Themes: White People Among Indians, Taming the West
Main Cast: Gregory Peck, Barbara Payton, Ward Bond, Gig Young, Lon Chaney, Jr.
Release Year: 1950
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
Plot
Originally conceived as a Gary Cooper western, Only the Valiant reached the screen with Gregory Peck in the lead. Peck plays Richard Lance, a strictly by-the-book Army captain. Though hated by his men, Lance is respected for his military know-how. This comes in very handy when Lance and a detachment of troops attempt to reach, and then hold, an unguarded Army garrison in the middle of Apache Country. Among the film's he-man contingent are Ward Bond, Gig Young, Lon Chaney Jr., Neville Brand, Jeff Corey and Steve Brodie, all delivering topnotch performances. The nominal leading lady is Barbara Payton, whose real-life tragedies were far more dramatic than any film she appeared in. Only the Valiant was based on a novel by Charles Marquis Warren. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Only the Valiant is a fairly routine Western, but it does boast a fine cast that makes it quite watchable. If Valiant's screenplay were as good as its cast, it would be quite a flick. Unfortunately, Harry Brown and Edmund H. North's script is much too familiar and written with far too little imagination. We've all seen the basic set-up before: an unpopular, strict leader gathers together a rag-tag group of men and leads them on an extremely dangerous mission, turning them into a well-oiled fighting machine by the end and earning respect along the way. In the right hands, these are the ingredients for a gripping, exciting character story with plenty of room for action. In these hands, they make for a by-the-numbers plot. Gordon M. Douglas' direction doesn't overcome the deficiencies in the screenplay; his work is efficient and competent, but rather more is needed here. And that's where the cast comes in. Gregory Peck is in great "cards to the vest" form here, and he holds the film together with his sheer star power. Gig Young does every well as his romantic rival, and Barbara Payton is fine as the woman over whom the two tussle. Jeff Corey, Lon Chaney Jr. and Neville Brand all add significantly to Voice, but it is Ward Bond as the drink-heavy corporal that makes the biggest impression. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Gregory Peck, in a role he considered a low-point of his career, plays Captain Richard Lance, a by-the-book West Point graduate who assembles a group of misfit cavalrymen to hold off rampaging Indians at a narrow mountain pass.
