Only the Valiant (1951) User Reviews (44)

A few bad men!

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 13 June 2012]

When Captain Richard Lance arrives are Fort Invincible he discovers the site of a massacre; every man stationed there is dead. There are still some of the Apaches who attacked present ransacking the site; one of them is Chief Tucsos. He captures the chief but his man want him killed believing that if he is dead his men will move on but if he is alive they will do whatever they can to rescue him. Lance accepts that this might be so but his orders are clear; he won't kill a man once he has been taken prisoner. The return to their own fort and Lance is ordered to arrange for the prisoner to be sent to another fort further away; he takes the mission himself but is ordered to stand down as the colonel thinks he is needed there. The man sent instead is his friend and rival for the affections of a woman at the fort; it is assumed he organised the replacement himself to get rid of a rival and when the detail is ambushed everybody blames him for the death of his friend. Now Tucsos is free it is only a matter of days before he attacks; in order to protect the fort Lance volunteers to take a small group of men back to Invincible to keep the Apaches pinned down as they try to come through a narrow pass that is the only way through the mountains. The men he selects to go with him aren't the best in the fort; they are the worst; they weren't selected because he thought they had hidden courage but because they would be the least missed when the Apaches broke through and attacked the main fort!

This western isn't a classic but it is entertaining. Rather than the wide open expanses of the open plains the action mostly takes place within the confines of the wrecked fort and in the narrow pass the men seek to block; this gives the film a rather claustrophobic feel. This is increased by the fact that the band of malcontents Lance selected are potentially as dangerous to him as the Apaches they are meant to be fighting. The group includes a drunken corporal, a bullying sergeant bitter that he never received a commission, a coward, a deserter and an Arab trooper who has already attacked Lance once before! I rather liked the fact that these men didn't all turn out to be heroes after all; some of them did but others remained true to their base character throughout. Gregory Peck puts in a solid performance as the by-the-book Captain Lance and the rest of the cast are entertaining; especially Ward Bond who played the drunken Cpl. Gilchrist. The only character I was unsure about was Trooper Kebussyan; this portrayal as a somewhat crazed Arab, always referred to as Ay-rab, would be considered racist in a more modern film. The conclusion features one of the oldest clichés in the genre but it can be forgiven as it was fairly exciting. Overall this was a decent western and while it is not a must see it is worth watching if you get the chance.

Oh Captain, My Captain

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 21 April 2007]

In the book that Michael Freedland wrote about Gregory Peck, Only the Valiant is described as the worst film Gregory Peck ever made. During those beginning years of his stardom it seems like just about every film became a classic of some kind.

Only the Valiant was shot on the cheap and it shows. The book says that Gregory Peck's cavalry uniform was an old costume worn by Rod Cameron in one of his B westerns. It was an independent production by James Cagney and as part of the deal Peck got Barbara Payton who had a contract with Cagney himself and was used in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye which he produced and also starred in.

According to Michael Freedland's book, Peck who was still tied to David O. Selznick got $60,000.00 for the part of cavalry captain Richard Lance. Selznick got $150.000.00 and Peck was not a happy camper. Still being the professional he was, Peck did the film.

In truth Only the Valiant is a far better film than MGM's big budget The Great Sinner which Peck also starred in. Mainly because of a very competent crew of players that James Cagney gathered for this film. And an interesting script which contains elements of Beau Geste, The Lost Patrol, The Dirty Dozen and David and Bathsheba which Peck had starred in.

Peck and Gig Young are rivals for Barbara Payton and Peck is ordered to send Young on a patrol to take hostile Apache chief Michael Ansara to a better staffed army fort. Young gets killed and Ansara escapes and the old Uriah the Hittite story starts circulating at Peck's post.

Later he gets an assignment to man an abandoned fort that sits across a narrow mountain pass that the Apaches can't even charge through on horseback. He takes a select group of army misfits, some of whom would like to kill him worse than the Apaches.

Even with Ward Bond as an alcoholic corporal, any resemblance between these soldiers and those John Ford cavalry pictures is coincidental. The ones who he takes with him, Sergeant Neville Brand, Lieutenant Dan Riss, Bond, Troopers Terry Kilburn, Steve Brodie, and Lon Chaney, Jr. are a collection that Lee Marvin would gladly have taken on a mission.

Chaney has the strangest role. He's named Kabushyan and he's Armenian though the men refer to him as A-rab. He's got one big old gay crush on Gig Young though it's not spelled out due to Code restrictions and he hates Peck worse than the others. It's the best performance in the film.

Only the Valiant has an A list cast with B production values, I wish it had been done with a bigger budget.

