Once again Republic films portrays the growing of the USA as we know it in the usual dreary palette of primitive colours. A dour film that starts off with a bit of forced glamour from Linda Darnell and a ( would be ) funny scene with Dale Robertson half naked in a bath, and Darnell giving him a cursory glance and Robertson defends his not showing his ' manhood ' by apologising to not stand up for a lady. Fortunately Darnell is in the film, as I like her acting ability very much. As for Dale Robertson he tries as usual to act, but fails. Which fits in with this drab drama about desolate small towns, tumbleweed and a need for a group of people to get out of this hell almost as existential in its despair as Sartre ( if he was able to write such trash, ) and then the stagecoach arrives. What happens on it is pathetically inevitable and of course the ' demon ' Native Americans are vilified as they usually are in such films and turn ' nasty. ' Darnell was second choice after the great Anne Baxter ( for ' All About Eve ' anyway ) and I am glad she was. It is for her I give her a 4, and I watched this hack directed piece after a serious illness. She helped me recover.
Review of Dakota Incident
