clash between whites and Indians generates only minor surprises. Long before its contrived ending, you'll know who will survive in this saddle sore sagebrusher. Most of the characters are sympathetic but far from charismatic. Dale Robertson is appropriately tough and leathery as John Banner. He is one of three bank robbers who eventually shoots it out with his treacherous, double-crossing partners, Rick Largo (John Doucette of "True Grit") and Frank Banner (Skip Homeier of "The Gunfighter"), after they turn on each other. Typically, the conventional western hero is an honest, law-abiding hombre. However, John Banner displays none of these qualities. He wears a black hat rather than a white hat. He treats the heroine with contempt. Ultimately, we learn that he has resorted to villainy after his best laid plans to pursue the straight and narrow path to prosperity go awry.
Mind you, Foster and Fox do everything possible to juggle all these predictable western tropes. For example, Ward Bond plays a Congressman who sympathizes with the plight of the Native Americans. He wants whites and reds co-exist in harmony. Sadly, nobody shares his noble sentiments. Indeed, even the bloodthirsty Cheyenne hate our heroes. This roving war party is minding their own business when they spot the stagecoach and attack it. Curiously, the Indians have no dialogue until the final standoff when the last brave speaks in English. Worst of all, one of the passengers has a bounty on his head. John Carter (John Lund of "Five Guns West") is accused of robbing the bank that the Banner gang held up. Now, Carter seeks to clear his name and turn John Banner over to the sheriff in Laramie. Somehow or another, when the robbery occurred, the authorities charged Carter with a crime that he didn't commit.
As this fracas unfolds, Largo and Banner double-cross Banner and bushwhack him. Predictably, these two outlaws fail to confirm that our left-handed, gun-toting hero is kaput. Apparently, John was knocked unconscious when his horse collapsed under him. Largo and Banner empty his saddle bags of the stolen loot and ride off to the town of Christian Flatts to revel in their ill-gotten gains. Eventually, Banner catches up with them after walking forty miles on foot, sporting his saddle on his shoulder. Predictably, he kills both Largo and Banner in separate showdowns. Why Foster and Fox gave one of the villains the same name as the hero adds to the confusion. After killing his two partners, Banner discovers one of the stagecoach passengers is the bank teller that he robbed. Not only is Carter on a quest to find Banner, but he also wants to clear himself with the bank that has put a bounty on him. Evidently, the authorities have mistaken and enlarged Carter's role in the robbery. Carter plans to take Banner to Laramie and turn him over to the sheriff. Not surprisingly, Banner has other ideas.
Banner's ideas change when he crosses paths with Amy Clarke (former Twentieth Century Fox beauty Linda Darnell) who wears a bright red dress and still packs quite a bosom. As everybody else here has mentioned in their reviews, Republic Studio's TruColor process accentuates the RED in everything, from Darnell's fetching outfit to a bloody pioneer left to rot in a pool of water. The problem with director Foster's handling of this run-of-the-mill oater is everything bogs down after the stagecoach crashes and overturns, prompting our heroes hole up in a dry wash to defend themselves against the Native Americans. The good guys and the Cheyenne eventually exhaust their supplies of ammunition, but "Dakota Incident" never runs out of clichés. Veteran western actor Ward Bond has several interesting moments as a politically correct politician who defends the Native Americans. Character actor Whit Bissel plays a woebegone tenderfoot who has deluded himself into believing he has struck it rich in the gold fields. After he dies from an arrow, the hero discovers all the tenderfoot had was fool's gold!
Before the dust settles in this tedious 88-minute tale, you'll feel like you've been trapped in the same claustrophobic gulch and menaced by marauding Cheyenne yourself. We learn little about these Native Americans because the filmmakers don't differentiate the individual braves. Incredibly, after fighting tooth and nail to the last man, our stalwart hero refuses to kill the last Indian. Incredibly, this Indian agrees to let bygones be bygones, too. Later, this brave furnishes the hero and heroine with horses so they can finish their ride to Laramie! Although initially a low-down, no-account skunk himself, Banner vows to turn himself in to the law and clear Carter's name in an act of redemption. The filmmakers spend the first half-hour assembling these characters before they embark on their ill-fated journey. Predictably, Amy Clarke and Banner cannot stand the sight of each other. When they meet, she stumbles and falls down, but he refuses to help her to her feet. Later, he informs her to her chagrin that he isn't a gentleman. Inevitably, these two nemeses kiss and make up. The majestic Red Rock Canyon State Park scenery in the background looks spectacular. Nevertheless, most of the time, our principals are confined to a blatantly obvious studio set. Altogether, "Dakota Incident" amounts to an accident!