Powerful and Memorable; Very-Well Acted western Drama With a Large Cast

[silverscreen888 · 7/10 · 20 June 2005]

This is a luminously photographed and unusually well-written western by veteran creator of "Rawhide" Charles Marquis Warren. Direcxtor Gordon Douglas is its chief help in this regard. Its strong plot line can be told in a few sentences. A hard-nosed by-the- book, Cavalry officer, Captain Richard Lance, captures a leader of the Indian enemy after a massacre at a fort. He insists on bringing the man back for trial, to be sent toTucson; his commander sends another man to try to take the prisoner for trial and the patrol is wiped out. This means the leader has escaped, and Lance must now lead a second patrol--and he picks the men the fort can most spare, a company of problems-- to defend the advance fort that had been wiped out and save the command from another attack by stopping up the bottleneck pass in that sector. As Lance, young Gregory Peck is quite strong. Other in the large cast of this film which really shows life at a cavalry outpost looking like an army establishment of heterogeneous and quarreling types includes War Bond powerful as a hard-drinking sergeant, Neville Brand and Steve Brodie as troublemakers, Warner Anderson and Lon Chaney Jr. as psychological troublemakers and Gig Young, Art Baker, Herbert Heyes as fellow officers with Nana Bryant as the Colonel's wife. Even Barbara Payton as the love interest gets by in a difficult role; Michael Ansara is the captured war chief, and Jeff Corey plays the Fort's scout. There are really two great scenes in this very-well-made western--the long section at the fort before the last patrol is sent out, and that long patrol to the doomed Ft. Defiant itself. Once at that fort, Peck gets to deliver a grand speech in which at the demand of the men he has lined up for orders, he tells them each why he took them along. reading them their shortcomings one by one; they then tell them why they think he sent his best friend to die in his place take the Indian in instead of going himself-- and he proves them wrong for the remainder of the film by winning his lonely battle through intelligence and courage. The music by Franz Waxman is good, the production qualities admirable; the argument about what would happen if Lance takes the war chief in happens to be true; other than this unsolvable mistake by the central character, this is is great western. it has been a favorite of mine for fifty years.

Extremely violent for the time.

[ballystyk · 3 February 2001]

I saw this film twice, both by accident. It is one of those movies that only gets shown at 3:00 am because it is so intense. After seeing this you can understand why John Huston picked Gregory Peck to play Captain Ahab in his version of "Moby Dick". This is a character you can only hate until he redeems himself. The Indians are a serious force of nature whose periodic attacks you fear because the aftermath of each one is so bloody you cringe instinctively which is why I am glad the movie is in Black and White. Gordon Douglas, who also directed one of the greatest monster movies of all time, "THEM", really understands the art of building tension and the pain of violence. Lon Chaney Jr's character goes through some of the same sadistically disturbing drama that Gene Hackman went through when his character was shot in "Bonnie and Clyde". A real nail-biter.

Entertaining Western

[ragosaal · 6/10 · 26 September 2006]

"Only the Valiant" is not a great western; in fact it is obvious that the director, cast and producers knew perfectly it was not going to be one. However the product is entertaining and has an interesting plot.

In order to gain some time, Cpt. Lance (Gregory Peck) is sent to defend a small abandoned fort located right in the opening of a small passage between the mountains through which the Apaches will have to ride in their way to attack the army's main position. He has been accused by his girl of sending his friend Lt. Holloway (Gig Young) in a sure-death mission just to get rid of romantic competition; Peck is innocent of course, but he doesn't feel he has to explain (sort of a character like the one he played some years later in "The Big Country").

Lance chooses his men for the mission among the worst in the regiment and those he knows have personal feelings against him. He occupies the fort and waits for the Apaches to come while watching his back at he same time.

The picture, totally unpretentious, was shot in black and white by director Gordon Douglas and you could say this was a correct decision for it adds to the grey and dark atmosphere that reigns in the fort. It is also interesting when Lance forms the men and tells each one clearly why he has chosen them for the deadly task.

The cast is adequate. Peck is good as the righteous Captain as also is Gig Young in his small part. Among the troopers you'll find such classical tough guys of the 40's and 50' as Lon Chaney, Ward Bond and Neville Brand. Michael Ansara is the Indian chief.

But what really demerits the film are some indoor settings representing the rocky passage and the fort itself that look clearly fake and cheap. Michael Ansara's outfit looks more like one for a costume party than that of the chief of an Indian war party. The point is that producers didn't want to spend much money on this film and it shows.

However it turns out to be a rather enjoyable army against Indians western and its worth one look at least.

Interesting Western about a small regiment stranded in an abandoned fort and surrounded by avenger Apaches

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 12 October 2011]

The more desperate his fight on the desert's scorching sands , the more adored he was in her arms ¡ . Gregory Peck as captain Lance who gave Fort Invincible his name ¡ . Richard Lance (Peck) is a honorable cavalry officer to roust renegade troopers and a tribe of Indians Apaches . Cavalry captain is saddled not only problems with Native American but irritability among his own undisciplined troops . Lance is wrongfully framed by his girlfriend (Barbara Payton) and underlings of killing lieutenant Holloway (Gig Young) massacred along with a patrol by Indians . Richard Lance eventually puts the bridle on tight and struggles to win his soldiers respect while warding off violent Indians. Richard along with a group of soldiers have to defend a left fort surrounded by Indians until arrival reinforcements who are using a Gatling machine gun . The angry Apaches (led by Michael Ansara, usual in Indian roles) are out on a rampage of killing , seeking vengeance against the white intruders, and with the aim for eliminate them.

