For western fans who enjoy plenty of shootouts against eye-filling western locations, DUEL AT DIABLO fills the bill. It's got several strands of sub-plots going but spends most of its time featuring some action packed shootouts that don't leave much time for character development among the cast.
JAMES GARNER is a scout who saves a young woman who is being pursued by Indians. That's how the story starts, against brilliantly used Utah location shots. As the plot deepens, we find that she'd been captured by the Indians and was making her escape when he came to her aid. Meanwhile, back at Fort Creel, her husband (DENNIS WEAVER) is upset about her dalliance with Indians and the fact that she has a baby fathered by an Indian.
A hardly recognizable JOHN HOYT (in full Indian make-up) is Chatah, the Apache chief with the full-sized army of fighters who wants the woman and the baby back. Another story thread has JAMES GARNER seeking revenge for the man who killed his Indian wife. With all of these sub-plots merging, there's even more story element tying in SIDNEY POITIER and BILL TRAVERS, both of whom look out of place in this western saga.
If it's action you want, you get plenty of it here. Along with scenes of almost graphic torture and lots of arrows hitting their mark along with bullets and falling horses. It's not for the squeamish.
Too bad the film really never builds up enough tension to sustain its running time, even with a new battle breaking out every fifteen minutes or so. By the time the final skirmish is reached, the viewer will feel almost as exhausted as the players must have been.
Gritty all the way with a natural performance by Garner and good support from the others. Last but not least, a good score by Neal Hefti rises to the occasion with some nice flourishes.
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