Customer Reviews

Duel at Diablo

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One of the most unusual westerns ever filmed, Duel at Diablo deals with a number of clicheish situations in a refreshing, fascinating manner. More engrossing than entertaining, the intense emotion and delicately intertwined subplots are almost hypnotically effective in holding the viewer's attention. James Garner, Sidney Poitier and Dennis Weaver headline an excellent cast. Beautiful locations and an eerie soundtrack add to the overall power of the production. This film is probably too violent for many young viewers, but will prove a most satisfying experience for western buffs who prefer gritty realism to the more common shlocky horse operas. Duel at Diablo will never be found in a listing of top westerns, but it belongs there. In fact, it holds its own in any movie library, regardless of genre.

I grew up watching westerns on VHS, but I felt I had out grown them when I reached High School. The few I still liked were either more modern or ones that I had seen at just the right age for me to accept them as part of the natural order of things and that was that (Same reason Errol Flynn is the only Robin Hood and Tyrone Power is Zorro, anybody else is just an actor). Other westerns I watched seemed silly and cheesy, simplistic stories of good and bad with no depth. It was around this time when I saw the Big Country and Duel at Diablo for the first time. In these films, I saw for the first time westerns that were more than cowboys and Indians.

Duel at Diablo has many plot lines, from the common Calvary vs. Indians to James Garner seeking vengeance for his Indian wife. But the film is really about how people survived in the west. Nobody in the film is a "bad guy," although some are more morally reprehensible than others. Everyone just wants to get by with their life, to live with the freedom that was the dream of the American West. Unfortunately, as history taught us, everybody's dream conflicted. The film does not pull punches when it comes to showing how both sides felt they had a legitimate claim to the land but also that members of each side understood the other's claim.

Finally, to address another reviewer who pointed out what he considered major and blatant flaws in the movie. The first is the soundtrack, which I enjoyed and I wish I could find a recording. It is a bit bouncy at times, but not in happy-go-lucky way. It seemed to me to more exemplify that through all the sorrow and hardship, people did find joy in their lives, that they believed all the work was worth it to live as free men. The second flaw referred to Sidney Poitier's character, commenting on the fact that people seemed remarkably tolerant for a time that the reviewer felt was not. In fact, this is one of the movies strengths. The film demonstrates that capability was valued far more highly than skin color. They cannot afford the "luxury" of being racist; they have more important things to worry about. It was at a later point, historically, as settlements grew and became stable, that racism would have set in. But on the frontier, as isolated as these people are, they cannot afford to drive away a man as obviously talent or capable as Sidney Poitier's character.

All-in-all, a very well done movie and my favorite western to date.

I love a good western, and Duel at Diablo certainly contained enough elements of the classic western movie to keep me interested throughout it's 103 minute running time, but some flaws seemed a bit obvious.

The movie centers on a plot to deliver a cache of ammunition from one fort to another through a harsh and foreboding desert land. The troops are green and inexperienced, and the desert terrain is the least of their worries as a local Apache tribe has decided to mount a last stand against the injustices heaped upon them and attack the convey and steal the munitions in an effort to free themselves and their spirits from the poor treatment and paltry reservation land given to them by the uncaring government.

James Garner plays Jess Remsburg, an experienced scout who has a personal interest in following the convey to their destination as he believes the murderer of his Native American wife is there. Sidney Poitier is also along for the ride, as Toller, an ex-army man turned horse dealer that supplies the cavalry with raw mustangs. Turns out he won't get paid for his recent delivery of horses as they are not saddle broken and he must ride with the convey and tame the horses along the way. The other recognizable actor is Dennis Weaver, who plays Willard Grange, a merchant who must get a load of supplies to the fort, and wheedles his way to tag along with the cavalry, despite protests from the lieutenant in charge, as the lieutenant thinks speed will be of the utmost importance, with the Apache tribe on the warpath and the lack of experience in his troops. Also, there is yet another interesting subplot involving Grange and his wife, Ellen, played by Bibi Andersson. Seems at some point prior to the events in the movie, she was kidnapped by the Apaches and escaped only to return to a disappointed husband and unfriendly townspeople as she has now been 'spoiled' with her extended contact with the Apache tribe. She has a special interest in returning to the tribe, which is revealed later in the movie.