This is an acceptable , conventional tale with action galore about a hard-bitten officer who goes to hell and back while assembling a detail of misfit cavalrymen to hold-off rampaging Indians and later on regaining the respect of his soldiers and his sweetheart . Gregory Peck and a top-notch all-secondary-star-cast as Ward Bond, Steve Brodie , Warner Anderson , Neville Brand , Jeff Corey and Lon Chaney Jr as the Arab ; all of them shine in this gripping story about a surrounded garrison . Furthermore as protagonist girl appears Barbara Payton ( who acted in important films as Dallas, Drums in the deep South , Kiss Tomorrow) , she turned to be one of the saddest stories from dark chronicle Hollywood . Attractive blonde sexpot and her life eventually disintegrated,mostly by her own doings . She was the subject of a spread in Confidential Magazine in the early 1950s when then fiancé Franchot Tone allegedly caught in bed with Guy Madison . Tone later married her , despite the indiscretion, besides she had a tempestuous relationship with Tom Neal. But happened the downfall , her once enticing countenance now blotchy and once sensational figure now bloated,Barbara sank deeper into the bottle and had several brushes with law , among them public boozy , bad checks and ultimate prostitution . The 39 years former star was found on the bathroom floor.

Director takes a fine penned screenplay creating a cavalry-Indians tale that is far from ordinary , exploring the anguish of soldiers and including jarring burst of violence , however it packs a predictable ending . It's the habitual theme about an unit stranded by enemies and their grueling efforts to break the siege, issue imitated many other times . Gritty and passable written Western from Edmund H. North and Harry Brown , based on the novel by Charles Marquis Warren ,also Western filmmaker .The picture contains nice moments though partially unsatisfying and disappointing for the reason of the deeply claustrophobic environment . Well produced by William Cagney , James Cagney's brother , this Western is predictable and conventional but entertaining. Thrilling and stirring musical score by the classic Franz Waxman . Cinematography by Lionel Lindon enhances the dark tones especially on the besieged fort .

The motion picture is professionally directed by Gordon Douglas . He's an expert on adventures genre as ¨Black arrow¨ and ¨Fortunes of Captain Blood¨ , both starred by Louis Hayward ; but he's mainly specialist filmmaking Western , his first was ¨ Girl rush (1944)¨ and in the 40s directed ¨Doolins of Oklahoma¨ and ¨The Nevadan¨ for duo Harry Joe Brown-Randolph Scott . He went on directing Alan Ladd's (as Jim Bowie) vehicles as ¨Iron Mistress¨ and ¨The fiend who walked west¨ which resulted to be a Western rendition to ¨Kiss of death¨. In the 50s he proved his specialty on Western in the films starred by Clint Walker as ¨Fort Dobbs¨ ,¨Yellowstone Kelly¨, ¨Gold of seven Saints¨ and about legendary bandits as ¨Doolins of Oklahoma¨ and ¨Great Missouri raid¨ . After that , he filmed ¨Chuka(1967)¨ that bears remarkable resemblance to ¨Only the valiant¨ , the remake ¨Stagecoach (1966)¨ , ¨Rio Conchos¨ with Richard Boone and considered the best Western and finally ¨Barquero(1970)¨with Lee Van Cleef and realized in Spaghetti style.

Traditional, no-nonsense and decent western

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 12 April 2010]

Only the Valiant isn't a great movie, but it is a good one. It is sluggishly paced however, with some parts that feel drawn out, and there were times when the direction was lacking. That said, Only the Valiant is very well shot, the black and white cinematography looks good, and the scenery is authentic. Also good is the score, which is suitably rousing, the script is decently structured and the story is interesting while taking inspiration from Fort Apache and Red River. The acting ranges from decent to very good; I am not a huge Gregory Peck fan(I sometimes find him dull) but he does a good job as the ruthless and tight-lipped martinet officer, and Barbara Payton is luminous and pretty as Cathy. Ward Bond, Gig Young and Jeff Corey are much more impressive though. Overall, not perfect, but worth the look. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Dated and a little heavy handed -- but terrific!

[Reb9 · 7/10 · 4 August 2001]

On the whole one wishes this was a better film, but it has enough flashes of intense power to make it worth while. Peck made this film during the same period that he made The Gunfighter, before he apparently decided he was a monument rather than an actor. A pity! He was a fine actor, perfectly willing to tackle characters that were not very likable, and to do them extremely well. The character he plays here is driven and, when necessary, ruthless. Given the mission the character has been assigned, and the "men" with which to do it, those characteristics are essential.

Without being a spoiler, think of this film as an early, grittier example of The Dirty Dozen genre.

The dialog in this film is a bit ham handed but it is atmospheric and intense and definitely tells a story worth telling. It contains good work by all the character actors and even Barbara Payton turns in a credible performance.

This one isn't often shown on television so your local video store may be the only place to find a copy. Go ahead! Devote an evening to it. It is worth your time!