Mind you, Foster and Fox do everything possible to juggle all these predictable western tropes. For example, Ward Bond plays a Congressman who sympathizes with the plight of the Native Americans. He wants whites and reds co-exist in harmony. Sadly, nobody shares his noble sentiments. Indeed, even the bloodthirsty Cheyenne hate our heroes. This roving war party is minding their own business when they spot the stagecoach and attack it. Curiously, the Indians have no dialogue until the final standoff when the last brave speaks in English. Worst of all, one of the passengers has a bounty on his head. John Carter (John Lund of "Five Guns West") is accused of robbing the bank that the Banner gang held up. Now, Carter seeks to clear his name and turn John Banner over to the sheriff in Laramie. Somehow or another, when the robbery occurred, the authorities charged Carter with a crime that he didn't commit.
As this fracas unfolds, Largo and Banner double-cross Banner and bushwhack him. Predictably, these two outlaws fail to confirm that our left-handed, gun-toting hero is kaput. Apparently, John was knocked unconscious when his horse collapsed under him. Largo and Banner empty his saddle bags of the stolen loot and ride off to the town of Christian Flatts to revel in their ill-gotten gains. Eventually, Banner catches up with them after walking forty miles on foot, sporting his saddle on his shoulder. Predictably, he kills both Largo and Banner in separate showdowns. Why Foster and Fox gave one of the villains the same name as the hero adds to the confusion. After killing his two partners, Banner discovers one of the stagecoach passengers is the bank teller that he robbed. Not only is Carter on a quest to find Banner, but he also wants to clear himself with the bank that has put a bounty on him. Evidently, the authorities have mistaken and enlarged Carter's role in the robbery. Carter plans to take Banner to Laramie and turn him over to the sheriff. Not surprisingly, Banner has other ideas.
Banner's ideas change when he crosses paths with Amy Clarke (former Twentieth Century Fox beauty Linda Darnell) who wears a bright red dress and still packs quite a bosom. As everybody else here has mentioned in their reviews, Republic Studio's TruColor process accentuates the RED in everything, from Darnell's fetching outfit to a bloody pioneer left to rot in a pool of water. The problem with director Foster's handling of this run-of-the-mill oater is everything bogs down after the stagecoach crashes and overturns, prompting our heroes hole up in a dry wash to defend themselves against the Native Americans. The good guys and the Cheyenne eventually exhaust their supplies of ammunition, but "Dakota Incident" never runs out of clichés. Veteran western actor Ward Bond has several interesting moments as a politically correct politician who defends the Native Americans. Character actor Whit Bissel plays a woebegone tenderfoot who has deluded himself into believing he has struck it rich in the gold fields. After he dies from an arrow, the hero discovers all the tenderfoot had was fool's gold!
Before the dust settles in this tedious 88-minute tale, you'll feel like you've been trapped in the same claustrophobic gulch and menaced by marauding Cheyenne yourself. We learn little about these Native Americans because the filmmakers don't differentiate the individual braves. Incredibly, after fighting tooth and nail to the last man, our stalwart hero refuses to kill the last Indian. Incredibly, this Indian agrees to let bygones be bygones, too. Later, this brave furnishes the hero and heroine with horses so they can finish their ride to Laramie! Although initially a low-down, no-account skunk himself, Banner vows to turn himself in to the law and clear Carter's name in an act of redemption. The filmmakers spend the first half-hour assembling these characters before they embark on their ill-fated journey. Predictably, Amy Clarke and Banner cannot stand the sight of each other. When they meet, she stumbles and falls down, but he refuses to help her to her feet. Later, he informs her to her chagrin that he isn't a gentleman. Inevitably, these two nemeses kiss and make up. The majestic Red Rock Canyon State Park scenery in the background looks spectacular. Nevertheless, most of the time, our principals are confined to a blatantly obvious studio set. Altogether, "Dakota Incident" amounts to an accident!