The director does a wonderful job maintaining continuity between the various plot threads, and conveying the sense of danger between the harsh environments and the disgruntled Native Americans on the Warpath. The fighting is done with a sense of realism and seems quite brutal at times, but never really goes over the top and there is very little glorification of the old west, as seen in many other westerns. The various subplots do provide a nice sense of depth for the main characters, helping the audience develop a feeling of familiarity towards the characters, even the Native Americans. I never got a sense that the movie was portraying the Native Americans as bad guys, and the cavalry as good guys, but just people doing what they had to do based on either orders from superior officers, in the case of the cavalry, or the need for survival and a tired sense of being pushed around a regulated to less than hospitable lands by an uncaring government, in the case of the Native Americans.

The flaws of the movie, in my opinion, are few, but somewhat noticeable. The biggest one was the music. The western score was tinged with a sort of bouncy beat that detracted seriously from what was being shown on the screen. It would, almost in a humorous fashion, counteract the urgency and danger in specific scenes. Another issue I had, a subtler one, was the character Toller, played by Sidney Portier. He's an excellent actor, and I have no problems with his performance, but since this movie was probably set in the early to mid 19th century, I found it really odd how accepting all the Caucasian characters were of having an African American so closely in the midst as I believe the was a lot more racial intolerance at this time than the movie would have you believe. Sure, there was some towards the Native Americans in the movie, but no one seemed to notice Toller was an African American, and the cavalry troops certainly didn't seem to mind taking orders from him after their lieutenant was injured. On the flipside, it was refreshing to think that things could have been this way back then, but realistically, I doubt it. The total absence of any racial tensions between Toller and the Caucasian characters seemed to really stand out.

All in all good, solid western movie, with some pretty violent scenes that portrays both sides of the conflict in a seemingly real sense, allowing for empathy to develop for both sides, showing us the world is not black and white, figuratively speaking. The picture is in wide screen format, and is crisp and clear showing many beautiful desert landscapes between all the killing. The audio was quite good, also, sounding clear und unmuddled. There are subtitles available, but I didn't need to use them as I could hear all the dialog clearly. Throw in a trailer and that's it for the special features, but, as always, I'd prefer an excellent print and good audio to gobs of useless features I'll probably never watch.

DVD is good quality, however the sound is copied low, volume
has to be turned up very high to hear the speach of actors.
Picture quality is great. All though it would appear some
of the original film has been edited or cut from the DVD.
If you like James Garner, which I do, this is one to have
in your library, the movie theme is a good one.

Duel at Diablo is an excellent western that deals with more than just the battles between the cavalry and Indians, but also the tensions among the groups. The movie follows a supply train through the desert as they are harassed by an Apache chief, Chata, and his band of renegades. Trapped in the desert without any water, the supply train must fight their way out. There is plenty of good action here as well as very good characters. The movie deals with racism throughout since one of the main characters was kidnapped by Apaches and forced to live with them. When she escapes from the village, the people at Fort Creel look down upon her with disgust.

James Garner stars as Jess Remsberg, the army scout who is also trying to track down the killer of his Indian wife. His role is very good and also different from what his fans might be expecting of him. Sidney Poitier plays Toller, the ex-sergeant who now accompanies the wagon train to break in their new horses for him. I hadn't seen Poitier in a western, but he is very good in this role alongside Garner. Dennis Weaver and Bibi Anderson star as the Granges. Anderson's character was abducted by Apaches and escapes but now wants to go back and live among them. Weaver's Will Grange is a rascist and very dislikable. Bill Travers plays Lt. Scotty McCallister, the leader of the wagon train who is desperately trying to get a promotion. The DVD offers widescreen presentation that looks very good and also a theatrical trailer. This is not your typical western but it is still very enjoyable. Check it out if you haven't seen it before!