A rather grim view of honor, duty, conscience in the western cavalry

[Mickey-2 · 8/10 · 4 February 2002]

This film, released in 1951, has the usual elements typical of the westerns released during the 50's; the cavalry needing to protect the territory from a murderous band of Indians, an officer determined to see that task through, and the men with him with various character flaws that he has to merge together into a cohesive unit. This small band must hold on to a fort located close to the Indian village until reinforcements arrive. The Indians know, all to well, that the small band is undermanned, and could be wiped out before the help comes. One major difference for this film, "Only the Valiant", is that it attempts to play out the usual storyline, but at the same time, deliver the message that duty is a paramount concern to be shared by all, even if they don't accept that charge.

Gregory Peck embodies the tight-lipped captain of the troop that has to prevent the Indians from breaking out into the territory. The troopers that he takes with him to the small outpost are the dregs of the troop at the fort; they, in turn, have gripes or weaknesses that cause them to wonder if the captain hasn't taken them out because of their general lack of devotion to a cause. Eventually, the captain and the small band confront the hostiles, and at the same time, each confronts his own flaw. The cast includes western stalwarts such as Ward Bond, Gig Young, Neville Brand, Lon Chaney, Jr., and Warner Anderson.

A sleeper of a film, and a good solid western for fans of this genre.

Only the Valiant Need Apply!

[bsmith5552 · 7/10 · 16 October 2018]

"Only the Valiant" is another U.S. Cavalry tale. Gregory Peck plays hard line by the books Captain Richard Lance whom certain soldiers resent to the point of wanting to see him dead.

A fort called "Invincible" placed at the entrance to an Apache encampment, has been wiped out by Tuscos (Michael Ansara) and his band. Lance is sent in to clean up and manages to capture Tucsos in the process whom he brings in. Col. Drumm (Herbert Hayes orders that Tuscos be moved to Fort Grant.

Lance and Lt. Bill Holloway (Gig Young) are both courting Cathy Eversham (Barbara Payton) with her favoring Lance. When Lance see Holloway giving what Lance thinks is a passionate embrace, he assumes the worst. Lance had assumed that he would be in charge of transporting Tuscos but Col. Drumm orders that he stay behind unbeknownst to Cathy, Holloway and the soldiers. Lance names Holloway to lead the troops transporting the Apache chief.

Unfortunately, Holloway is brutally murdered by the Apaches who have freed their chief. Cathy thinks that Lance assigned Holloway to his fate out of spite as do the troopers.

Lance offers to take a small group to the abandoned Fort Invincible to block the canyon opening through which the Apaches will mount their attack, until a relief column arrives. Lance chooses a group of misfits, all of whom hate his guts, to accompany him. He chooses Sgt. Murdock (Neville Brand), Cpl. Timothy Gilchrist (Ward Bond), Trooper Kebussyan (Lon Chaney), Trooper Ruteledge (Warner Anderson) a former officer, Trooper Onstat (Steve Brodie) a former rebel and deserter whom Murdock despises, Trooper Saxton (Terry Kilborn) a trumpeter, Joe Harmony (Jeff Corey) a scout and a sickly lieutenant who ultimately rides for help.

As the group gets thinned out they recognize that Lance being a good soldier is their best chance for survival. Murdock and Onstat are captured by the Apaches and wind up fighting each other to amuse their captors. Then the Apaches attack the fort and...................................................................................

Peck as always, is great as the duty first Captain keeping a painful secret within. The supporting cast is great as well. Ward Bond does his best whiskey loving Irishman, Brand and Brodie as the two hostile soldiers make for some interesting twists, Lon Chaney as the brutish Kebussyan stand out as well. Barbara Payton seemed to be in every movie made by William Cagney productions, Gig Young's part was all too brief and Michael Ansara makes a fearsome enemy.

I found that the premise of the Apache encampment being in a secluded valley with only a narrow passage from which to mount their attacks, a little hard to believe. But, it was a better than average western nonetheless.

Unsympathetic Characters and a Plot Lacking in Credibility

[JamesHitchcock · 5/10 · 25 September 2004]

Contains spoilers

'Only the Valiant' is an example of the 'cavalry film', that sub-genre of the Western that tells the story of the conflict between the US Army and the native Indians of the American West during the second half of the nineteenth century. The central character, Captain Richard Lance, is an Army officer known as a stickler for discipline and for doing everything by the book. Lance is already unpopular with the men under his command, and becomes even more hated when a popular subordinate, Lieutenant Holloway, is killed while leading a dangerous mission to escort Tuscos, a captured Apache chief, to prison. The rumour spreads among the men that Lance deliberately nominated Holloway for the mission because the two were rivals for the hand of the same woman. In fact, Lance wanted to undertake the mission himself and was prevented from doing so by a direct order from his commanding officer, but he never explains this to the men.

The Apaches, led by the rescued Tuscos, are preparing for war against the white man, and it looks as though Fort Winston, the fort where Lance is based, will be attacked in overwhelming numbers. Lance volunteers to lead a small detachment of men to hold another fort, Fort Invincible, abandoned after being damaged in an earlier Apache raid. Fort Invincible commands a strategic pass through the mountains; Lance believes that if he and his men can hold it for a few days, this will gain enough time to allow a relieving force to reach Fort Winston. He is allowed to hand-pick the men who will accompany him on this mission, but instead of picking the best men available, he picks the worst, what he calls the 'dregs' of the unit. Each of these has a particular weakness- one is a coward, one a drunk, another a deserter, another a brawler, and so on. Even before the Holloway incident, Lance seems to have had the knack of making enemies and alienating people, and all of these men have good reason to hate both him and one another.

