VividSimon Simply Perfect

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

whidbeydanielg Born in 1948 I went to western films every week during the 50s with my father. We both loved them. I remember this one well. And played it out frequently in the fields next to my childhood home.I still enjoy it. My wife and I are going to watch it again tonight, maybe the 10th time I have seen it in my life. As with most westerns, it has not aged well, although it is clear that the major story line isn't really about the "Indians" but instead is about "good" white people versus "bad" white people. To this day I enjoy watching Tommy Rettig. He was the original Jeff in Lassie, and I can still hum the final music to that show. It was a simpler time, and I miss it. This film is fun, with breathtaking scenery, good acting, and a fine story.

MartinHafer This film begins with Richard Widmark being chased by a posse. In the process, Widmark kills several of the deputies until he is ultimately captured. The sheriff (along with Widmark) soon meets up with a wagon train and tags along with them until he can get his prisoner back to town for a proper hanging. As for why Widmark did all these nasty murders, he is supposedly part Comanche (he sure doesn't look it--that's because he was a white orphan raised by the tribe) and has a total disregard for society--and somehow this entitles him to kill with abandon.Problems soon develop with the settlers. They are devout people and can't stand the way the sheriff takes pleasure in tormenting Widmark (who is now handcuffed to a wagon wheel). What happens next with Widmark and the sheriff is something you'll need to see for yourself.Soon another parallel story begins as well. One of the ladies in the wagon train is angry because her father was previously married to an American-Indian and she has a half-sister as a result. There is obviously much hatred of the 'half-breed' sister and the racist feelings the white sister feels is a parallel to the story of Widmark. Occasionally this tension seems a bit overdone--especially since you'd think the angry white sister would have come to terms with her half-sister and the white settlers would get tired of using words like 'savage' so much. Subtle its message ain't and the one young lady in particular plays a character too unlikable and annoying to be real--the one and only real deficit in an otherwise good film.Unfortunately for the wagon train, the land they eventually enter is Indian land. Soon, it appears that the Indians are angry about their land being invaded and it appears that all of the settlers' lives are about to be snuffed. At this point, the tables are turned and it's up to the cold-blooded killer, Widmark, to save the day--escorting the survivors to safety and teaching them to live off the land like natives.By the way, as you watch Widmark chained to the wagon wheel and doing some stunts as well while connected to the wheel, you are impressed by how much he was willing to do for this role. Occasionally, you assume it's a stuntman doing some of the scenes but in many cases it is clearly Widmark being tossed about in this very uncomfortable manner. What a guy...and what a good film.Overall, a very good film that is worth watching for its fine performance by Richard Widmark as well as an interesting and thought-provoking script. As I already said, the story isn't always subtle nor are a few of the characters, but it still is an earnest and enjoyable flick.

dmosch29 I saw the movie as a child and I was fascinated. Richard Widmark is very sexy in his role as a white man who has been raised by the Comanches. It is a movie that shows drama, history, and a nice love story. The movie addresses quite a few issues. I prefer the old westerns over the new ones anyway. My oh my, that's all that I can say about Richard Widmark in this role. I think the movie is interesting for children and adults alike. When the movie starts, Richard Widmark gives the impression of being a bad crimina. In reality, he took the law in his own hands, and he killed 4 brothers that have been responsible for the death of his loved ones. In the end it is the criminal, who teaches the people that feel hate for him, how to survive.

gmcgibney Though he never achieved the status of John Ford, Delmer Daves was responsible for elevating many average scripts into films that became more than the sum of their parts (Dark Passage, 3:10 To Yuma). This is a film I can first recall seeing on the late show in my early teens with my nine-year-old brother. Thirty years later we still call each other when we see it listed in the TV guide. In Commanche Todd Richard Widmark gives us one of his most likable and unforgettable characters in what could easily have become a throwaway performance in a "B" movie. The supporting cast is excellent especially Felicia Farr as Jenny. She took what could have been a potentially thankless role and turns Jenny into a strong and extremely desirable woman. Despite the sappy Hollywood ending that is somewhat at odds with the tone of the rest of the film this is a film that holds up after almost fifty years.