This is the most unusual western ever made, and one of the best. The many reviewers of this movie have done a good job analyzing it, I am just going to add a few more. First, the direction of Ralph Nelson is superb. We have here a most engrosing atmosphere of the old west as it was, cruel and unforgiven, and the unusual musical score is daunting and a major element here. Think about 'High Noon' or the 'Third Man' without their magnificent sound tracks. This is one of the few movies which shows the unusual cruely and sadism of the Indians, such as agonazing slow death by burning, and a promise to bury alive our blond heroin. For those who cannot believe how sadistic the plain Indians were, I refer them to a few recent books by Michno. I know that there are many multiculturalists who have never had to fight for their freedom and many young Americans who's cruel western history have been denied to them in school who would refuse to believe that the 'proud native Americans' could rival the inquisition. Wake up dudes, the settleing of America was saturated with blood and gore of European pioneers, who were tortured and enslaved by the Indians. Of course, as it is pointed out in this movie, the Indians were lied to, deceived, and deprived of their hunting grounds. And, as some historians maintain, there was no better way of settling a wild country by a Victorian culture confronted with stone age savages
Two errors in this movie require comments. In one scene, our heroin wears tight pants
revealing a sexy anatomy that would drive the entire seventh cavalry to madness. No woman in west wore tight pants, or any pants for that matter. Second, Sidney Poitier has a major part as a ex-soldier-horse dealer-gunfighter. There were no such blacks in the west. There is no record of even one black gunfighter in the west. The west was largely racist and didn't welcome non Europeans. Well, the movie was made in 1966, hence the above.

Gritty performance by Garner, not the affable character he is so often associated, along with an interesting story line makes this a very watchable film. Dennis Weaver gives a good performance as the conflicted frontier business man whose wife had been abducted by the indians. The Sidney Poitier character is not well developed though he looks dashing in his western garb. The Neil Hefti score takes a while to get used to but is familiar enough not to be too distracting. The indians are protrayed with some degree of social consciousness, though violent in their treatment of captives, which may very well be accurate. And the attitude of many of the white folk toward the indians is certainly not what you might call charitable. An engrossing film, but not one that is designed to put a smile on your face when it's over. Though there is a semblance of a hopeful ending, the cost in lives lost was is just too great for what is gained. And maybe that is the message.

Great opening scene with bloody knives cutting through the black screen to reveal a desert landscape and the body of a tortured victim. James Garner watches intently and comes to the rescue as two Apaches attack another lost soul. Nice opening music too. As a kid I enjoyed Sidney Poitiers role as an independent, free black man in charge of his own destiny: a gambler and a horse trainer, counted on by the ambushed cavalry, and a real hero. Excellent Dennis Weaver torture scene comeuppance in the end. My only disappointment was how easily the indians give up in the end. Overall a really cool movie.

Lt. McAllister repeats that line from Robert Burns' poem, "Scots Wha Hae", as he faces battle with Chata in this thought provoking Western. This movie displays alot of different racial facets. There's the black Sergeant turned Army horse breaker, Toller (Sidney Poitier). The Scout who married an Indian and seeks revenge from her killer, Remsberg (James Garner). The Freighter's wife captured by Indians who after rescue returns to the Indians, Ellen Grange (Bibi Anderson). The Lieutenant who's looking for promotion via an Indian military campaign, McAllister (Bill Travers). The Indian hating Freighter who has his own agenda, Grange (Dennis Weaver). An Apache Chief who is trying to keep his people together against increasing encroachments from the white man, Chata (John Hoyt). All this comes together at a box canyon, with a waterhole, known as Diablo.

This is a well organized movie that brings to head all these different elements. It could be argued that this was more of a career vehicle for Sidney Poitier than it was for James Garner. Well worth adding to any western collection. There are many standout moments in this film. I really liked the thoughtful imagery at the ending as Toller says goodbye to Lt. McAllister.

When this film originally came out in 1966 it held the distinction of being the most violent western made to date. Viewed today, it still packs a fair wallop - which is hardly surprising considering that director Ralph Nelson went on to make the ultra-bloody Soldier Blue a few years later. The movie closely follows Marvin H Albert's novel (he's had a few of his western novels adapted for the screen, including The Law and Jake Wade) in its story of a cavalry patrol that inadvertently ends up in a life and death struggle with an Apache war party that has skipped the reservation. The action sequences are among the most exciting on film, particularly the initial ambush and the race to reach Diablo Canyon (the only source of water for miles). James Gardner is suitably tough as the army scout and Dennis Weaver comes across well as the rascist trader with a nasty secret. Neal Hefti's pulsating music score adds to the tension. I'd put this up there among the top ten westerns, because it succeeds in doing what it sets out to do - to give you a roller coaster of a ride while being relatively intelligent to boot. Shame about the 1.77.1 screen ration tho. Was this really the original theatrical screen ratio?