The aim of the filmmakers was presumably to produce a 'character-driven' film in which a motley collection of men learn to work together, the idea being that the tale of how a bunch of misfits learn to work and fight together is more interesting than a similar story told about a well-disciplined and motivated crack unit. The film's main weakness is that this concept, as told here, is not really credible. Lance tells the men quite bluntly that he has chosen them for the mission because they are the worst soldiers in the fort, and explains that he has done so because they are the men who can most easily be spared. The whole point, however, is that Fort Invincible must be held for long enough to allow the relieving force to arrive. If this plan succeeds, the whole garrison may be saved. If it fails, Fort Winston is likely to be overrun and the garrison massacred, regardless of the caliber of the men left behind. It therefore follows that Lance would want the best possible men under his command in Fort Invincible, not the worst. It is also unclear why it is never explained to the men that Lance was not responsible for sending Holloway on the fateful mission. If military etiquette would have prevented Lance from disclosing the contents of a conversation with a superior officer, the Colonel himself should have made this clear in order to defuse a situation that was becoming prejudicial to good discipline.

Another weakness lies in the character of Lance himself, who is too cold to arouse the viewer's sympathy, even though he eventually turns out to be the man who saves the day and wins the girl. His tactlessness, arrogance and gift for making enemies make him an unlikely leader of men. It seems unlikely that a military unit so riven by feuds and hatred and led by such a martinet could ever accomplish the simplest task, let alone succeed in a highly dangerous mission.

I also disliked the way the Indians were portrayed as bloodthirsty, whooping savages, with no attempt made to present their point of view or to understand why they felt such hatred for the white man. The only Indian we hear speak is Tuscos, who makes boastful speeches about how the 'dog soldiers' will be dust beneath the hooves of his horses. This stereotypical view of the American Indian was perhaps not uncommon in films of this period, although even in the early fifties there were movies that took a more liberal view. 'Broken Arrow', for example, had been released a year before 'Only the Valiant'. (Stereotypes, incidentally, are not confined to the portrayal of the Indians. Ward Bond's drunken, garrulous, belligerent Irishman seems to be a character lifted straight from the pages of a music-hall joke book).

There are some better features of the film; the stark black-and-white photography, for example, is effective, and some of the battle scenes are well done. On the whole, however, the film is too lacking in credibility and the characters too unsympathetic. This is not one of Gregory Peck's better efforts. 5/10

If you want to know why I selected you?

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 2 November 2008]

Capt. Richard Lance is a wronged man, he's being held responsible for the death of a much loved Lieutenant. When the chance arises for him to take a small band of men to the vanquished Fort Invincible, Lance readily takes up the challenge. Picking the men who despise him the most, and the ones he feels have major character flaws, Lance and the handful of soldiers must hold the fort from Apache attack until reinforcements arrive. Running out of water and at war with each other, it's becoming increasingly likely that this is a suicide mission from which none of them may return.

Some people say this is one of Gregory Peck's lesser efforts, that it be low on production values and stilted in its execution. Not so say I, in fact this to me is a far more engaging picture than the much revered Rio Bravo eight years later. Oh for sure the Howard Hawks film is far technically superior, but I'd argue that for cast efforts and sheer entertainment value Only The Valiant wins out in the duel every time. Gregory Peck, Ward Bond, Gig Young, Lon Chaney Jr, Neville Brand & Warner Anderson each contribute greatly to make this a dramatic and involving picture. It simmers along as a highly charged character piece as we have a group of men deeply in mistrust of each other, yet interestingly they are bound by a mutual dislike of their Captain. One special sequence sees Lance (Peck at his straight laced best) assassinate each soldier's character; one is a bully, another a deserter, a drunk, a black heart, a coward and on he goes, and it's here where the film really kicks on to be a crackerjack character driven piece. The violence is pretty strong as well, director Gordon Douglas is not shy to put blood on the bones of the writing, and I dare you not to feel a rush of adrenaline as the Apache's start to screech prior to their wave of attacks.

From watching these intriguing characters in a wonderfully tight situation, to the blood pumping Gatling Gun finale, this picture scores high on many entertaining levels. 8/10

Pecking Orders

[seveb-25179 · 7/10 · 6 October 2018]

