1951 | Approved | 1h 45m
Soldier’s Redemption
When “Only the Valiant” was released in 1951, it didn’t seem to get much credit for what it was: a straightforward and entertaining Western tale about one man’s courage and attempt at redemption.The film kicks off by displaying a beautiful hand-drawn map of a section of New Mexico Territory. As the narrator describes the area, we see a narrow pass in the Flinthead Mountains through which a large group of Apache warriors have long conducted raids, “killing everything in sight.”
Eventually, the U.S. Army builds Fort Invincible at the pass to put an end to the Apache raids. But in a smart strategic move, the Native Americans cut the fort off from its water supplies and then attack its cavalry troops while they are compromised.
Cavalry Capt. Richard “Dick” Lance (Gregory Peck) soon arrives on the scene with a sizable patrol, only to find the soldiers stationed at Ft. Invincible dead. However, Lance and his force manage to capture a very valuable prisoner: Apache leader Tucsos (Michael Ansara).
Army scout Joe Harmony (Jeff Corey) tells Lance to kill Tucsos on the spot to force the tribe to “get reasonable just as fast as they can.” But Lance is a stickler to military regulations and refuses to kill prisoners, even though Harmony warns him that leaving Tucsos alive will prompt the Apaches to attempt to rescue him.
Lance and his patrol quickly transport Tucsos back to their headquarters at Ft. Winston, where we learn that Lance isn’t very popular with many of the men stationed there—including his direct subordinate, hard-drinking Cpl. Timothy Gilchrist (Ward Bond).
One of Lance’s only supporters is 1st Lt. William Holloway (Gig Young), but he’s involved in a love triangle involving Lance and blond bombshell Cathy Eversham (Barbara Payton), whose father is also stationed at Ft. Winston.
Things become even more dramatic when Ft. Winston’s commander, Col. Drumm (Herbert Heyes) orders Lance to assign an officer to escort Tucsos to another fort farther away from the Apaches, in order to mitigate any rescue attempts. Wanting to prove himself to his unit, and to Cathy, Lance volunteers to lead the escort party. But Drumm orders Lance to stay at Ft. Winston and for Holloway to lead the party. Soldiers, ignorant of this order, perceive Lance to be a coward.
Valiant Effort
This is one of Peck’s stiffer roles, but it fits his character’s demeanor well—a West Point graduate who is “spit and polish ... that’s all he is,” as one of Lance’s more grizzled soldiers describes him. Lance represents measured civility in a dust-parched Wild West full of rough-and-tumble characters.
Ward Bond provides a good deal of comedic silliness to the proceedings, as he plays a familiar role: an alcoholic Irishman who is quick to engage in bouts of fisticuffs. Barbara Payton is also great as the woman who is romantically drawn to two officers.
Although I wouldn’t consider “Only the Valiant” to be one of my favorite Westerns, it is reasonably fun to watch and wonder if Peck’s character will be able to redeem himself by the end of its well-paced, one hour and 45-minute running time.
