The Indian Fighter

A brisk and very polished Western, lacking the intensity of De Toth's later Day of the Outlaw, but notable for its sumptuous 'Scope photography and for its interest in the Sioux Indians and their closeness to nature. Douglas is typically robust as the scout hoping to make a peace treaty with the Sioux as he escorts a wagon train through their territory, while Martinelli, as the Indian girl he falls for, achieved some notoriety with a fairly explicit bathing sequence. The storyline is hardly original, but the solid cast and De Toth's effortless, elegant direction lend it a certain flair.