Greg Peck is perfectly suited to the role of straight arrow Cavalry Officer. The Indians are on the warpath and Peck captures their leader. Rather than kill him outright he brings him back to stand trial, only the fort is under manned and won't be able to hold him when the Indians come to try and free him. Peck plans to try and take the Chief on to another fort, thus removing the danger, but the colonel is sick and needs him to hold the fort, so poor old Gig Young draws the short straw. Gig had been trying to make a move on Greg's girl and everyone thinks Greg has arranged for Gig to be sent on this suicide mission out of spite. (As if!) Gig duly gets massacred and Greg's name is mud, particularly with the girlfriend. The Indians are massing for an attack and the Cavalry don't have the numbers to hold them at the main fort, however Greg has a cunning plan... There is another small stone fort at the mouth of a narrow pass which the Indians must use, so Greg will lead a small band of men to try and hold the pass until the reinforcements arrive. Greg proceeds to select all the men in the fort who hate his guts for various reasons, as his detail for this suicide mission. Neville Brand is the bully sergeant who has been passed over for promotion (by Greg). Ward Bond is the drunken Irish corporal who Greg tries to keep from his grog. Then there is a guy who reminded me of Sterling Hayden who flunked out of West Point and blames Greg, another guy who looks a bit like John Payne who is a confederate and a deserter, a cowardly bugle boy, a bronchial lieutenant and, most bizarre of all, a giant Armenian "Arab" strongman who survived Gigs fatal mission. After they arrive at the stone fort much character development and plot twisting ensues, in between action clashes with the faceless Indian horde. I think there may be one brief mention as to why the Indians are on the warpath, but essentially they are in this movie purely as a plot device for immanent danger. Despite some outdoor distance shots most of the film feels very stagey, the main sets at the stone fort and the narrow rocky pass are cramped and claustrophobic and there is something about the reverb sound quality... It's probably done on purpose but I don't think it quite achieves the effect intended. The ending is pure Hollywood, Greg had intended to over come the odds with explosives, but one of his treacherous colleagues sabotages that, so it's left to the Cavalry (well who else) to ride in and save him with a gattling gun, although not before Greg gets to face off mano-e-mano with the Indian Chief, then it's back to the fort, where Greg finds he has inherited command from the sick Colonel and his girlfriend has come to her senses. Roll credits

Only the valiant will sit through it

[dballtwo · 4/10 · 28 January 2019]

One of the drawbacks of signing a studio contract in Hollywood's heyday was that even top stars were obligated to perform in vehicles they knew were second rate. After he'd starred in two excellent and mature Westerns like "Yellow Sky" and "The Gunfighter," 20th Century Fox put Gregory Peck into this cliche-ridden, badly mounted, and poorly directed cavalry picture. Although Peck had a good supporting cast, they were unable to make anything memorable or even sensible out of a miserable, ineptly plotted script. Virtually every scene is riddled with logical inconsistencies, and the characters spend so much time sniping and snarling at each other that one can't help but root for the Apaches, who were introduced here yet again as the movie industry's all-purpose Injun villains. As a genuine Peck fan, I prefer to forget this particular outing.

Uneven film still entertains

[FilmFlaneur · 15 January 2002]

Made a couple of years after Ford's 'Fort Apache' (1948), in some ways Douglas' violent film is reminiscent of that earlier work. Gregory Peck's straight-backed Captain Lance, the unpopular stickler for honour and adherent to all the fine print of duty, recalls Ford's military martinet Lieutenant Colonel Thursday (Fonda). There's a significant difference of course: Lance has a quiet competence throughout (and grudging respect of the ranks) conspicuously absent in Thursday's command. And whereas Thursday's actions lead to disaster, Lance pulls off a successful mission. Corporal Gilchrist (Ward Bond, also in 'Apache'), grudgingly admits as much as he declines to shoot the Captain, maddened at the height of his personal whisky drought: Lance is "the only man who can get them through", faults and all. Like the narrow pass through which the Apaches must move to attack the fort, Lance works within a narrow confine of responsibility and honour which can be dangerously constricting.

Interestingly, for a film ostensibly full of action, much significance attaches itself exactly to the opposite. For instance, it is Lance's unwillingness to draw upon others to clear his honour that estranges him from the post and his girlfriend Cathy after the death of Lieutenant Holloway. Most importantly, it is Lance's 'failure' to shoot the indian chief at the beginning, immediately after the fluke capture, which precipitates the death of so many others (a fault corrected at the end when Lance uses a knife in the last struggle). The film suggests that it necessary to bend the rules sometimes to achieve more effective results (whether or not this includes condoning murder in cold blood of a captive is another matter) - and positions various disrupting influences against the Captain as way of demonstration of the checks and balances this involves.

Chief of these is Corporal Gilchrist, who rather steals the film -particularly in the light of Peck's characteristic dullness as an actor. It is Gilchrist who is present at the start of events, he who rounds out the film. It is he too, who provokes a rare yielding, as far as military rules are concerned, by Lance: the Captain allows him a surreptitious swig of whisky just before the final attack. A boisterous, womanising drunkard, Bond plays a character to the hilt familiar from Ford's 'cavalry trilogy' and other films.

The forces contrasting Lance's discipline, control and code of honour rang neatly and conveniently against him at the fort. A deserter, a drunkard, a frustrated bully, an irrationally violent man - these and others, are the small command aptly chosen by Lance (being those the army can "spare mostly easily") to support his mission. In effect, such a select rabble represent the dregs of the army. But also, the weaknesses and darkness which all men contain, and naturally it is these which Lance has to face and master, as much as holding the pass against more physical incursion.

Reflecting this intrigue, the film is naturally rich in character acting. Besides Bond's loud bluffness, one also relishes Chaney's satanic Kebussyan (his character definitely *not* a Fordian derivative!), and the grouchy bitterness of Neville Brand's sergeant Murdock. Much of the film's pleasure lays in such incidentals, especially as the events at the pass, when examined logically, hardly make military sense (Why don't the indians just attack in one go? Why do they keep retreating back through the pass when they have broken out?)

Douglas, who went on to make the superb 'Rio Conchos' (1964) and the minor cult item 'Barquero'(1970) made too few Westerns, and does a good, tough job in direction. His pacing and grasp of tension helps to mask over the glaring differences in geology between the studio's 'pass' and the real thing shot on location. Co-scriptwriter Brown was to write Hawk's masterpiece El Dorado. In short: recommended, but for a more complex and convincing portrait of the cavalry under command see Ford.

entertaining though not especially memorable

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 3 February 2006]

This is a decent film though there's really nothing about it that makes it especially memorable. I think this is made worse by the fact that the film stars Gregory Peck and he went on to make MANY better westerns. This one just seems pretty pedestrian.

The movie is a combination of a B-style western about the cavalry and THE DIRTY DOZEN, as Peck is in charge of a small detail of misfit soldiers who are trying to stem off a major Indian attack. The problem is that despite SOME similarities to THE DIRTY DOZEN, the writing just isn't that good at times and the reasoning why Peck took this group of degenerates on the mission seems really stupid--I mean putting the safety of everyone back home in the hands of people who only cared about saving their sorry butts. In reality, such a group would have either deserted or shot their C.O. and then deserted.

Strong start, downhill from the moment Payton kisses another officer

[adrianovasconcelos · 6/10 · 4 December 2020]

Quite frankly, I do not understand why some reviewers label a film "dated" knowing full well that it was shot in 1951, in the 20th Century, and we are now in the 21st Century, nearly 75 years on. Of course back in 1951 there was no CGI, color was still comparatively rare, and anyway this was an Army vs Indians Western set in the 19th Century. It HAS to be dated, that is something one should accept from the start.

Greg Peck was an above average actor and he is quite good in ONLY THE VALIANT - but he cannot save the film on his own. Apart from Lon Chaney, no one - not even the usually reliable Ward Bond - matches his quality.

Director Gordon Douglas does a competent job of making the most of a shoestring budget to build a suitably claustrophobic atmosphere but the reasons for so many soldiers engaging in nefarious conduct, or downright conduct unbecoming, looms as a large question over the entire film, and ultimately costs it much needed credibility.

Payton's part warrants questions. She appears to be there only to cause an embarrassing situation between two men with feelings for her. According to the trivia, she had an affair with Peck during production - at least she must have felt somewhat useful in that role, because for the rest the film could have done without her.

The ludicrous fight between a confederate reb and a sergeant in the Indian camp not only is completely unbelievable, it also ends in progress, which is frustrating.

Middling military western - hope others like it more than I did. Still, Peck and some sound B&W photography (despite the low budget) convince me to rate it 6/10.

Stereotype Western - Only the Valiant

[arthur_tafero · 6/10 · 5 May 2021]

This film has just about every hackneyed line and stereotype one can imagine in a boots and saddles film. With a French Foreign Legion plot and a wholesale slaughter of Native American who owned the land before the pony soldiers got there, the film is watchable, but only like an 80 car pileup is watchable on the highway. You just can't believe how stupid everyone was in the accident. The Irish drunk, no soldiers of color or Hispanic origin (what would be the odds of that in real life?), one-dimensional Apache warriors, and a wooden performance by the otherwise talented Gregory Peck. A superfluous romance would have been better left out as well. Don't waste your time unless you are a big Peck fan or are faced with a movie made after 2000.

Life and Times of Barbara Peyton

[seasidejc · 6/10 · 10 December 2021]

I am reading a book about Gregory Peck by Lynn Haney. In the chapter that included information about Only The Valiant, Ms. Haney went into detail about the life of the lead actress in this movie (Barbara Peyton). I had never heard of this actress before, I guess because she was only in a few big production films and they were all before I was born. Ms, Peyton loved to party and drink. She was married numerous times, and had many affairs, She was only 39 when she died as an alcoholic and weighed over 200 lbs. This movie could have been much better, if it had not been treated like a B-style western, and more money had been pumped into the production. This film is not up to the standards of other Peck westerns (The Big Country and Bravados to name two). Did anyone else notice at the end of the film, Ward Bond was shot in the right shoulder by an arrow, however, shortly after he was being treated for a wound to his left shoulder.?

I was a kid when...

[zatapatique · 8/10 · 4 December 2005]

...I saw this movie when it first came out in France, in my hometown, 54 years ago, I was nine, and today I still remember each black and white frame, especially the black ones, because it was so tense, scary, those sneaking attacks through that dark pass in the mountain, the two soldiers, prisoners forced to fight each other by their captors, the last battle with the uncovering of the wagon with the Gatling in it firing away, the last fight between Peck and the chief, and the Happy End which let me take back my breath. I haven't seen it since then, and I don't know if it would be a good idea to see it again today, it was such a fabulous moment for the kid I was.

Grab your carbine and whiskey, there be Apache!

[Coffee_in_the_Clink · 6/10 · 14 August 2021]

Made on the cheap, and with very dull and cardboard looking sets to prove, "Only the Valiant" still manages to hold its own, much like the sqaud of soldiers led by Gregory Peck on a suicide mission to hold off hundreds of Indians until relief arrives. Peck reportedly hated this film and only made it due to contract commitments. He's as dull as ever here but this time such a tepid performance gives him credit as it suits his character, the captain hated by the raggedy group of troop handpicked for this suicide mission due to their undesirable natures: the drunk, the yellow, the sick and the mad! Look out for Lon Chaney Jr in a strange performance as an Armenian soldier (very weird and random). The rocky pass where the Indians are coming through looks like it was made of foam and in a studio lot. But there is still a good few shots of the large band of Indians setting up to attack, and the black and white cinematography and lightning works particularly well during the night battle scenes. Overall, this isn't half bad, and worth a watch.

Peck thought it was a stinker, so do I

[alsumrall2001 · 1/10 · 10 July 2012]

This film was one of the worst waste of good actors that I have ever seen. A terrible movie, about as amateurish as they come, something you might have seen on TV in the late fifties early sixties, terrible script, some great/good actors Peck, Bond, Brand, Young and a few others with no decent lines nor character development and some lousy actors that should never have gotten lines. The directing was slovenly at best, the set was just awful, looked like something out of star trek....oh heck, it had no redeeming features. For anyone to say this film is even mediocre they much have been as drunk as Ward Bond pretended to be. I have seen worse movies but not with so many good actors time totally wasted. This film must have been done as a favor to someone who thought they could write/make a movie...a case of the actors being forced by contract into something hideous. Put it in the trash. I was relieved to read that Peck said it was his least favorite film.

Strikingly original military chronicle, another surprising aspect of Peck's career; one of the best and certainly eeriest of Peck's movies

[Cristi_Ciopron · 9/10 · 4 March 2009]

I would suggest that Only the Valiant is one of the most original and intriguing and in some ways weird movies that Peck ever did; daring , surprising and one of his few best westerns (--no, no, of course, not a western really, but a military chronicle, which sometimes is better--). It's quite low—budget, but, oh, very original and striking. It's one of those treats a true buff sometimes gets; movies that no one yet told you they exist. You say—'that sounds intriguing, or interesting'—and it surpasses your expectations.

All in all, the script shows a level of maturity unusual for the westerns—and it somehow reminded me, obliquely, of ULZANA; it's also straight no—nonsense suspense.

Peck looked dashing as a young and tough, somewhat gloomy and stoic officer; and there are many unexpected touches—like the blonde babe kissing and flirting with the one she's decided not to marry, perhaps a feeling of hers for justice and retribution ….

Even genre—wise, ONLY … is so much more than a military tale—it is as well an action drama, a suspense movie, a commando/ action thriller—the weirdest combo imaginable; a bunch of soldiers in a special mission to counteract and stop a possible Native's attack …--the insane decision not to take all the available troops to the place where those Natives could be stopped—but only a handful of people …--and this plot never takes a crap route—as most would and did …. The interest for humans, for people and their reasons and actions never falters.

A due word about Peck himself; he performs with brio, and though I usually find his famous movies to be rather insipid and boring, in such small outings I find intact all Peck's somber and even chilling glamor. He was an unusual star.

I gladly recommend this extraordinary movie.

The Grimy Half Dozen

[writers_reign · 6/10 · 25 October 2008]

Two names, one in front of and one behind the camera, imply a touch of Class that is largely absent here. Gregory Peck was one of the most underrated actors in the history of film and writer Harry Brown had a string of fine credits from A Walk In The Sun onwards. Sadly producer Jimmy Cagney was seemingly reluctant to shell out on a decent budget and may well have manipulated things - Brown, for example, had written Cagney's Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, the previous year and leading lady (no, I'm not making it up, that's what the billing says) Barbara Payton, had appeared in it and was under contract to Cagney which may explain what she was doing, albeit ineptly, here. Peck himself was railroaded into this but even so he was too good an actor and too much a pro to give anything less than his best and the support is at least interesting; Lon Chaney Jnr, Jeff Corey, Gig Young, Neville Brand, Ward Bond, Steve Brodie, all essentially wasted as was all-around director Gordon Douglas. A curio at best.

Only the Valiant

[henry8-3 · 5/10 · 30 July 2019]

Captain Peck is ordered not to take a Indian chief to another fort as he is indispensable in the running of the fort the platoon are currently based in. The man who does go is killed and everyone blames Peck and thinks him a coward - he of course is too brave (stupid?) to explain himself. He sets off on another suicide mission with the men who accuse him.

Pretty much standard comboys and indians stuff with the support cast playing to their usual type eg Ward Bond - seasoned soldier forever drunk, Neville Brand - touch guy, Lon Chaney - nutcase etc. It's all very standard stuff, albeit a little more bloody than usual but held together nicely by another best stiff upper lip performance from Gregory Peck.